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Board of County Commissioners
Chamber Gazette

PREMIUM TRANSIT SERVICE COMING TO SOUTH DADE

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Artist's rendering of a South Dade Bus Rapid Transit station

DID YOU KNOW?

Cushioned by the Everglades to the west, Biscayne Bay to the east and the bustling city to the north, South Dade is where Miami unfurls into sprawling farmland, exotic fruit stands and the unique ecosystems of two national parks.

South Dade residents and commuters will soon be enjoying premium transit service with many of the benefits of rail but at a fraction of the cost to taxpayers.

In 2018, the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization voted to move forward with the South Corridor – one of the SMART Plan's six proposed rapid transit lines – by selecting Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as the preferred mode for the 20-mile transit corridor.

The historic step allowed the County to begin the process of applying for federal funds to pay for up to $100 million of the $300 million project, to be matched by $100 million from the Florida Department of Transportation and $100 million in local funding.

Service on the new line – which would run along the existing South Dade TransitWay from Florida City to Metrorail's southernmost station at Dadeland South – could begin as early as 2022.

The service would feature many of the benefits of rail but at approximately one-fifth the cost of a rail extension. Those features will include iconic stations with ticket kiosks for prepayment of fares, wide doors and level boardings, and rail-like gate arms to block traffic at all 45 traffic signal intersections along the Transitway to allow for faster travel.

"All those intersections will now have gate arms like on a railroad that will come down so the buses will be going at full speed without having to stop for red lights," said Miami-Dade Department of Transit and Public Works (DTPW) Director Alice Bravo.

The project's design also will accommodate possible future rail service. Approved plans for the project include a "trigger" to convert to rail once daily ridership reaches 35,000.

SOUTH CORRIDOR

Length of Corridor: 20 miles exclusive transit right-of-way, parallel to U.S. 1

Limits: Southwest 344th Street to Dadeland South Station and approximately 45 intersections

Transit Mode: Bus Rapid Transit. Chosen as Locally Preferred Alternative by the Transportation Planning Organization on August 30, 2018

Municipalities served:

  • Village of Pinecrest
  • Village of Palmetto Bay
  • Town of Cutler Bay
  • City of Homestead
  • City of Florida City

VIEWPOINTS

Commissioner Joe A. Martinez
"Obviously, Bus Rapid Transit is a lot better than what South Dade resisdents have now, and it can be done a lot faster and less expensively than rail."

Commissioner Dennis C. Moss
"While I continue to support rail for the South Corridor, I appreciate the fact that this project contains a ridership trigger to convert to rail at some point, so I'm hoping that happens in the not too distant future."

Commissioner José "Pepe" Díaz
"Bus Rapid Transit, with its rail-like amenities and use of dedicated lanes, is a big step forward in transportation, and it's a system that will work in many other parts of the County in conjunction with feeder routes and easy-to-reach Park & Ride lots."