Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Miami Highway Builders Try to Sell a New Sprawl Project to the Public

10:47 AM EDT on September 8, 2014

The Miami Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) wants to build a highway extension in the southwest fringes of the city, near the edge of the Everglades, and to do that it needs to ingratiate itself with the public. At an open house to kick off the public-facing phase of the planning process, agency staff were well-prepared and friendly, reports Matthew Toro at Transit Miami. After all, he says, "all good salespeople are."

MDX makes its pitch. Photo: Matthew Toro/Transit Miami

The agency team displayed maps giving the impression that MDX will take on "a comprehensive socio-environmental, socio-economic, and socio-cultural evaluation of the project." But whenever Toro asked probing questions, he was met with an evasive reply or an answer that suggested MDX simply has no ideas besides "widen roads":

Any response that wasn’t overly deflective still didn’t register as sufficient justification for a new highway. For example:

Me: If the underlying problem is that nearly all of Miami’s suburbanites commute from the west to the east, why would people want to lengthen their commute by driving farther west, just to ultimately go east again?

MDX (paraphrased): Well . . . some people already go west onto Krome [SW 177th] Avenue to go back east again.

Me: Yes, a handful do, but Krome Avenue is currently set to be widened by FDOT, and that will accommodate the relatively few who do.

MDX (paraphrased): Yes, that’s true; Krome is to be widened; but we need to look into whether widening Krome will be enough.

Me: . . .

MDX was clearly more concerned with selling its message than informing the people of that highway’s impact on their quality of life.

That message is clear: "Miami: You need another highway at the far edge of the city, either along, or somewhere beyond, the Urban Development Boundary."

Elsewhere on the Streetsblog Network: Toronto mayoral candidates are talking about transit, writes John Lorinc at Spacing Toronto, but he isn't impressed by what they're saying. City Beautiful 21 is jazzed about an expansion of transit service in North Carolina's Research Triangle. And Rochester Subway reports that a new housing development will seal off one of the only accessible entry points to the city's abandoned subway system.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Cycle of Rage: Mayor is Failing the Leadership Test on Congestion Pricing

Purely for political and self-serving purposes, Mayor Adams is attacking congestion pricing — and, in doing so, is undermining the implementation of a program that he has long claimed to be a "strong" supporter of.

December 1, 2023

New York City is Down One MTA Board Member as Mayor Fights Congestion Pricing Fee

Sherif Soliman, who was appointed to the board only last year, quietly resigned on Sept. 22, and the mayor won't get a new person on the panel until next year.

December 1, 2023

Friday’s Headlines: A Congestion Alert Day

Like everyone else, we covered congestion pricing. Plus other news.

December 1, 2023

Adams Says He’ll Ban Parking Near 1,000 Intersections Every Year To Make Corners Safer

The city will daylight 1,000 intersections a year. A Brooklyn corner where a boy was killed in a crash is still waiting for the safety upgrades.

December 1, 2023

Komanoff: IMHO, TMRB is A-OK

Here’s what’s to like about the Traffic Mobility Review Board's central business district toll recommendations. It's a lot!

December 1, 2023
See all posts