Following a series of meetings, including a Transportation Summit with officials from FDOT and MDX, the Town of Miami Lakes announced two proposed major mobility projects to enhance traffic flow on the east and west side of town.
The plans include building a bridge over a canal for motorists to have an easier access to an industrial area and a high school avoiding N.W. 57 Avenue, and a ramp to connect N.W. 87 Avenue to I-75 and N.W. 138 Street.
On the east side of town, Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid said the first mobility project is a bridge and new roadway to connect N.W. 59 Avenue to Miami Lakes Drive as an alternative to access the town’s northeast industrial park which includes Costco, the Miami Lakes Auto Mall, Miami Lakes Educational Center and other businesses in the area.
The Town is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to obtain the right-of-way through the restricted Opa Locka Airport approach area.
The second project calls for adding a ramp direct from N.W. 87 Avenue to help motorists connect direct to 1-75 northbound and N.W. 138 Street westbound.
“The projects can bring access and mobility options to our residents,” Cid said.
The two projects may cost up to $12 million.
Cid said some of the funding for the projects could come from the town’s impact fees, State grants, MDX and the South Florida Water Management District.
He said State Senator Rene Garcia and State Representatives Manny Diaz Jr., and Jose Oliva have been trying to secure some funding for the projects, and several council members are headed to Tallahassee this month to pitch their Legislative priorities.
The news comes on the heels of another roadway project to alleviate traffic congestion.
Last month, Cid said construction to connect N.W. 67 Avenue to the Gratigny Expressway could commence next year or in 2019.
Cid said he attended the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization or MPO Fiscal Priorities Committee meeting last week and was able to get the organization to build the connector road after putting it on hold for some time now.
He said the ideas were discussed during the Transportation Summit in Miami Lakes, where Vice Mayor Tony Lama, Councilmember Nelson Rodriguez, county and state officials convened to provide solutions to address the traffic.
Cid said once the projects are complete, the connector roads along with an additional lane on N.W. 67 Avenue at the Palmetto Expressway, would reduce traffic congestion by at least 50 percent.
“The projects will enhance mobility for the residents of the Town of Miami Lakes, City of Hialeah and the entire Northwest Miami-Dade corridor,” Cid said. “The new connections will improve the distribution of traffic flow in the area.”
For years, Miami Lakes officials have been pitching a slew of solutions to solve the traffic problem, and the Transportation Summit offered the best solutions.
The connector roads were the most popular.