$2 million Okeechobee Metrorail bridge enters design phase

Locals who illegally dart across the Florida East Coast Railway bridge that connects Miami Springs and Hialeah can look forward to safer crossings as a $2 million pedestrian bridge enters its design stage.

“First and foremost, this is about safety,” said Miami Springs Mayor Maria Mitchell, who rallied county officials for the new bridge. “I have pictures of people walking across the tracks, and that is very dangerous.”

Miami Springs’ affluent and sleepy Bird Section, at the northwest end of the three-square-mile city is so close to the Okeechobee Metrorail station, Mitchell says, she can “throw a rock at it.”

However, getting there — legally — requires a circuitous hike up to Medley’s 12^th Avenue bridge, crossing Hialeah’s busy Okeechobee Rd., and then strolling past some hourly adult motels.

“The Okeechobee pedestrian bridge project will help expand connectivity and mobility in Miami Springs and Hialeah,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “As part of our efforts to expand more transit-oriented development across Miami-Dade, this project will provide more transportation options and a more walkable neighborhood, and we’re excited to see it come to life.”

The new bridge will allow Miami Springs’ residents easier access to the Metrorail station, located at 2005 W. Okeechobee Road, as well as nearby discount stores, motels, and an adult nightclub.

In return, future Metrorail riders can zip over and enjoy Miami Springs’ lush walkways and bike paths, fishing spots and nearby picnic benches with “beware of alligator” signs.

Miami-Dade County has set “as the highest priority” the advancement of the rapid transit corridors, including the Okeechobee Metrorail station, in line with what has been defined as the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit, or SMART plan.

“The initial design cost is estimated to be $300,000,” said Luis Espinoza, a spokesperson for Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works. “During preliminary design, this cost estimate will be updated accordingly.”

Funding is from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Surface Transportation Block Grant Program in the amount of $2.3 million, Espinoza said, and the design is estimated to be completed in 2022.

The first phase of the project requires a National Environmental Policy Act study that will incorporate the preliminary design, according to the county.

Bridging the gap

People who rely on local public transit often walk to complete the first and last mile of their trips, county officials said. Bridging this gap will make travel safer and more accessible.

Specifically, a nearly half-mile stretch of Okeechobee Rd. that abuts the station is often used by drag racers. They are drawn to the FEC bridge tunnel because at full throttle it creates an echo that can be heard for miles.

“Given the multi-modal connectivity, this project requires significant collaboration with federal, state and local transportation partners including FTA, FDOT, city of Hialeah and city of Miami Springs,” Levine Cava said. “Work is getting underway now.”

Miami Springs currently provides a free shuttle service that in 2019 served about 50 people per day, at a cost of $136,156, county records show. A bright orange and green transit van loops during the day from Miami Springs and neighboring Virginia Gardens to Northwest 36^th Street and the Hialeah Metrorail station.

The pedestrian bridge will allow also easy access to Metro Grande, a $62,663,477 project in the “pre-development” stage that includes three 8-story towers, as well as 10,000 square feet of retail office space.

Hialeah zoning change

The city of Hialeah recently changed the zoning around the Okeechobee Metrorail station’s warehouse district to encourage mixed-use development.

Metro Grande will sit above a 3.49-acre parking lot fronting the Okeechobee Metrorail station and provide about 250 units from “extremely low-income up to market rate units,” according to a county resolution passed last October. The developers include Okeechobee Lease Holdings LLC and Cornerstone Group Partners LLC, the county said.

Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez did not return messages seeking comment.

EXTENSION IN PLANS

The walkway calls for an extension located a safe distance east of the FEC tracks, officials said. It remains unclear what type of construction will take place on Miami Springs’ side for a “kiss and ride” parking area.

There was no opposition to the pedestrian bridge, announced in 2019.

Last month, a homeless encampment near the proposed pedestrian bridge that housed about two dozen residents was set ablaze, during a standoff with authorities, and then cleared out.

The Herald requested incident reports from Hialeah Fire Rescue, the Hialeah Police Department, and the Miami Springs Police Department, all of which responded to the scene, but each of the three agencies said no report was written.

Theo Karantsalis can be reached at karantsalis@bellsouth.net

This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 6:00 AM.