U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart came to town with some big checks to fund projects to resolve issues that concern Miami Lakers: flooding and traffic congestion.
His first stop on April 1 was at Northwest 170th Street near the bridge to Hialeah.
The noise from eastbound tractor trailers hauling freight sometimes drowned out the speeches by officials celebrating long term plans to eventually steer big rigs toward highways and away from town roads.
Gathered with the congressman, who brought a $6 million check, were Florida Department of Transportation District 6 Secretary Daniel Iglesias; Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sen. René García, Mayor Josh Dieguez and other officials.
Diaz-Balart presented the check to Iglesias, for an FDOT Project Development & Environment study already underway.
“This is a project that is going to help the people of Miami Lakes and Hialeah and all of this area,” Diaz-Balart said. “I don’t have to tell you that everywhere you look, you see license plates of people from New York and California. … That’s not going to stop, and which is why we have to continue to try and keep up with the infrastructure needs of our community.”
García said working with lobbyist TC Wolfe and collaboration between local officials and the congressman led to results for the town.
“We’re here at 170th Street in Miami Lakes, where we’ve had an incredible battle for many years to try to connect, whether to connect Hialeah or not with Miami Lakes,” García said. “But we know the traffic congestion has been overwhelming here in the Town of Miami Lakes, where we’ve only had one entrance and one exit and one connection to the Palmetto [Expressway].”
Dieguez said, “The only way that we’re going to be able to fix the traffic issues that we see in Miami Lakes is through greater highway connectivity. This is the first step. We need studies done to see what is going to be the best point of access and this is what this money allows us to do.”
Iglesias said the federal allocation will allow FDOT to free up state dollars for the next phases of the study.
“The purpose and need of the project is really to provide better access for all the surrounding communities along the interstate, from Miami Gardens Drive all the way to the Palmetto,” Iglesias said. “It’s going to study around the curve, and along the east-west portion of the interstate all the way to the Palmetto Expressway.
“There is an interchange already at Miami Gardens Drive, that interchange is going to be studied as part of that project, and we’ll look at existing access already at 170th and 154th,” he said. “The bridges exist there so we’re going to look at how that infrastructure could work with expansion of the access, and then it’s going to look at potential direct access to the interstate, on and off ramps.
As for where northbound or southbound ramps may be built, he said it will depend on traffic patterns and “what we can actually do geometrically here.”
FDOT plans to award the engineering contract this spring. The study could last up to two years, but the department’s goal is to finish in 18 months.
“Then we move into the final design phase of possible ramps or service roads,” Iglesias said. “We don’t have the next phases funded, so we don’t have construction time frames. …We look forward to doing some analysis to see what we can actually do.”
Later that morning the politicians moved to Big Cypress Drive where Diaz-Balart presented a $973,000 check.
Dieguez said of planned drainage improvements, “It’s been a priority for us for a long time and it’s part of the ongoing need to deal with flooding issues throughout the town, but especially on this street. And it benefits hundreds of families.”
The project -- in the neighborhood that is south of Miami Lakes Drive and west of Miami Lakeway South -- is estimated to cost $1,055,551 for design, inspections and construction, the town said. About a half-mile of new pipes will be installed. The construction start date is to be announced.