Phase 2 of $146 million The Underline is finished; Phase 3 could be done by 2026

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The second phase of The Underline, a 10-mile linear park from Brickell to Dadeland along the Metrorail tracks, has been completed and will be unveiled at a special ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday that’s going to be packed with perky politicos posing for pictures to post on their social platforms.

Phase 2 is a 2.14-mile segment that connects SW 13th Street to SW 19th Avenue, with three main hubs to concentrate amenities: the Simpson Park Playground Area, Vizcaya Station Plaza and the 17th Avenue Plaza. Construction began in the Fall of 2021 with three “key drivers” in mind: safe multi-modal transportation, nature, and community, according to the Miami-Dade website. Safe pedestrian and bike paths and access to nature were the two priorities identified by the community during the planning process, which included two public meetings, several presentations and more than one survey.

Pricetag: $20 million. But the total cost for all 10 miles is going to be at least $145.6 million.

The Underline is a public-private partnership between the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW), the Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (PROS) Department, Friends of the Underline, City of Miami and City of Coral Gables. The goal is “radically transform” and activate the underutilized space under the Metrorail tracks and county and municipal land adjacent to it for a total of 120 acres.

The project is funded by Miami-Dade County, The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the State of Florida, City of Miami, City of  Coral Gables, the Knight Foundation and private contributions.

This segment, which links to the Phase 1 Brickell section, provides separate pedestrian and bicycle paths, improvements to intersections, access to public transportation, public Wi-Fi, enhanced lighting, and wayfinding (read: navigation). It also has the first of many “bioswales,” or infiltration landscaping which will help with stormwater flooding and runoff, as well as other notable features:

• Resting areas along the path with boulders or benches
• Hydration stations
• Bike repair station at Vizcaya Metrorail station
• Bike racks
• Dog friendly with doggie bag dispensers at each amenity area and pet water bowls
• Trash and recycling receptacles throughout the corridor
• LED lighting that is Dark Sky compliant
• WiFi service at the Vizcaya and Simpson Park Playground areas
• Public art
• Programmable areas for events, cultural, educational and health and wellness programs
• The addition of native trees and plants to attract butterflies, bees and birds. The county website says that the Department of Transit and Public Works is planting four times the number of trees that will be removed for the project.

The total cost for Phase 2 is $20,115,110.

Miami-Dade County Daniella Levine Cava will be joined Wednesday morning by her predecessor, Congressman Carlos Gimenez, as well as State Reps. Vicki Lopez and Alex Rizo, Miami-Dade Commissioners Eileen Higgins and Raquel Regalado, Florida Department of Transportation District 6 Director Daniel Iglesias and Meg Daly, CEO and founder of Friends of The Underline.

It seems strange that no city of Miami electeds are on the press release. But Alex Rizo? Tell Ladra again which part of The Underline runs through Hialeah?

The first half-mile segment of The Underline, or Phase 1, was completed in February of 2021 at a cost of $16.5 million.

That section, called the “Brickell Backyard,” stretches from the Miami River to 13th Street, including the Brickell Metrorail and MetroMover stations, and features a flex basketball and soccer court, butterfly gardens, meditation space, a riverside dog park, communal gathering spaces, tables for board games and an outdoor gym and running track, as well as the separate biking and pedestrian paths that connect the whole Underline.

Next comes Phase 3, which is the longest stretch — 7.36 miles connecting 19th Avenue, near the Vizcaya Metrorail station, to the Dadeland South Metrorail Station and running from Miami through Coral Gables and South Miami to unincorporated Miami-Dade. The contract for Phase 3, estimated at $109 million, was awarded to NV2A Central Joint Venture in October of 2022. The last two public meetings were in October of last year where staff provided a presentation on the path layout, features and landscaping.

Phase 3 is expected to be complete in 2026, ten years from when Daly and her group first met with then Mayor Carlos Gimenez about their plan.

The third phase will be divided into seven segments and constructed on two schedules. First are sections 3, from 19th to 27th avenues; 5, from 38th to 42nd avenues; and 9, from 67th avenue to the Dadeland South Station (sections one and two were in the first two phases). Then come sections 4, 6, 7 and 8.

“Once all three phases are completed, The Underline will be Miami-Dade County’s first true mobility corridor uniting all modes of transportation and enhancing accessibility to eight Metrorail stations within its path and the neighboring communities,” the website states, adding that it will also improve 25 intersections at the same time.

The completion of Phase 2 will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Vizcaya Metrorail station located, 3205 SW 1st Ave.

  Daniella Levine Cava, The Underline