NEW BUSINESS  17.

COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM

HISTORY:

The adopted 2016 Miami Beach Transportation Master Plan (TMP) was built on a mode share goal and modal prioritization strategy adopted by Resolution No. 2015-29083 on July 8, 2015, which places pedestrians first; transit, bicycles, and freight second; and private automobiles third.  Projects in the Transportation Master Plan are intended to move Miami Beach towards this mode share vision by increasing pedestrian, bicycle, and transit travel and becoming a less car-centric City.

In the TMP, transit priority corridors were suggested to provide exclusive right-of-way (dedicated lanes) for transit service.  The resulting reliable, connected, and continuous transit network will help move toward achieving the City’s 2035 multi-modal vision.  These dedicated transit lanes provide both economic and operational benefits:

• Exclusive transit lanes allow for the implementation of bus rapid transit systems. Bus rapid transit combines stops/stations, vehicles, services, and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) elements into an integrated, branded transit system.

• Buses have higher occupancies than automobiles, and as more people use the transit service, vehicular congestion will be reduced.

• Transit riders will benefit from travel time savings and reduced personal travel expenses.

Miami-Dade County has plans for enhanced transit service on the MacArthur Causeway.  The Miami-Dade County Adopted Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan consists of six (6) Rapid Transit Corridors and nine (9) Bus Express Rapid Transit (BERT) routes to improve mass transit connectivity throughout Miami-Dade County.  The Beach Corridor premium transit project (rail) and the Beach Express South BERT project are proposed for the MacArthur Causeway.  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. 

The Miami Beach City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2018-30180 on February 14, 2018 (Attachment 1) supporting the efforts of the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) to develop a transit network throughout the County pursuant to the SMART Plan, and urging the TPO to additionally consider the Julia Tuttle Causeway as the Beach Corridor connecting Downtown Miami and the City of Miami Beach.  Pursuant to this City Commission Resolution, Miami-Dade has added the Julia Tuttle Causeway as a potential Beach Corridor alternative in the recently initiated Beach Corridor Tier 2 Study, which is expected to take approximately two (2) years to complete.

Additionally, on May 16, 2018, the City Commission authorized the City to jointly apply with the County to the Miami-Dade TPO's Smart Demonstration Program for the Beach Express North BERT demonstration service using the shoulders of the Julia Tuttle Causeway.  On June 21, 2018, the TPO awarded grant funds in the amount of $1,720,000 annually for three (3) years to the City of Miami Beach for a three (3) year Beach Express North BERT demonstration project, via TPO Resolution #18-29.  Unfortunately, based on subsequent discussions with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), FDOT denied the use of the outside shoulders of the Julia Tuttle Causeway for the Beach Express North BERT demonstration service due to the impacts to the existing bike lanes, among other concerns.  FDOT recommended that the Beach Express North BERT demonstration service operate on the inside shoulder in lieu of the outside shoulder.  As a result, the Beach Express North BERT demonstration service is currently expected to be implemented in 2022 after FDOT completes the necessary infrastructure work to the inside shoulder of the Julia Tuttle Causeway.

On February 27, 2018, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) presented to the Miami-Dade County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) regarding the proposed SR AIA/MacArthur Causeway Bicycle Facility Improvements Project (Attachment 2).  The presentation included details on FDOT’s plan to enhance the existing bicycle lanes on the MacArthur Causeway.  The project proposes to implement a 7’ wide bicycle lane (including a 3’ buffer using white chevron striping wherever possible). Additionally, the FDOT project proposes to paint only the bicycle/vehicular conflict points along the bike lane in green to enhance the conspicuity of these conflict areas.   The budget for the FDOT bicycle lane enhancment project is $489,000, and the project is fully funded with 60% plans anticipated to be completed in early 2019.  FDOT anticipates completing the implementation of the proposed enhanced bike lanes on the outside shoulders of the MacArthur Causeway this year.    

At the February 13, 2019 City Commission meeting, this item was referred to the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee for discussion.

ANALYSIS:

The City's Transportation Department staff met with FDOT District Six staff on January 7, 2019 to express its concerns with FDOT's proposed bicycle lane improvements on the outside shoulders of the MacArthur Causeway.  Specifically, the Administration expressed concerns with the impact that the proposed enhanced bike lanes could have on the feasibility of operating the County's proposed Beach Express South BERT service on the outside shoulders of the MacArthur Causeway.  Previous studies conducted by the City have identified constraints on the MacArthur Causeway outside shoulders, including existing drainage structures and right-of-way constraints.  These issues could have a significant impact on the co-existence of future bus-on-shoulder BERT service and bicycle lane operations and, thus, should be evaluated in further detail.

It is additionally worth noting that FDOT has commenced construction of the I-395/SR 836/I-95 ("Signature Bridge") Project.  It is a $802 million project undertaken as a partnership between FDOT and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX).  Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023.  As part of the Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) plan for this project, the existng ramps connecting I-95 and I-395 will be reduced from two (2) lanes to one (1) lane for approximately 18 months.  While the project is not located within Miami Beach city limits, the multi-year construction and lane reductions will have a significant impact on accessibility between Miami Beach and the mainland for our residents, work force, and visitors.  As such, the City has requested that FDOT consider providing immediate bus-on-shoulder service along both the MacArthur Causeway and Julia Tuttle Causeway as a traffic mitigation measure, given that traffic on both causeways will be severely impacted by this major reconstruction project.

Given the recent challenges that the City and County have encountered with implementing the Beach Express North BERT demonstration service on the shoulders of the Julia Tuttle Causeway on an expedited timeframe due to the existing bike lanes on the outside shoulders, all project partners (FDOT, County, and City) are in agreement that bicycle lanes can have a significant impact on the feasibility, location, and timing of implementation of bus-on-shoulder operations. 

At the January 7th meeting between FDOT and City staff, given City staff's concerns with FDOT's proposed enhancements to the bike lanes on the MacArthur Causeway shoulders and its implications on bus-on-shoulder operation, FDOT suggested that the City provide formal direction on whether it wishes that FDOT move forward or suspend the implementation of the proposed enhanced bike lanes on the MacArthur Causeway outside shoulders.

CONCLUSION:

The Administration has concerns with the potential impact that an enhanced bicycle lane can have on the feasibility of future bus-on-shoulder operation along the MacArthur Causeway.

Accordingly, the Administration recommends that:

1) FDOT suspend the implementation of the proposed enhanced bike lanes on the MacArthur Causeway outside shoulders;

2)  FDOT evaluate the potential impact that an enhanced bicycle lane can have on the feasibility of future bus-on-shoulder operation along the MacArthur Causeway for the Beach Express South BERT service.

3)  Miami-Dade County evaluate the potential impact that an enhanced bicycle lane can have on the feasibility of the future Beach Corridor Transit Connection operation along the MacArthur Causeway; and

4)  FDOT and Miami-Dade County provide Miami Beach with the results of their analysis to determine how to best proceed.