A Metromover extension from downtown Miami to Miami Beach is now officially in planning, according to an announcement this morning.
The Metromover is replacing a monorail system as the county’s preferred option on the beach corridor, with county staff already working on the plans
Extending the Metromover will be cheaper than building a monorail, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.
Commissioner Eileen Higgins joined the Mayor in breaking the news that the county was “officially shifting gears” to Metromover.
“When monorail was first proposed, the previous administration presented it as a solution that could save hundreds of millions of dollars over Metromover. In the recent negotiations, however, the price ballooned to $1.3 billion,” said Higgins. “We now believe we can get what the residents want – a one-seat ride between Downtown and the Beach by extending our existing Metromover – at a lower cost. That’s why we’ve decided expanding the Metromover is the best option.”
The timeframe will be similar to the monorail, the county said today.
A competitive solicitation for the Metromover extension is expected to be released in the coming weeks, utilizing much of the predevelopment work completed under the original interim agreement.
Department of Transportation and Public Works staff will work to advertise, evaluate, and negotiate the new solution by October 2023, with an accelerated delivery and project design commencing in 2024, construction beginning in 2025, and operations anticipated by 2029.
Monorail plans have been nixed in favor of a Metromover expansion:
