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October
2005, No. 1
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Metrorail:
Building for the Future
Imagine being able to take Metrorail all the way to the
airport, avoiding the hassle and expense of parking or
taking a taxi. Just a few years from now, this dream of
frequent, dedicated rail service to Miami International
Airport will become a reality thanks to a 2.6-mile Metrorail
extension. More... |
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Carlos F. Bonzón, Ph.D., P.E. Assistant
County Manager
These are certainly very exciting times for Miami-Dade
County's transportation system. Since Nov. 5, 2002,
when County voters overwhelmingly approved the People's
Transportation Plan and the half-penny surtax for
transportation, our tax monies have been well spent
on significant improvements for both the transit
system and roads.
In order to keep the community up to date about
the PTP, we have created this monthly online and
printed newsletter.
Go Miami-Dade represents a partnership among the
three County departments charged with implementing
the PTP - Miami-Dade Transit, the Citizens' Independent
Transportation Trust and the Public Works Department
- and includes information and updates from each
of the departments.
In this inaugural issue, you will learn about improved
Metrobus and Metrorail service, roadway improvements,
the role of the CITT and more.
Finally, with gas prices at record highs, I want
to remind everyone that there's never been a better
time to save money by riding transit and taking
advantage of all the improvements that have been
made in the last three years. |
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| County
employees are available to speak about the People's
Transportation Plan to homeowners associations,
civic organizations and other groups. Topics include
saving money by using transit, bus service improvements,
Metrorail expansion plans, traffic signal synchronization,
roadway improvements and the Citizens' Independent
Transportation Trust. To request a speaker, call
305-884-7555. |
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MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY
Carlos Alvarez
Mayor
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Joe A. Martinez
Chairman
Dennis C. Moss
Vice-Chairman
Barbara J. Jordan
District 1
Dorrin D. Rolle
District 2
Dr. Barbara Carey-Shuler
District 3 |
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Sally
A. Heyman
District 4
Bruno A. Barreiro
District 5
Rebeca Sosa
District 6
Carlos A. Gimenez
District 7
Katy Sorenson
District 8
Dennis C. Moss
District 9
Senator
Javier D. Souto
District 10
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Joe
A. Martinez
District 11
José "Pepe" Diaz
District 12
Natacha
Seijas
District 13
Harvey Ruvin
Clerk of Courts
George M. Burgess
County Manager
Murray A. Greenberg
County Attorney |
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Changing
your email? To update your contact information, just reply with
your changes.
Miami-Dade County does not collect information for commercial marketing.
Privacy
Policy
© 2005 Miami-Dade County. All rights reserved.
Enewsletter Development by Loop
Consulting Group
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| TICKET
TO RIDE: Miami-Dade Transit Director Roosevelt
Bradley, second from left, presents a map
of future Metrorail extensions to U.S. Sen.
Mel Martinez at a press conference announcing
Miami-Dade Transit's gains from the recently
enacted federal transportation bill. They
are joined by County Commissioner Dennis Moss,
far left, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, second
from right, and County Commissioner Carlos
Gimenez. |
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Metrorail:
Building for the Future
Imagine being able to take Metrorail all the way to the
airport, avoiding the hassle and expense of parking or
taking a taxi. Just a few years from now, this dream of
frequent, dedicated rail service to Miami International
Airport will become a reality thanks to a 2.6-mile Metrorail
extension.
| Slated
for completion in 2010, the MIC-Earlington Heights
Connector will extend the Metrorail from the existing
Earlington Heights station to the Miami Intermodal
Center (MIC) under construction next to MIA. The
project is being paid for with $100 million from
the state and $240 million from the County's half-penny
surtax for transportation. |
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LOOK: Future Metrorail vehicles will feature
a sleek new design. |
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"This critical link to Metrorail is vital to the successful
operation of the Miami Intermodal Center," said Florida
Department of Transportation Secretary José Abreu. "Miami-Dade
County's ability to bring local transportation dollars to the
table has allowed us to advance this project to coincide with
the opening of the MIC."
The MIC-Earlington Heights Connector is the first of three Metrorail
extensions projected to come online over the next 10 years under
the People's Transportation Plan. The three corridors, which
make up what is known as the Orange Line, total 22.2 miles and
include the 9.5-mile North Corridor to the Broward County line
and the 10.1-mile East-West corridor along State Road 836 to
Florida International University's University Park campus.
The Orange Line got a big boost from the recently enacted federal
transportation bill, which put the project in a stronger position
to compete for federal matching funds.
"We are hopeful that the half-penny surtax will provide
the critical leverage to obtain the federal money we will need
to complete the Orange Line," said Miami-Dade Transit Director
Roosevelt Bradley.
Commuters also can look forward to new Metromover vehicles and
a fully refurbished Metrorail fleet featuring a sleek new design,
modern interior and state-of-the-art air conditioning system,
along with a vehicle-monitoring and control system that will
allow for real-time diagnostics and reduce incidents of mechanical
failures.
Some improvements to rail service are already in place, including
more frequent midday and weekend service, a new Metrorail station
next to the Palmetto Expressway and free Metromover service.
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The CITT: The Citizens' Voice in the PTP
When Miami-Dade County voters approved the half-percent transportation
surtax and the People's Transportation Plan (PTP), they also created
the Citizens'
Independent Transportation Trust (CITT) as an independent watchdog
group to monitor the expenditure of surtax revenues.
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Marc
Buoniconti
CITT Chairman
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The
CITT reviews all contracts involving the use of surtax funds
and considers any amendments to the PTP. Since its first meeting,
the 15-member trust has met over 100 times.
"Over the past two and a half years the CITT, together
with the Board of County Commissioners, has energized the implementation
of the People's Transportation Plan by pursuing an aggressive
agenda of well thought out internal procedures, public outreach
and conscientious oversight of the expenditure of surtax funds,"
said CITT Chairman Marc Buoniconti. |
A big part of the CITT's job involves overseeing the spending of the
20 percent municipal share of the surtax, which totals approximately
$30 million annually and is distributed to municipalities based on
population for use on transportation projects.
To date, municipalities have received more than $70 million from for
a variety of roadway improvements and local circulator services such
as the Coral Gables Trolley.
CITT
members are nominated by an independent Nominating Committee made
up of various community leaders, and appointed by County Commissioners,
the County Mayor and the Miami-Dade County League of Cities.
Members reflect the County's diversity and currently include a high
school teacher, a civil engineer and a retired pastor.
CITT meetings are public and citizen input is encouraged. Citizens
interested in actively participating in the development of the PTP
can apply to serve as a CITT member.
The Nominating Committee accepts new applications when vacancies occur
and this information is publicized in all local media. Membership
is open to Miami-Dade County registered voters with a reputation for
integrity and civic involvement and an interest in transportation
issues. For more information about the CITT and how to become a member,
call 305-375-1357 or visit www.miamidade.gov/citt.
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Go.miamidade.gov: the New Transportation Gateway
A new easy-to-use County website is offering one-stop shopping for
all the information you need to get around.
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PORTAL:
Go.miamidade.gov
is the county's new online gateway to transportation information. |
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Go.miamidade.gov,
Miami-Dade's new online gateway to transportation, features
direct links to bus and rail schedules, online Sunpass and transit
pass sales, traffic updates, flight times, tourist information
and much more.
"I was able to find all of the information, maps, route
times, and even more than I really needed for five routes in
about half an hour," said Miami resident Alejandro Gonzalez,
a recent website visitor. "I am very impressed."
To make taking the bus or train even easier, the site now offers
automated trip planning for anyone planning to take public transportation
in the tri-county area. The tri-county Regional Trip Planner,
being developed in partnership with the Florida Department of
Transportation, will enable users to simply punch in their departure
and destination address and receive immediate detailed trip
planning information using Miami-Dade Transit (MDT), Tri-Rail,
Broward County Transit or Palm Tran, or any combination of the
four. |
"The Regional Trip Planner will make transit more user-friendly
than ever," said Miami-Dade Transit Director Roosevelt Bradley.
"It's public transportation's answer to Mapquest and takes the
guesswork out of taking transit."
Go.miamidade.gov
also includes a link to Miami-Dade County's new PTP newsletter, Go
Miami-Dade, as well as an online signup form to receive the newsletter
via e-mail.
Go.miamidade.gov
represents a partnership between a dozen transportation-related agencies
including Miami-Dade Transit, the Citizens' Independent Transportation
Trust, the Florida Department of Transportation, Miami International
Airport and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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Expanded Metrobus Fleet Takes You There
There's never been a better time to take the bus. With 22 convenient
new routes and more frequent service, Miami-Dade's Metrobus is going
more places, more often with more buses.
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IN STYLE: New Metrobuses feature attractive new design. |
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Thanks to the People's Transportation Plan (PTP) and the half-penny
transportation surtax, the Metrobus fleet has gone from 705
to 981 buses. All buses now run every 30 minutes or better during
rush hour, with some of the most popular routes running every
15 minutes or better in the height of the morning and evening
rush.
"Some people might not notice some of the improvements
because many have been in steps and gradual, but when you step
back and compare now and before, there have definitely been
some significant improvements," said long-time passenger
Stanley Goldenberg, a meteorologist with the hurricane research
division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"What have we gotten for our half cent? A lot of things." |
And the improvements are convincing record numbers to take transit.
Since the passage of the PTP, the system - including Metrobus, Metrorail
and Metromover - has enjoyed a whopping 26 percent increase in ridership.
"The huge number of new riders vindicates all the improvements
we've made in the last three years, and it certainly confirms our
resolve to continue improving the system and keep the promises we
made to voters in 2002," said Miami-Dade Transit Director Roosevelt
Bradley.
Another 50 buses are due by the end of the year, with 330 more set
to come into service by 2008. All new buses will feature a sleek new
design, more modern interiors and state-of-the-art technology to improve
service reliability and passenger safety.
The PTP also has been responsible for the installation of nearly 1,000
bus shelters and more than 3,300 new user-friendly bus stop signs,
with many more on the way.
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PTP Improving County's Roads
There's some good news for anyone stuck behind a red light. Over the
next two to three years, the county will synchronize all its traffic
signals with a new system that will shorten those long waits behind
the wheel.
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| GROUNDWORK:
A crew at work on recently completed improvements to Grand
Avenue in Coconut Grove. Jorge
Perez, Miami city photographer. |
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Once
fully implemented in 2008, the system will increase the capacity
of most County arterials by 5 percent and reduce side-street
delays. "Not only will this new system improve traffic
flow, but it will reduce system maintenance calls and response
times," said Miami-Dade County Public Works Director Esther
Calas.
Traffic signal synchronization is just one of many public works
projects being funded by the half-penny surtax for transportation.
Apart from mass transit improvements, the surtax-funded People's
Transportation Plan (PTP) calls for $309 million in public works
improvements between 2003 and 2013, including street resurfacing,
drainage upgrades, sidewalks and wheelchair-accessible curb
cuts near bus stops throughout the County. |
More than 132 lane miles of road have been resurfaced so far, and
more than 40 roadway improvement projects are under way.
The recently completed $4.2 million Grand Avenue project in Coconut
Grove features various roadway and drainage improvements from Southwest
37th to 32nd Avenue. The project was the result of a joint participation
agreement with the City of Miami and combined funding from the surtax
and other County sources.
Another recently completed major project brought $5.5 million in improvements
to Northwest 62nd Avenue in Hialeah, including widening the road from
two to four lanes between NW 105th and 138th streets.
Other countywide improvements include school flashing signals, illuminated
street name signs at a growing number of intersections and more than
19,000 new street signs. Future roadway projects include extending
Northwest 87th Avenue between 154th and 183rd streets, major ingress-egress
improvements in downtown Miami, and grade separation at some intersections.
"Improving the condition of roads throughout the County is one
of the major goals of the PTP," Calas said. "Residents can
look forward to many more improvements over the next several years
that will provide for a more pleasant driving experience while reducing
traffic delays."
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PTP Amendment Means $2.8 Billion More For Transit Over 30 Years
Miami-Dade Transit has received a big infusion of cash that will benefit
transit system riders for decades to come.
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| DONE
DEAL: Mayor Carlos Alvarez signs an amendment to the People's
Transpor-tation Plan that will bring billions more to
transit. Miami-Dade Transit Director Roosevelt Bradley,
left, and Citizens' Independent transportation Trust member
Henry Lee Givens look on. |
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On
July 19, 2005, Mayor Carlos Alvarez signed an amendment to the
People's Transportation Plan that will provide $2.8 billion
more to transit over the next 30 years. The extra money will
allow the County to maintain and improve existing services while
completing future Metrorail extensions faster than promised
under the PTP.
"The PTP amendment not only protects the People's Transportation
Plan, it enhances it," Alvarez said. "We will now
have a unified transit system that is properly funded and can
compete for the scarce state and federal dollars needed to further
expand our rail system."
The amendment calls for increasing the general fund's contribution
to Transit by more than $5 million plus 3.5 percent annual growth,
and boosting Transit's share of the local option gas tax by
1.5 percent a year. |
It also allows Transit to borrow $150 million from surtax revenues
through 2011 for existing services to make up for an imbalance that
existed before the PTP. The amount will be fully refunded at 3 percent
annual interest over the next 12 years.
"It's a win-win for Miami-Dade Transit passengers and for taxpayers,"
said Marc Buoniconti, chairman of the Citizens' Independent Transportation
Trust, where the amendment originated.
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Projects To Give Seniors Easy Access To Transit
Miami-Dade Transit is joining forces with the Miami-Dade Housing Agency
on two projects to provide local seniors with affordable housing and
easy access to public transportation.
Gran
Via apartments, a 54-unit senior housing and community center
planned for Southwest Eighth Street and 127th Avenue, will feature
a transit hub serving several Metrobus routes and a Park &
Ride garage.
"Low-income seniors who live at this new facility will
benefit both from affordable housing and convenient transportation,"
said Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Joe A. Martinez,
who represents the district where the development is planned.
Another project combining affordable housing and public transportation
is Senator Villas Apartments, planned for Southwest 40th Street
and 89th Avenue in the district represented by County Commissioner
Javier D. Souto.
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| BREAKING
GROUND: County Commission Chairman Joe A. Martinez speaks
at a groundbreaking ceremony for Gran Via apartments,
a senior housing complex and transit hub. |
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The 29,000-square-foot development will include a 12-unit low-income
senior housing facility, bus shelter and Park & Ride lot.
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Legislative Update by Lyn Harris
Miami-Dade County has good reason to celebrate the recent enactment
of the new federal transportation bill in Washington.
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Lyn
Harris Miami-Dade Transit Governmental
Affairs Manager |
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The
landmark legislation provides about $18 million for various
County transit projects over the next four years, including
increased transit security, more buses, a new automated fare
collection system and the construction of a transit hub at Northwest
62nd Street and State Road 7.
More importantly, the bill puts us in a stronger posture to
compete for federal matching funds to expand Metrorail, a centerpiece
of the People's Transportation Plan.
Thanks to language included in the final bill, the federal government
could provide half the funding needed to complete the planned
Orange Line, which includes the 9.5-mile North Corridor to the
Broward County line and the 10.1-mile East-West Corridor along
State Road 836 to Florida International University's University
Park campus. |
The legislation also lets the County use $100 million committed by
the state for the MIC-Earlington Heights Connector to Miami International
Airport as part of the local match for the North and East-West corridors,
saving additional local half-penny surtax dollars.
The transportation bill is giving the County's largest municipality
reason to cheer as well. It identifies $50 million in federal funding
for Miami's planned streetcar project, which would run from downtown
Miami to Northeast 79th Street.
That's welcome news for an area that is about to experience a major
residential building boom. So if you're looking for an excuse to break
out that bottle of champagne, look no further.
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Go.Miamidade.Gov
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CITT
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Stephen P. Clark Center
111
NW 1st Street Suite 910
Miami, Florida 33128
gomiamidade@miamidade.gov |
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Miami-Dade County does not collect information for commercial
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© 2005 Miami-Dade County. All rights reserved.
Enewsletter Development by Loop Consulting Group
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