99-23107 RESO
RESOLUTION NO.
99-23107
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI
BEACH, FLORIDA, REQUESTING THAT THE METROPOLITAN PLANNING
ORGANIZATION AND THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT A TION EXTEND
THE PROPOSED TUNNEL SEGMENT OF THE EAST-WEST MULTIMODAL CORRIDOR
PROJECT, FROM ITS PRESENTLY- PLANNED EAST TERMINUS, THE PORT OF
MIAMI, TO SOUTH POINTE IN MIAMI BEACH, THEREBY MAKING THE BEACH
CONNECTION APART OF THE PROJECT'S MINIMUM OPERATIVE SEGMENT (MOS),
AND MEETING THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION NEEDS OF THE MIAMI BEACH
RESIDENTS, COMMUTERS AND VISITORS.
WHEREAS, a regional transportation project has been planned for Miami-Dade County, known as the East-
West Multimodal Corridor; and
WHEREAS, in 1993, Miami Beach's choice for a connection to the Corridor was via a tunnel underneath the
Government Cut; and
WHEREAS, in 1994, the City supported the "concept" of an at-grade alignment to Miami Beach and its
Convention Center, via the MacArthur Causeway, but declined to be included in the Project's first phase, known as
Minimum Operative Segment (MOS), fearing the impact of existing rail technology to our local roads, and to the
character and scale of the community; and
WHEREAS, in 1997, the Metropolitan Planning Organization Governing Board chose, as part of the MOS,
the construction of a rail tunnel beginning at the Orange Bowl and ending at the Port of Miami; and
WHEREAS, presently, the City wishes to support a tunnel connection ending at a terminus in South Beach,
with an above-ground intermodal station where the Electrowave and Miami-Dade Transit Agency buses, as well as taxis,
would assume the local circulation duties; and
WHEREAS, the most cost-effective way of extending the tunnel alignment to Miami Beach would be as a
continuation of the planned Orange Bowl to Seaport tunnel.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and City Commission hereby request that the Metropolitan
Planning Organization and the Florida Department of Transportation extend the proposed tunnel segment of the East-
West Multimodal Corridor Project, from its presently-planned east terminus, the Port of Miami, to South Pointe in
Miami Beach, thereby making the Beach connection a part of the project's Minimum Operative Segment (MOS), and
meeting the regional transportation needs of the Miami Beach residents, commuters and visitors.
PASSED AND APPROVED this the 17th day of
March
,1999.
,
MAYOR
~~d' feu ~
CITY CLERK
APPROVED AS TO
fORM & LANGUAGE
& FOR EXECUTION
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~ITY OF MIAMI BEACH
;ITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH. FLORIDA 33139
IIp:\\ci. miami-beach. fl.us
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM NO. ~ -:2~ .:9.4
TO:
Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin and
Members of the City C
DATE: March 17,1999
FROM:
Sergio Rodriguez
City Manager
SUBJECT:
A RESO ION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, REQUESTING THAT THE
METROPOLIT AN PLANNING ORGANIZATION AND THE FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION EXTEND THE PROPOSED
TUNNEL SEGMENT OF THE EAST-WEST MULTIMODAL CORRIDOR
PROJECT, FROM ITS PRESENTLY- PLANNED EAST TERMINUS, THE
PORT OF MIAMI, TO SOUTH POINTE IN MIAMI BEACH, THEREBY
MAKING THE BEACH CONNECTION A PART OF THE PROJECT'S
FIRST MINIMUM OPERATIVE SEGMENT (MOS-l), AND MEETING
THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION NEEDS OF THE MIAMI BEACH
RESIDENTS, COMMUTERS AND VISITORS.
ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the Resolution.
BACKGROUND
Phase 1 of the proposed East-West Multimodal Corridor, when completed around 2010, will provide
rail rapid transit linking the Palmetto Expressway, the Miami International AirportlMiami
Intermodal Center (MIC), downtown Miami, and the Port of Miami. Supported by an on-going and
intensive Public Involvement Program dubbed "Connecting People," the project also offers increased
roadway mobility and connections to many other modes of transportation.
From October 1993 through September 1994, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and
Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas (PB), consultants, held 22 group meetings/presentations/
public involvement meetings in Miami Beach regarding the Corridor project. At that time, a Miami
Beach extension was being proposed as a part of the project's Phase 1, known as Minimum Operative
Segment-l (MaS-I).
City Commission Resolution No. 94-21144, dated April 20, 1994, supported the project's concept
and chose the route coming through the Seaport to Miami Beach, via a tunnel under Government
Cut, over other routes that would potentially elevate the line and disrupt the views along the
MacArthur Causeway.
AGENDA ITEM
R,'D
3-ll-14
DATE
Due to results of a preliminary value-engineering of all alternatives, FDOT selected an at-grade
crossing as the preferred alignment. Responding to FDOT's request, City Commission Resolution
No. 94-21324, dated September 22, 1994, stated that, instead of a tunnel "the crossing should be
made on the south side of the Causeway on low level pilings, no higher than the existing Jersey
barrier." However. due to opposition by the existing Washington Avenue Association to a light-rail
line running on Washington Avenue on its way to the Convention Center, the City approved only
the concept of an East-West Corridor alignment to Miami Beach, chose not to be part ofMOS-I,
and postponed making any further decision until a less intrusive transit technology had been
developed and chosen for the Beach connection.
The Corridor planners then analyzed 25 different alternative alignments for MOS-l (minus the Miami
Beach connection) and their potential impacts to the natural and manmade environment and brought
their recommendation to the MPO Governing Board, which, in 1997, chose the following alignment
for the project's MOS-l :
An above-ground rail rapid transit line linking the Palmetto Expressway to the
Airport/Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) and going underground near the Orange Bowl to
Downtown Miami and the Port of Miami, the tunnel's eastern terminus. The East-West
Corridor Project encompasses the following elements:
* An 11.8-mile, above-ground rail rapid transit line (8.3-mile of which being elevated);
* A 3.2-mile rail tunnel;
* A rail branch line into MIA;
* Ten rail stations, six aerial and four underground;
* Transforming SR 836 into an 8-lane highway, by providing two High Occupancy Vehicle
(HOV) lanes from the Florida Turnpike to Lejeune Road;
* Replacing the existing toll booths with a fully automated facility;
* Five park-and-ride lots with approximately 5,000 parking space;
* Pedestrian and bicycle facilities at various locations along the transit line; and
* Bus system improvement to integrate bus and rail transit services.
The Corridor planners subsequently prepared and submitted to the pertinent Federal agencies a Final
Environment Impact Statement (FEIS) for the MOS-l alignment, above stated. Early this year the
Federal Highway and Federal Transit Administrations approved the East-West FEIS and the official
Record of Decision was granted on September 28, 1998. This approval allows design, preliminary
engineering and acquisition of right-of-way activities to begin.
ANAL YSIS
The most cost-effective time to extend the tunnel and provide a terminus of the East-West Corridor
in Miami Beach would be as a continuation to the tunnel section from the Orange Bowl to the
Seaport. This argument, plus the fact that the ELECTROWA VE has proven to be a successful and
effective local circulator, carrying over 1.5 million passengers in its first year of operation, have
given the City a second chance at being connected to the East-West Corridor Project, as part of
MOS-!.
The Corridor planners will make a presentation at the City Commission meeting and advise that the
proposed official City resolution requesting to extend the tunnel to South Pointe, as part of MOS-I,
is timely. The Miami Beach underground terminus would connect to a street-level intermodal transit
center, where rail passengers would transfer to the ELECTROWA VE and MDT A buses, or taxis,
to reach their respective destinations. The location of this terminus/intermodal center would have
to be identified in the near future, and a Supplemental FEIS would thel'l. be prepared and submitted
for approval by the pertinent Federal agencies.
Among the various benefits of being connected to the East-West Multimodal Corridor, the following
are most prominent:
1. Direct, fast, and state-of-the-art transit connection from the airport. downtown Miami and
seaport to Miami Beach.
2. A Record of Decision from the funding agencies authorizes, among other things, the
purchase of needed right-of-way for cut-and-cover construction of underground stations.
Therefore, FDOT could possibly acquire the land, or contribute to the acquisition, where a
permanent maintenance/storage facility for the electric shuttle vehicles, parking garage, and
intermodal center would be constructed.
3. The facility would be constructed with FT A funds, and the revenues generated by parking
and other activities would help subsidize the operating costs of the ELECTROWA VE Service.
WHO WILL FUND THE EAST-WEST CORRIDOR?
The Federal Department of Transportation recently announced that, beginning FY 2000, only
communities with dedicated funding for transportation projects will receive federal
transportation dollars. Miami-Dade County and Washington, DC, are the only major communities
in the United States which lack a dedicated revenue source to match the essential Federal Highway
and Federal Transit Agency dollars that are earmarked for major capital investment projects, such
as the East-West Multimodal Corridor. Therefore, Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas is presently
working on a plan to identify a dedicated funding source.
If a Miami-Dade revenue source is identified in a timely manner, the East-West Corridor's MOS-l
will be submitted to the federal agencies for construction funding. If the Miami Beach tunnel is not
included as part of the MOS-! submission, a rail transit connection to the beach may be delayed
indefinitely. Priority will then shift to other ridership-intensive and cost-effective above-ground
extensions connecting westward to the Florida Turnpike and Kendall areas, and northward to the
areas being proposed within the empowerment zone.
CONCLUSION
The Administration believes it is in the best interest of Miami Beach to be included as part of the
East-West Corridor's first Minimum Operative Segment (MOS-l), and recommends that this
second-chance at being included in this regional transit project be taken through adoption of the
attached Resolution.
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