The first of six transportation routes known as the SMART Plan has commenced construction in Miami-Dade County.
The Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Governing Board formally accepted and approved the SMART Plan in 2016. It brings together the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) of Miami-Dade County, the Transportation Planning Organization (TPO; formerly MPO), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and the Citizen's Independent Transportation Trust (CIT) (CITT).
The plan calls for the expansion of public transportation into six fast transit corridors, which will be supplemented by a bus express fast transit network.
The South Corridor was officially launched on June 4 with a groundbreaking ceremony in Miami-Dade County.
Even though the BRT is being built, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava stated the county will continue to advocate for rail in the South Corridor. The BRT system and stations are essentially being planned to become rail.
Levine-Cava also stated that BRT technology will be the "gold standard." There will be warning signs, offboard fare collecting, and level boarding as amenities.
When the system achieves 35,000 passengers per day, the system will be converted to rail.
Likewise, the BRT system was completely funded, with the federal government contributing $100 million, FDOT contributing $100 million, and the county contributing the remaining $100 million.
Since the Metromover extension in 1993 and the initial South Miami-Dade busway in 1999, this is the first time Dade has gotten federal transportation financing.
BRT will offer rail-like transit times, iconic stations, level boarding via all doors, and pre-paid fees for quick access once it is completed. On the TransitWay, BRT will deliver increased safety measures and other improvements along dedicated lanes with multi-layered service lines.
DTPW is also installing innovative technology like as adaptive smart signals and Transit Signal Priority (TSP) controllers to improve mobility throughout the County.
Miami must concentrate its building efforts on addressing the issue of climate change.
The sea level is rising as a result of global warming. Coastal cities, such as Miami, are vulnerable to having a large portion of their streets underwater. The sea level is anticipated to increase by half a meter to one meter by 2070. The water level in Miami is now rising at a rate of two inches each year. The issue is real.
Building a wall to function as a barrier is one of the ideas to prevent this from happening, or continuing to happen. It is obvious that this would not alleviate the causes of the increased water level, but it would be a solution to the result, which is floods.
In the face of the issues that global warming will bring to the United States in the future years, the federal government of the United States is attempting to be proactive. One of the major problems is the rise in sea level caused by the melting of the glaciers, which allows water to gain ground on the land, resulting in floods.
This is a risk for coastal cities like Miami. Indeed, floods are becoming more frequent. While the city has its own initiatives, such as a network of pumps that continuously draw water and a $ 200 million bond for infrastructure that allows for so-called climate adaptation, the federal government plays a critical role.
The scenario of rising water levels is concerning, and it appears to be unavoidable, at least for the time being. But, in addition to this long-term issue, Miami is already dealing with flooding. When it rains, the collected water in coastal areas like Brickell and Miami Beach may remain for days. This isn't about predicting whether or not a problem would arise; it's about figuring out how to avoid what is presently occurring.