All of Miami-Dade deserves the Metrorail promised, a Letter to the Editor by our County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, December 7, 2018

Letter to the editor from our County Commissioner

CLICK HERE or headline below to read the letter online from our County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, District 8 Commissioner as posted online in the Miami Herald 

All of Miami-Dade deserves the Metrorail promised
December 07, 2018

On Thursday, my colleagues on the Transportation Planning Organization took an important vote about the future of Miami-Dade transportation and mobility in the northern part of the county.

The decision was to: officially state that elevated Metrorail is the local preference of residents and proceed to making that a reality.”

Expanding transportation is a frustratingly long, complex and expensive process. However, this vote goes to show that with a full analysis of all of the options, investment in elevated Metrorail makes the most sense for our community.

Unfortunately, South Dade was shut out at every turn by the county and prevented from even considering elevated Metrorail for the South Corridor.

We were told that it was too expensive to do 20-miles of surface-level Metrorail at $1.2 billion. Now $1.8 billion for less than half that distance won’t break the bank.

We advocated for doing the South Corridor in phases. The mayor said that would be unfair somehow to break the project up. But now it’s a splendid idea.

In retrospect, I wish the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) had conducted all of the studies. I think we would have benefited from an unbiased and uniform evaluation process. A process free from regular interference from the county and where the public’s opinion seemed to actually matter.

As frustrated and disappointed as I am at the raw deal South Dade got — the clear double standard applied to the South Corridor — I still support extending Metrorail along the North Corridor.

Even though our residents in South Dade have been denied the advantage of a “one-seat-ride,” Metrorail extended on the North Corridor will improve the mobility and economy for everyone in Miami-Dade.

The flaws in this process and more broken promises further undermine the public’s confidence that they are being treated fairly and served well by the officials elected to represent their interests.

Daniella Levine Cava

District 8 Commissioner