HISTORY:
At its June 29, 2018 meeting, the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee (FCWPC) discussed this item. The Committee recommended that staff: 1) engage with Miami-Dade County administration quickly to finalize the Interlocal Agreement and Business Plan; 2) explore the possibility of providing a subsidy to City of Miami Beach Employees that use the BERT service; and 3) request quarterly presentations to FCWPC regarding the performance of the BERT Demonstration Service.
Attached are two (2) Commission items from the October 17, 2018 Commission meeting agenda that provide a current status on the County’s proposed Beach Express North Bus Express Rapid Transit (BERT) Project, with an emphasis on the required shoulder operation.
The Administration will continue to work with Miami-Dade County to finalize a Business Plan for the proposed BERT service on a parallel track while the programming of the inside shoulder work on the Julia Tuttle Causeway by FDOT is occurring. Additionally, the Administration is working with the County to explore ways to begin the Beach Express North BERT service earlier or potentially modifying existing bus routes to provide service similar to the proposed Beach Express North BERT service on an expedited timeframe.
Lastly, pursuant to the FCWPC's recommendatoin, the adopted FY 2018/19 Transportation Department Operating Budget has allocated $87,000 to subsidize transit passes for 100 City employees who choose to use public transit to commute to work. The anticipated start date for the transit subsidy program is January 2019.