Miami-Dade County receives High rating from FTA for South Corridor Rapid Transit Project
The Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) received an overall High rating from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the County’s funding request of $100 million Small Starts funding for the South Corridor Rapid Transit project – a critical step toward securing this important federal grant.
The project earned an FTA rating of High in the annual federal review of transit projects seeking funding from the Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program. With the FTA’s High rating of DTPW’s South Corridor project, the project is considered one of the most competitive projects for the FTA CIG Small Starts funding. DTPW will now work with the FTA to demonstrate the County’s readiness.
“The South Dade Transitway Bus Rapid Transit service will provide a much-needed transit solution for one of the fastest growing areas in Miami-Dade, and significantly improve transportation mobility for our County,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “I’d like to thank Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, who has always been an advocate for his hometown of Miami-Dade, for helping us in this and all our transportation pursuits.”
The South Corridor (South Dade TransitWay) is one the six rapid transit corridors of the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan and the first to receive a High FTA rating for federal grant funding.
“Thanks to the diligence of DTPW Director Alice Bravo and her staff, we have received a High rating, which is a critical step toward getting the federal grant funding necessary to move this project forward,” added Mayor Gimenez.
On Thursday, August 30, 2018, the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Governing Board voted on the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the South Dade TransitWay corridor and selected Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as the most effective mode of transportation for this corridor.
“The BRT system will provide travel times similar to rail and will have iconic stations, pre-paid fare collection, level boarding, and enhanced safety features,” said Alice N. Bravo, P.E., director of Transportation and Public Works for Miami-Dade County. “This transit service will provide a comfortable and rapid travel option for our residents that connects to the Metrorail system.”
The corridor runs 20 miles in length and connects numerous municipalities which represent some of the fastest growing communities in Miami-Dade County. This corridor extends from the Dadeland South Metrorail Station to the SW 344th Street Park-and-Ride/Transit Terminal and provides a mobility connection between the Miami Central Business District and the Village of Pinecrest, the Village of Palmetto Bay, Town of Cutler Bay, City of Homestead, and Florida City.
Once completed, BRT will provide rail-like travel time, iconic stations, level boarding through all doors, and pre-paid fares for speedy access. BRT will run along dedicated lanes with multi-layered service lines on the Transitway. BRT is scheduled to begin operation by 2022.
To learn more about Miami-Dade Transit services, visit DTPW’s website. Join Mobility 305, our monthly newsletter, to receive news, special events, perks and much more.