For the new South Dade bus system, state money is putting project in the fast lane

Florida is ready to spend $100 million helping build Miami-Dade’s first advanced bus system, a 20-mile express route in South Dade with vehicles and stations designed to mimic some of the perks of rail.

Selection of a $240 million rapid-transit bus system for South Dade last summer sparked a revolt from some elected representatives of the region, who demanded the $1.3 billion Metrorail extension promised voters 15 years ago when the county passed a new transportation sales tax by referendum.

Advocates of the bus system argued it was the only viable option given the county’s strained transit finances, and also called it the mode most likely to win quick help from Tallahassee and Washington.

Now they’re pointing to the promised state funds for the South Dade project as confirmation that the lower price tag will pay off with a new transit system actually getting built.

“So much has been promised over the years on transit,” said Esteban “Steve” Bovo, the outgoing chairman of the County Commission who supported the bus option over Metrorail during the Aug. 30 vote of a transportation board that has authority over federal transit funds. “I personally believe it’s time to deliver something.”

A county plan for the rapid-transit bus system predicts passengers could be riding the new vehicles by 2022.

The South Dade vote was the first to come out of the 2016 SMART Plan process, which launched transit studies for six of the county’s busiest commuting corridors.

South Dade’s rapid-transit bus system would use the existing busway to run a new fleet of customized buses running express routes along a network of stops with massive architectural canopies designed to protect passengers from the elements.

The stops would be designed to require advance ticket sales, and the buses would be equipped for group boardings in order to provide the kind of speedy departures from stations that train passengers enjoy.

Bovo’s office announced the commitment by the Florida Department of Transportation to contribute $100 million to the rapid-transit bus line in South Dade. It will be part of the agency’s funding plan submitted to the Florida Legislature in 2019 and would be available by the summer, said Aileen Bouclé, executive director of the county’s Transportation Planning Organization, the board that oversees federal transit money.

The project still hinges on federal dollars, and a decision from Washington is expected in the spring. Miami-Dade applied for a $100 million “small starts” grant from the federal Transportation Department earlier this year, and a decision is expected in the spring. Bouclé said Tallahassee stepping up with dollars for the project makes it more likely that Washington will, too.

“It’s helping us greatly to go get those federal funds,” she said.

This story was originally published December 11, 2018 at 6:28 PM.