LTC 009-2009 Proposed Miami International Airport Express Bus~IF~I*[~~"~
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® 1 ~ ~` ~ ~ CITY CLtt~~'S ter !CE
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 009-2009 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Matti H. Bower and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager
DATE: January 12, 2009
SUBJECT: Proposed Miami International Airport Express Bus
The purpose of this Letter to Commission (LTC) is to inform you of the status of the proposed Miami
International Airport Express Bus Route (Airport Express). Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) began
planning a bus route that would provide a direct service from the Miami Intemational Airport (MIA) to
Miami Beach; however the proposed route is currently on hold due to a lack of County funding.
MDT planned for the proposed route to traverse along State Road (SR) 112 with bus stops at the
Tri-Rail Airport Station and at the Earlington Heights Metrorail station, and then to continue east on
Interstate 195/Julia Tuttle Causeway. The next bus stop would be at Mt. Sinai Hospital, and then
the route would continue east on 41st Street to Collins Avenue, and then head south along Collins
Avenue to South Pointe Drive at Alton Road. MDT has not determined the exact locations for the
bus stops between Mt. Sinai Hospital and South Pointe Drive. The proposed route would also
connect to the South Beach Local along Washington Avenue from Lincoln Road to South Pointe
Drive. Please see Attachment 1, Proposed MIA Express Bus Route.
MDT began planning the Airport Express as a result of a high ridership demand for a route that
connects MIA to Miami Beach. Multiple requests for such a route were made by the Miami Beach
Transportation and Parking Committee (TPC), by administrative staff at the City of Miami Beach,
and by several large employers in Miami Beach. In addition, Mt. Sinai conducted a survey and
determined that many of their employees and clients are interested in a transit connection from Mt.
Sinai to both MIA and a Metrorail station.
An express route from MIA to Miami Beach is also in high demand due to a large number of tourists
and visitors going to Miami Beach. According to the 2005 Miami Beach Overnight Visitors Profile
Survey conducted by Synovate Miami, in 2005 15 million passengers arrived at MIA, as well as a
significant number of passengers at Broward County Airport (FLL). Of all passengers arriving at MIA
or FLL, 11.3 million people stayed at least one night in Greater Miami, and over 5.3 million stayed
specifically in Miami Beach. Domestic visitors accounted for 63% of all overnight visitors to Miami
Beach, while 37% were of international origin.
According to the survey, the main reason people visited Miami Beach was for vacation and/or
pleasure travel. People also visited Miami Beach for business and convention travel, for taking a
cruise, or for visiting friends and relatives. In 2008, there were a total of 460 special events in or
around Miami Beach, including attractions in art, dance, film, theater, music, and sports.
MDT estimates that the operation of the Airport Express would cost $1,200,000 million per year.
This would provide a seven day per week bus service operating from Gam to 10pm with a headway
every 30 minutes. There are no capital costs associated with this route. MDT was awarded FDOT
grant funding in the amount of $600,000 for the proposed Airport Express. The funding required
MDT to pay a local match of $600,000.
LTC
January 6, 2009
MIA Airport Express Bus Route
Page 2 of 2
Due to MDT's substantial limited operational funding, MDT requested that the funds be reprioritized
and FDOT redirected the funding to the Kendall Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project. The Kendall BRT
Project was heavily supported by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), and since it was
replacing an existing bus service with a high ridership demand, MDT decided the project took priority
over the proposed Airport Express. FDOT has not made available any additional funding for the
Airport Express.
Given that MDT's current main objective is to reduce transit service by approximately 2 million miles,
MDT will not be able to add the Airport Express within the next two fiscal years. During a past
Miami Beach TPC meeting, MDT stated that they would consider a limited stop service from MIA to
Miami Beach through the consolidation of existing routes. The feasibility of this option needs to be
further explored with MDT.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Attachment
1. Proposed MIA Express Bus Route
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