1640-27 Causeways I
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JUi'i • "19FQ -,r---
. Mid-Bay Drive
Route Doubtful At Last •They're
• Mid-Bay e proposed
J ' Iid-Bay Dri •.n't precisely •
°..0 ame implies, its tu- Thinking Big
Opponents lure is doubtful.�` The 20-million-dollar bridge A 45-MILE network of new causeways
js can't go precisely down the • here has been approvedy
middle of Biscayne Bay frommmissin principle by the
Sound Off Ojus to MacArthur Causeway. Metropolitan Commission.
y Location of existing East-West
The first 14 iniles — a Ild-bay-T9nweb
causeways and the Inland Wa- in the north end of Biscayn rsay—war
r terway is such that the Mid- authorized for construction promptly.
• By LEO ADDE 0 Bay must brush either the high The way also is clear to work out
/said 51511Writ.r priced developments on the financing for other links which will pay
Six Metro commissioners — mainland shore, or M i a m i for themselves now. Tolls wild overthe
a..majority of the board Beach's western Isles, whole Cost. " (IAN .14 9 l{
bu stuck by their•site Indeed the commissioners, their in res-
build_the controversial , '•- v. Commissioners A. C. Klttel,
�Orive hursday although some Robert Haverfield and Art olution, spelled out the fact that t h e
Patten say they have "big causeway system must be self-supporting
persons at a public.hearing PP $
reservations" about the pros- and won't be given any tax money. Mo-
During
protested vigorously. � �+
During a heated, three-hour ,Q ect. torists have proved, by their patronage of
night session in the commission The big yowl will come it the turnpike, that they are willing to pay
meeting room, witness after —as expected—the financial for the use of fine, scenic roadways which
witness declared that the feasibility study of the project. can be built only by charging tolls.
causeway would ruin their prop- Z.•is favorable. Once the Mid- Part of the plan officially sanctioned
eity,and Biscayne Bay. t Bay Drive is certified as fi- yesterday calls for a viaduct running from
Commissioner A. C. Klttel, + nancially practical, the county the south end of Dade County to the Up-
'
- , is committed to about $500,000 per Keys, presently inaccessible to vehic-
who said he lives a blo Kit .
Biscayne Bay, took the fcorn-
rom in engineering tees. . ular traffic.When built,this causeway will
sloe off the defensive as the The big debate on going open, to development Z. through with the project seems, P the last stretch of
weary session dragged past
certain to carry over past the I raw oceanfront in the county. It also will
11 p.m. inauguration date of five new hasten the growth of South Dade, an area
•
'We commissioners are for • commissioners. of rich potential.
this thing because we have stud- a'' *• + ` Altogether,the proposed system of new
sed it," lintel said, rising to causeways is a bold concept.It is the kind
his feet and pointing an ac- of big thinking needed in this expanding
curing finger. metropolitan area.
"Ninety-nine per cent of you By reaching unanimous agreement on
,people are here for selfish res- this major item of public policy,the Metro
sons," Kittel continued. "B u t commissioners have set their feet on a
this bridge would let 99 per
cent of the whole population path to progress.
'of Dade County see Biscayne
Bay for the first time."
The commissioners were to
vote Tuesday on five resolu-
'tions tieing up. the loose ends
of causeway. ,planning. The
board approved Mid-Bay Drive
in principle on Jan.13,1959.
But the Mid-Bay committee
Thursday night voted 4-2 in
favor of a one-week delay In
final action.,The delay would
permit referral o: the project
to the Planning Advisory
Board.This action goes before
the full commission Tuesdhy
for ratification or rejection.
Mid-Bay Drive, planned as a
16-mile, 20 million dollar proj-
ect,would loop over water from
the Graves Tract down to Mac-
Arthur Causeway.
The, first strong protest
came from J. K. Shinn, 4201
Palm La.;Bay Point.
•
Shinn said: "We don't want
this highway." Loud applause
broke out. .
These commissioners s a i d
outright or,indicated they will
vote down the line in favor of
the Mid-Bay Drive: .
Kittel;Joe Boyd.Artfur Pat-
ten, ..Alex Gordon, Walter
Weiss,Ralph Fossey.
Commissioner Robert Haver.
field, who pressed for the de-
lay, made no.criticism of the
causeway if it is proven 'by
engineering studies to be fi-
nancially feasible.