Miami-Dade Wants to Add 13 Miles to the Dolphin Expressway

According to Jay Koziarz, "a controversial plan to extend the Dolphin Expressway through the Everglades to West Kendall was OK’d by Miami-Dade commissioners on Thursday by a 9-4 vote."

The project will add 13 miles of tollway on land located beyond the Urban Development Boundary established to protect this corner of the Everglades.

Despite the decision by Miami-Dade commissioners to approve the preliminary plan for the extended expressway, there's still a lot of ground to cover before the project is ready to break ground. Koziarz explains:

Despite winning over the majority of commissioners and appearing to be a forgone conclusion, the project still needs to secure state, federal, and Department of Environmental Resources Management permits. Meanwhile, the county’s new “sexy highway” could potentially face some not-so-sexy lawsuits. Stay tuned.

Another article written by Jenny Staletovich just before the commission's vote digs into the lack of a solid route plan for the project. "In a legal notice published in advance of the hearing last week, the county included a map depicting an eastern route. Commissioners’ application packet, however, contains a map with the route to the west," writes Staletovich. Opponents of the project seized on the lack of detail and transparency as the commission considered the plan.