LTC 201-2010 Port of Miami Tunnelm MIAMIBEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 201-2010
LETTER TO COMMISSION
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TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission ~ r~-~
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.FROM:. Jorge. M. Gonzalez, City Manager =~ °~-••
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DATE: July 14, 2010 ~~ ''~'
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SUBJECT: Port of Miami Tunnel Project Update & 1-395 ~'
The purpose of this Letter to Commission is to provide you with correspondence. received from the
Transportation and Parking Committee regarding the above subject.
JMG/JCS/SF
C: Hilda Fernandez, Assistant City Manager
Robert C. Middaugh, Assistant City Manager
Jorge Gomez, Assistant City Manager
Saul Frances, Parking Director
Mar[< Weithorn, Chairman TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission
Alan B. Flshman, V1ce-Chairman
FROM: Mark Weithorn, Transportation & Parking Committee Chair
Members•
Jo Asmundssori DATE: July 14, 2010
Monl Cohen
Scott Diffenderfer
A] Feola SUBJECT: PORT OF MIAMI TUNNEL PROJECT UPDATE & 1-395
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Maria Mayer Dear Mayor and Honorable City Commission:
JP Morgan
Josephine Pompanos The Transportation and Parking Committee met on July 12, 2010 and were
Marvin siiverman provided with the below update on the Port of Miami Tunnel Project and I-395:
Scott Timm
Seth Wasserman
• Started construction on Parrot Island Trail (next to Miami Children's Museum}
• Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM} under design/manufactured in Germany
• All permits necessary for roadway work on Watson Island, have been obtained
' Groundbreaking of Port of Miami 7unnel.held June 11cn
• Signage entered as action item: Ensure Master Signage Committee considers
signage for visitors staying in Miami Beach and going to the Port, as well as
signage for visitors who accidentally enter the tunnel and need to head back to
Miami Beach through Port Blvd.
• Meeting held with Venetian Island Association regarding traffic issues.
Association wants to make it clear if something is happening on causeway, Wane
of intermittent signs or Public Safety Officials are to advertise use of Venetian
Causeway as any type of alternative road (working with FDOT/Public Safety
- from Miami and Miami Beach}
• In 3,4 weeks -westbound lane will be restriped; where merge lane/emergency
lane is located, will take bus stop and move back 4 feet to do drainage/utility
work and moving road 3 feet to right (not a road closure, but lane closure
intermittently for 3 days}
• More visual presence of 24hr taw trucks
• Website now has link for live traffic video which will show live video cameras
from I-395 (4-5 different cameras which rotate every 2-3 seconds) -- website:
wvuw.loortofmiamitunnel.com; additional traffic reports can be located beneath
link by logging into 511, which is FDOT traffic reports website
• Frontage Road {Jungle Island Rd) has been taken over (eastbound lane -work
happening on right hand side); taking Frontage Rd and moving to right and
where current Frontage Rd is located, will be 3 lane causeway (moved to right),
` but will not happen for another 2-3 months
• Intermittent lane closure on west side will be don a during non-peak usage
traffic time - 9:30a-3:OOp weekdays only
• During summer, hope is that majority of roadwork will be done (off-road} -will
not start to finish work until after Labor Day (diverting traffic}; tentatively,
- September 15th is goal date for a seamless transition
• Weekly Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) notices will. be transmitted
• VMSsignage, by contract, will be placed
• Tunnel Boring Machine will arrive in parts starting- March; currently welding
plates for machine; large portion will start to assemble in May and barged on
site
• After anticipated seamless flow of traffic, will start groundwork/excavation at
median, for tunnel boring machine; over 175 ft, width of machine is 42 ft in
diameter- looking at placing temporary walls and permanent walls
• Tunnel Boring Machine not laid flat, will be at a 5% grade and part of it will be
inside excavated area -will be able to see double portals; County and MPO
Committee are currently looking at what #unnel portal will look like. This is very
important as it will be at entrance, ensure it is something reflective of what is
desired; committee being put together
Furthermore, the committee also met with the County's fDOT Department in
charge of I-395. There was a discussion on the possibility of adding a third lane
between Biscayne Blvd. and I-95. Question was asked if the bridge over Biscayne
Blvd. will be able to handle the added load of hundreds of trucks. They informed
they are presently conducting a feasibility study and looking at either restriping,.
creating a third lane or widening the highway for the third Lane. An update will be
provided to the committee either in September or October.
Sincerely,
Transportation and Parking Committee