Transit Miami

That guy from Transit Miami has a few thoughts on the Miami Mystery for that other guy from White Dade and his readers. Let’s begin by defining what the Miami Mystery actually is as defined by the Best of Miami, by The Miami New Times in 2002:

The Miami Mystery is likely the result of several highway planning fiascos which were committed when the Dolphin expressway was hastily constructed between 1967 and 1969. The Dolphin expressway epitomizes the many failures of the Florida Department of Transportation, especially at a time when vehicular traffic was seemingly increasing exponentially.

Let’s begin at 42^nd Avenue. Sadly, the Dolphin expressway was never completed; it was originally slated to contain a North-South portion which would easily deposit motorists in Miami International Airport (similar in design and function to that of state road 112.) Note: As part of the Miami Intermodal Center Development, the FDOT is currently transforming part of LeJeune into a private access road, complete with express lanes which will easily (and 40 years later) connect the Dolphin expressway with the airport and Miami Intermodal Center. The implications of this North-South arterial are still evident today with widespread congestion on LeJeune (a local road) and the Dolphin expressway.

Moving to the opposite end of the major congested part of the Dolphin (72^nd Avenue) we are suddenly confronted with a multitude of cluster fucks. Where should I begin? Perhaps the fact that motorists who were traveling North on the 826 and wished to travel west, would have to head east, exit on 72^nd Avenue, and get back on heading west. Or perhaps it was the sudden bottleneck that was caused by merging lanes immediately after the two expressways linked? In either case, both are the cause of huge area traffic ties ups. MDX and the FDOT are currently working to finally link the both expressways properly with a new interchange. Advanced signage and lanes have already been created to stream passengers who are heading west on the dolphin to the right lanes to connect with the Palmetto heading North. The merging lanes which create the bottleneck still exist much to my dismay and are designed to be long to minimize the conflict caused by the merging traffic. I’ve come to find however, contrary to the standards published in the Highway Capacity Manual, that Miami drivers often fare worse with longer merging queues due to the aggressive nature of most Miami drivers.

So, we’ve covered the issues which plague both ends of the major congestion along the dolphin, now let’s discuss what’s in between. Sightseeing. Studies have shown that beautiful sights “entertain” drivers, causing them to slow down, leave greater headroom between them and the car in front of them, and ultimately diminish the volume of cars that can pass through the expressway. Enter Noise barriers. Ok, well not to that extent, but the barrier walls of the center median of the 836 have already been raised in height with the north barrier soon to follow. The walls will attempt to minimize the sightseeing or some cases drag racing of airplanes which are taking off. There are few conflict points otherwise in this section of the highway, however, the long merge lanes (west bound exit lane for 57^th avenue and exit lane eastbound for 42^nd avenue) are posing (in my eyes) as grave conflict points for the overly tenacious Miami commuter. Ever watch motorists traveling westbound on the Dolphin exit on 37^th avenue only to travel west on 14^th street and get right back on at Lejuene, where of course they are deposited into an exit only lane that they had no clue was an exit until they are about to enter the cloverleaf off ramp at 57^th avenue?

Much to White Dade’s suspicions the 836 was renamed after the Miami Dolphin’s success in the mid 70’s. It turns out that The Miami Mystery wasn’t much of a mystery to begin with, just another case of terrible planning. The Dolphin expressway is currently undergoing a massive and much needed overhaul to replace many of the issues which I cited above. It will never be a flawless thoroughfare, given the awfully close proximity of the exits east of 57^th Avenue but the changes should try and streamline the highway as much as possible (although since it’s a highway, I wouldn’t expect much of an improvement until a rail alternative is built.) In addition, it is currently being extended west to 137^th avenue to further placate the needs of commuters living in sprawland. Future plans may also include managed lanes, a service where lanes are dedicated for commuters who wish to pay an additional hefty toll (like $10 each way on California managed lanes) to access “extra” lanes. Great question White Dade, if any other experiments of Miami mysteries suddenly arise, don’t hesitate to ask, the name is Gabriel…

-To Learn More about the Lejuene Improvements, click here to watch a video on the Miami Intermodal Center construction…

-Photo Courtesy of Interstate Guide.