Last night, Village Manager Nick Marano reconvened the 87th Avenue Bridge Task Force virtually. The Task Force heard over 40 comments from the public, both in written form and live on GoToWebinar, the Village's virtual platform. Several other comments were submitted after the meeting start time that went directly into the record. The Village was very pleased to see such great participation online through GoToWebinar and on Facebook.
Secretary Joseph Miorelli was tasked with putting together the position report to present to the Miami-Dade County Transportation Planning Organization. During the meeting, Secretary Miorelli mentioned that the public commentaries have been very informative and helpful. Task Force Chairwoman Carmen Baker requested key points from each member to include in the report explaining the reasons for their opposition to the construction of the bridge. Some of these key points were: 1. traffic engineers will find alternatives if asked to do so; 2. property values will decrease with the bridge construction; 3. many of the Miami-Dade TPO members do not know this area well (come visit us); 4. this will be a bridge to nowhere which leads back to where you started; 5. induced demand will increase traffic; and 6. four traffic circles will be built on Old Cutler Road as well as Bus Rapid Transit all scheduled for opening in 2023 to improve current traffic conditions. Secretary Miorelli also expressed his concern about the construction cost on the bridge ($3.1 million) not being an accurate figure by today’s construction costs. He appreciated the alternative solutions discussed so that the Task Force may present a position paper that not only presents a solid case against the bridge, but also provides other options and solutions to the traffic issues.
Members expressed an interest in attending the upcoming meeting of the Miami-Dade County Transportation Planning Organization and speak on the record. The meeting is scheduled for March 18th at 2 pm.
A draft report will be presented and discussed at the next meeting of the Task Force. Manager Marano offered his assistance to write the report. The next meeting of the Task Force will be next Wednesday, March 10th at 5:30 pm. Meeting details will be posted on our website and social media platforms.
To learn more about the Task Force, please visit the Task Force webpage. Stay involved and stay safe!
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