$2 million Okeechobee Metrorail bridge will make travel safer
The Miami Springs City Council said Monday that funds have been designated to build a $2 million pedestrian bridge connecting the city with the Okeechobee Metrorail station.
“The pedestrian bridge will provide a safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists who wish to cross from Miami Springs to our Okeechobee Metrorail station,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “This bridge also will provide a much closer crossing point, making it even easier for residents to access our transit services.”
The proposed bridge connecting the Metrorail station located at 2005 W. Okeechobee Road is a multi-agency collaborative project that will enhance safety for Hialeah, Medley, Virginia Gardens and Miami Springs.
"The bridge will create easier and safer access for Miami Springs students, seniors and others who rely on our local mass transit system," said Miami Springs Councilman Jaime Petralanda, who is running for the District 5 seat of the Miami-Dade School Board.
The initial bridge design will cost $300,000 and will be funded through the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program. The design is projected to be completed in fiscal year 2021, county officials said.
Bridge construction will cost an estimated $2 million. Of that, $1.4 million will come from federal CMAQ funds, with the remaining $600,000 coming from both CMAQ and Surface Transportation Program funds earmarked for urban areas of over 200,000 population.
The project calls for an extension located a safe distance east of the Florida East Coast Railway tracks, but other details, including aesthetics, slope and ADA specifications, have not yet been released.
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.
Bridge construction is scheduled to start in fiscal year 2023 and the Florida Department of Transportation has mandated the project be completed by 2025, officials said.