LTC 522-2022 Temporary Closure of CMB Pedestrian Bridge No. 1 - Liberty Ave. over Collins CanalMIAMI BEACH
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Conve nti o n Cente r Driv e, Miami Be a c h, FL 33 139, www.miamibe a c hfl.g ov
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Tel: 305.673 .70 80, Fax: 305 .67 3.702 8
NO. LTC# 522-2022 LETTER TO COMMISS ION
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
Honorable Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City Commission
Alina T. Hudak, City Manager ~ ~-for
December 15, 2022
SUBJECT: Temporary Closure of CMB Pedestrian Bridge No. 1 -Liberty Ave. over Collins Canal
The purpose of this L TC is to provide the Mayor and City Commission with an update regarding the
temporary closure of Pedestrian Bridge No. 1, located on Liberty Ave. over Collins Canal (as
illustrated in Figure 1 ).
Pedestrian Bridge No . 1 was built in 1950 and has been in service for 72 years. As part of our bridge
program, the City engaged Chrome Engineering to conduct bridge inspections and rehabilitation design
for its six pedestrian bridges. As part of the assessments conducted, Pedestrian Bridge No. 1 was
found to be structurally deficient, with National Bridge Inventory (NBI) ratings of "Serious". The other
five bridges were in better condition, with National Bridge Inventory (NBI) ratings between "Fair",
"Satisfactory" and "Very Good". As a result, the City requested the consultant to conduct a load
capacity evaluation, and to fast-track the design and permitting of repairs to Pedestrian Bridge No . 1.
The load capacity evaluation results for Pedestrian Bridge No. 1 indicate that the structure can operate
with a maximum pedestrian live load of 45 pounds per square foot (PSF), which translates to a light
flow of pedestrians and bicyclists, and no motorized or maintenance vehicles . Since the City has no
way of metering pedestrian flow on the bridge and in an abundance of caution, to protect public safety,
the City has decided to close this bridge until repairs are executed. The staff is working to expedite the
execution of repairs as quickly as possible. The design plans are complete, pending permitting . All
permit applications have already been submitted, and staff is following up with permitting agencies to
expedite this process as well. Staff is moving forward with procurement of a contractor in parallel. We
anticipate starting the repairs early March 2023 after all permits are acquired. Completion of repairs and
reopening of Pedestrian Bridge No. 1 is expected for the Summer of 2023.
Figure 1 presents the maintenance of traffic (MOT) plan, which provides alternative routes to cross
Collins Canal, either via Pedestrian Bridge No. 2 on 24th Street to the East, or via County Bridge No.
874706 on 23 rd Street to the West.
MIAMI BEACH
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Driv e, Miami Beach, FL 33139, www.miam ibeachfl.gov
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Te l: 305.673 .7080, Fax: 305.673 .7028
Fi ure 1 -Ma Showin Pedestrian Brid e No. 1 's Location and Maintenance of Traffic.
CO/LD/~/ATH