The Miami-Dade County Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan contains six (6) Rapid Transit Corridors and nine (9) Bus Express Rapid Transit (BERT) routes for Miami-Dade County. BERT service consists of enhanced branded buses operating limited stop service on shoulders or dedicated transit lanes, where feasible, to reduce travel time and help ensure service schedule reliability. Three (3) BERT routes (Beach Express North, Central, and South) are proposed to connect Miami Beach and the mainland.

The City of Miami Beach, City of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) have partnered in the planning, development, and implementation of the Beach Express North/Julia Tuttle BERT route. The BERT service is intended to serve the City’s workforce of approximately 40,000 people who live on the mainland and commute to Miami Beach for work daily.  The proposed route alignment connects the Golden Glades Intermodal Facility to Miami Beach Convention Center with interim stops at Earlington Heights Metrorail Station, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Fontainebleau Hotel.

Based on the City’s 2019 Community Survey:
• 48% of businesses rate effectiveness of public transit for employee commuting as excellent/good
• 14% of businesses encourage use of public transit
 
Providing reliable and convenient express bus service for our transit-dependent workforce is a priority issue for Miami Beach.  Via several resolutions of the City Commission adopted over recent years, Miami Beach has supported the proposed BERT routes in Miami Beach and urged both the Florida Department of Transportation and Miami-Dade County to accelerate all necessary roadway improvements to the shoulders of the Julia Tuttle Causeway in order to allow for the implementation and operation of the interim and permanent Beach Express North BERT routes.

At its June 29, 2018 meeting, the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee passed a motion recommending that the Administration:

1. Work with Miami-Dade County to finalize the Beach Express North/Julia Tuttle Bus Express Rapid Transit (BERT) interlocal agreement and business plan
2. Explore the possibility of modifying the existing Route 150 (Airport Express) to provide interim BERT-like service in advance of the Beach Express North/Julia Tuttle BERT service
3. Explore providing a subsidy to Miami Beach employees that use the BERT service 
4. Provide quarterly updates to the Finance Committee regarding the status of the Beach Express North/Julia Tuttle BERT demonstration project (short-term and long-term service)

Interim BERT Service

Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works is evaluating the feasibility of implementing interim BERT service using the existing outside shoulders of the Julia Tuttle Causeway in 2021.  FDOT is scheduling improvements to the outside shoulder to allow for the interim BERT service this year.   

Permanent BERT Service

Additionally, FDOT is currently in the design development phase for the structural improvements to the inside shoulders of the Julia Tuttle Causeway required for the permanent BERT service expected to launch in 2023.  Coordination with U.S. DOT Federal Highway Administration is required given that the Julia Tuttle Causeway is a federal interstate highway (I-195).  FDOT anticipates awarding the construction of the inside shoulder improvements in 2022, including new overhead signage and lane restriping along the entire causeway and transit signal priority improvements at key intersections along the route.  The FDOT construction work is scheduled to be completed in 2023 such that the County can commence permanent BERT service using the inside shoulders in 2023.

Quarterly Update

Attached is a presentation prepared by Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works with a status update on the proposed Beach Express North/Julia Tuttle BERT long-term (2023) service using the inside shoulders and interim (2021) service using the outside shoulders.  County and FDOT staff will attend the February 19, 2021 FERC meeting to present the update and respond to any questions or concerns from the Committee.

City staff will continue to work diligently with County and FDOT staff to advance the implementation of the long-term Beach Express North/Julia Tuttle BERT service using the inside shoulders by 2023.  On a parallel track, staff is working with the County to expedite interim demonstration service using the existing outside shoulders of the Julia Tuttle Causeway by early 2021.  However, in order to ascertain that this service will be effective and provide a reliable mobility option for our workforce commuters, the Administration has requested that the County provide essential service plan information such as ridership forecasts, point of origin/final destination, number of interim stops, frequency of service, and operating cost.   This information will be critical in the City's decision-making process given that the County is seeking a financial contribution from the City for 50% of the annual operating cost of a 3-year demonstration service at a time when the City is experiencing a very challenging financial situation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Quarterly updates will continue to be provided to the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee.