Miami-Dade raises doubts about traffic study for David Beckham’s Miami soccer stadium
Miami-Dade’s Transportation Department has given a thumbs down to the traffic study David Beckham and partners are using to justify building a mall, office complex and soccer stadium near Miami International Airport.
A transportation department report presented Tuesday to county commissioners raised a string of “concerns” about the Beckham group’s 2019 analysis, which found the complex wouldn’t overwhelm surrounding roads.
The report said the Beckham group’s prediction of manageable traffic relied on the construction of a new ramp off LeJeune Avenue and a new pedestrian bridge linking MIA’s Metrorail station to the proposed 73-acre commercial complex where Miami’s Melreese Country Club golf currently operates.
The report by the Transportation Department also knocks the Beckham group’s analysis for considering only a “very limited” area around the proposed complex to outline potential traffic issues.
Of the 28 intersections in the study, 10 would approach maximum amounts of vehicles if the stadium gets built, according to the county analysis. It also questioned the traffic counts used to make projections, calling the volumes lower than state estimates and noting the time frame coincided with major construction on nearby State Road 836.
“This may understate the traffic impacts generated by the development,” read the undated report by Alice Bravo, former transportation director to then-mayor Carlos Gimenez, who left office in November.
His successor, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, released the transportation report and another analysis by county-owned MIA ahead of Tuesday’s County Commission meeting, calling it part of a backlog of reports the board had requested from the Gimenez administration.
The Beckham group, which includes lead partner Jorge Mas, issued a statement Tuesday that said the county findings rested on a traffic plan that hasn’t been set in stone.
“The preliminary findings provided to the Board of County Commissioners today were based on a review of Miami Freedom Park’s initial proposed site plans and traffic study submitted to the City of Miami, which are still under review,” the statement said.
“We look forward to having a seat at the table with the County through this process, for a dialogue on Miami Freedom Park’s positive impact to Miami International Airport, including generating new visitors that will travel through the airport,” the statement continued.
Miami-Dade’s Aviation Department’s report also raised “safety concerns” about a stadium going up near the airport, with potential conflicts with venue lighting and flight paths. The Miami Herald obtained a draft of that report in September and published the findings.
The county reports were requested by Rebeca Sosa, the commissioner representing the Miami neighborhoods around Melreese. She’s against the stadium plan, which still needs approval by the Miami City Commission.
After that, the county would have some authority over the soccer proposal through MIA and other agencies. The Beckham group’s Major League Soccer franchise, Inter Miami CF, is playing in a temporary stadium it built in Fort Lauderdale.
“Something like this — to bring not only the stadium, but hotel, businesses, restaurants — you’re talking about a big impact to my residents, and a big impact to the environment,” Sosa said during the meeting. “And you’re talking about a safety issue to Miami-Dade County and MIA...We need to make sure we... have a say in something that can bring so many problems.”
Miami Herald staff writer Joey Flechas contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 9:08 PM.