A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, APPROVING, AT THE REQUEST OF THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ("FDOT"), THE DESIGN APPROACH DEVELOPED BY FDOT FOR THE ALTON ROAD RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT, FROM MICHIGAN AVENUE TO 63RD STREET (THE "PROJECT"), AND REQUEST THAT FDOT CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING MODIFICATIONS: 1) RAISE ALTON ROAD TO A MINIMUM ELEVATION OF 3.7 NAVD, TO MATCH THE CROWN ROAD ELEVATION CRITERIA PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED BY THE CITY COMMISSION, AND ADDRESS THE ASSOCIATED HARMONIZATION OF ADJACENT PRIVATE PROPERTIES THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED AS A RESULT OF THE MINIMUM ELEVATION OF 3.7 NAVD; 2) INCLUDE DESIGNS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF UNDERGROUNDING CONDUITS, CITY WATER AND SEWER LINES, AND SHARED STORMWATER PUMP STATIONS AND OUTFALLS, SUBJECT TO NEGOTIATION AND EXECUTION OF A JOINT PROJECT AGREEMENT (JPA) WITH THE CITY; 3) CONTINUE THE COORDINATION WITH THE CITY'S URBAN FORESTER, FOR THE PROTECTION AND RELOCATION OF EXISTING TREES, AND THE INSTALLATION OF ADDITIONAL TREES, AS PART OF THE PROJECT; 4) INCLUDE A DESIGN FOR BICYCLE LANES AND SHARED USE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE PATHS AT VARIOUS SPECIFIED LOCATIONS OF THE PROJECT.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has been working on the design and programming of a reconstruction project along Alton Road (SR 907) from Michigan Avenue to 63rd Street. The project consists on the construction of a new drainage system, stormwater pumps, pavement reconstruction, sidewalk reconstruction, new signalization, and new pavement markings. 

FDOT has reached 60 percent design and is asking the City to approve the current design approach in order for FDOT to align the construction funding for Fiscal Year 2023; and continue with the final design.

The current design raises the elevation of Alton Road as much as possible without impacting private property as described below:

• Alton Road, from Michigan Avenue to Chase Avenue (south segment): 60% of the road will be raised to a minimum elevation 3.7 feet NAVD or higher, 35% of the road will be between 3.0 and 3.7 feet NAVD and 5% of the road will be below 3.0 feet NAVD.

• Alton Road from 43 Street to 63 Street (northern segments): 25% of the road will be raised to a minimum elevation 3.7 feet NAVD or higher; 72% will be between 3.0 and 3.7 feet NAVD and 3% below 3.0 feet NAVD.

   

With the current design, and based on a tree assessment performed by FDOT, approximately 85% of the existing trees will require removal due to roadway profile changes, declining health, and conflicts with the overhead electrical lines.  The City’s Urban Forester has reviewed the design approach and in general agrees with FDOT on the unavoidable impacts to the existing trees.

The project was initially scheduled to begin in 2022. However, given the various FDOT causeway construction projects, FDOT delayed the start date to Fiscal Year 2024.  The project has an estimated construction cost of $66 million. During the early design stages of the project, the City held various meetings with FDOT to discuss the scope of the project, impacts to the existing trees, and the elevation of the roadway. 

At its July 26, 2017 meeting, the City Commission adopted a Resolution (Resolution No. 2017-29926) requesting that FDOT:

1)    Work with the City's Urban Forester to determine which trees on Alton Road from Michigan Avenue to 63rd Street are healthy and not interfering with utilities;

2)    To remove unhealthy or mature trees that interfere with infrastructure; and

3)   To increase the height of Alton Road to 3.7 NAVD, while mitigating the effects of the existing trees, in accordance with the City Commission's amended Stormwater Management Master Plan.

City staff has reviewed the current design approach and is requesting that FDOT consider the following modifications:

• Raise the road to a minimum elevation of 3.7 NAVD to match the crown road elevation criteria adopted by the City Commission on June 8, 2016, evaluate  harmonization needs in private property due to road raising, and develop solutions and responsibilities to address the harmonization needs.
• Protect and/or relocate the existing trees that do not require removal and implement recommendations by the City Arborist for protection of existing trees, direction of new relocation sites, and installation of new trees.
• Secure an estimated one million dollars ($1 million) per roadway mile that will go towards approximately 4 miles of landscape enhancements.
• Consider the construction of new roadways in a matter that will accommodate for additional tree canopy and provide for the planting of trees of larger species size at maturity.
• Enter into a Joint Project Agreement (JPA) for the installation of underground conduits.
• Enter into a JPA with the City for the design and construction of proposed improvements to the City water and sewer lines along the limits of the project.
• Enter into a JPA with the City for the stormwater design and construction of shared water pump stations and outfalls based on the most current stormwater drainage reports prepared by AECOM.

• Accommodate the design and collaborate with the City in the construction of bicycle paths on Alton Road at the Biscayne Waterway and Surprise Waterway bridges.

• Evaluate, design, and coordinate with the City in the construction of a shared use path along the east side of Alton Road from Michigan Avenue to Chase Avenue. Although further conversations need to take place regarding the nature of the collaboration regarding the shared use path, the construction of the path in coordination with the FDOT reconstruction project would result in savings to the overall project cost.