Fully funded bridge to soccer stadium in transit plans

Written by Miami Today on November 5, 2025

When the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization last week amended its improvements program for the next five years, it scored a goal to link fans to the county’s new Mayor League Soccer stadium.

Although preliminary work began two years ago on the stadium next to Miami International Airport and games are due there in the spring, a pedestrian bridge to the stadium lags far behind. The amended program estimates the cost of the bridge at $5 million that is now fully funded under the state’s general appropriations act.

The bridge is to link the Miami Intermodal Center to the site, creating greater access to Metrorail and buses and commuter rail from Tri-Rail.

In July, the developers of the Inter Miami CF stadium were still trying to pin down the exact location of the bridge that they must provide and were still seeking the government funds to construct the bridge.

“Obviously, the soccer stadium will be open in advance of this bridge, but it would be very nice that we do not end up with a tremendous traffic quagmire in what is a residential neighborhood in Grapeland by not having this bridge,” county Commissioner Eileen Higgins said at the time.

The bridge also is to serve a new City of Miami administration building now rising beside Miami Freedom Park. Freedom Park is to include as well a large office, commercial and hotel complex planned by stadium owners.

Ms. Higgins told the county’s Transportation Committee that building the bridge is complicated. It must use property owned or controlled by the county, the airport, the Greater Miami Expressway Agency, the city and the Florida Department of Transportation.

“This pedestrian bridge is very important not only to our project but the city administration building and to a new City of Miami 58-acre park,” said Iris Escarra, a land use and development attorney with Greenberg Traurig who represents the project. As for the timing of the stadium’s opening, she said, “If we’re not playing a game next year in March 2026, I’m going to have to put on a pink shirt and go out there and kick a ball because that is our mandate, to make sure that stadium opens next year.”