Miami-Dade County secured a $100.5M federal grant for the Venetian Causeway Project. This initiative aims to replace 11 deteriorated bridges, enhancing safety and mobility over Biscayne Bay. The modernized bridges will provide a safer corridor for all users, incorporating modern features and addressing environmental concerns.
Rendering courtesy of Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade officials believe that once completed, the replacement/improvement project will make the Venetian Causeway a safer and more efficient corridor for all users.
The Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) announced July 17 that it had received confirmation of a grant award of $100.5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation Bridge Investment Program (BIP) for Miami's Venetian Causeway Project.
The county office noted in a press release that the "vital funding will help support bridge replacement, resilience and preservation of the historic bridges along the Venetian Causeway."
The project, in collaboration with state and federal partners, aims to replace 11 of the 12 bridges that make up the causeway over Biscayne Bay connecting Miami with Miami Beach. Ten of the causeway's structures are fixed span bridges, while the other two are bascule leaf span bridges.
Constructed in the mid-1920s, with an initial design life of 50 years, the road structures are moderately to severely deteriorated and have been repaired numerous times, often as a result of the many hurricanes the causeway has weathered during its long history.
As such, Miami-Dade County, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and other agencies and stakeholders are working together to replace the causeway's 11 bridges. Each of the structures due to be replaced have reached the end of their useful lives, according to officials, including the easternmost movable bridge.
"We are honored to receive this substantial investment, and we are extremely grateful to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson and our Congressional delegation for making it happen," said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
"This project is crucial to improve mobility to and from the beach on a vital roadway for residents who live and work there and for millions of tourists who visit our county as well as protect a key evacuation road during storms," she continued. "This investment will help future-proof our infrastructure while generating jobs to support our local economy — a major step forward in our ongoing efforts to upgrade our infrastructure and build a resilient, future-ready Miami-Dade."
Miami-Dade officials believe that once completed, the replacement/improvement project will make the Venetian Causeway a safer and more efficient corridor for all users.
"The Venetian Causeway Project is such an important endeavor for resilience as well as public safety," explained Jimmy Morales, Miami-Dade County's COO. "We thank the county and DTPW teams that worked on the grant proposal and especially Mayor Cava for championing the proposal in Washington, D.C."
Historic Venetian Causeway to Be Modernized for Safety
The new bridges, designed to have a useful life of approximately 75 years, will honor the history and original appearance of the Venetian Causeway while incorporating modern safety features.
They also will address environmental and mobility concerns by being 16 ft. wider, thus providing increased safety for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Additional infrastructure improvements, such as Florida Power & Light feeder lines and water main replacement, will service the city of Miami Beach.
"The new bridges will address current safety concerns, including increased weight limits to improve the delivery of goods to area residents," added Eulois Cleckley, the DTPW's director and CEO. "We are excited to move this project forward and make the Venetian Causeway safer and better connected for all users."
As part of the project's timeline, DTPW hosted a public meeting to present plans and provide information about the Venetian Causeway's design phase in April 2023. Since then, the project team has been working on finishing the 90 percent design milestone, scheduled for submittal at the end of this year.
Design and permitting are estimated to be completed by the end of 2025, followed by the construction's advertisement for bids in early 2026. According to Miami-Dade officials in their recent press release, the DTPW will work closely with the county's Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) Department and other agencies during the permitting portion of the effort.
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