Miami Today: Week of Thursday, August 10, 2017

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2017

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

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TWO HEAVY-USE MIAMI-DADE ROADWAYS MAY GET REVERSIBLE LANES BY 2019, pg. 9 CONSTRUCTION STRENGTH: Although the value of South Florida construction starts in the first six months of this year was 5% below the first six months of 2016, the area was sixth in the nation in the value of starts in the first half of the year, Dodge Data & Analytics reports. The total value of starts in the region was almost $3.6 billion, Dodge reported, down from almost $3.8 billion in the first half of last year but well above the less than $3.1 billion in the first half of 2015. Leading the nation this year was the New York metropolitan area at under $10.5 billion, which was down 22% from 2016’s $13.5 billion and half of 2015’s $21 billion in starts in the New York area. Others in the top five were the San Francisco area at $4.5 billion, the Los Angeles area at $4.4 billion, Chicago at $3.8 billion and the Washington, DC, at $3.6 billion. Of those areas, only San Francisco was up from last year.

The Achiever

AFRICAN AIRLINE HUNT UNDERWAY: In an effort to expand its global route network, Miami International Airport is looking to establish links with African carriers on both cargo and passenger flights. MIA currently has no direct flights to Africa, “but we’re the closest geographic point,” said Emilio Gonzalez, county aviation director. Mr. Gonzalez says an Africa link will probably be established soon, even before the Asia link that already has a formal taskforce and meetings lined up with potential air carriers.

MIA MAKEOVER: Miami International Airport is planning a Terminal Optimization Plan to extend the lifecycle of its facilities another 15 years. “It’s a group of projects we’ve cobbled together under one plan that will total over a billion dollars,” said Emilio Gonzalez, county aviation director. The planning process is long-term with an undetermined timeline. Most of the renovations would require tearing down and relocating old facilities. “The taxi lot is just beat-up, old abandoned buildings, so it’s a safe bet we have to move the lot when they inevitably come down,” Mr. Gonzalez said. The plan doesn’t currently include terminal expansions, only renovations to run-down buildings.

STATE ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS: The City of Miami is entering an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for landscape, irrigation, bonded aggregate surfaces and pavers maintenance for Southwest Eighth Street from Southwest Eighth Court to EighthAvenue, and on Southwest EighthAvenue from Southwest Seventh to Eighth streets. The city’s Department of Public Works approved design plans for beautification on state maintained right-of-way. The 3Broamigo Development One LLC wants to install nonstandard improvements abutting the new project on that right-of-way. The state requires a Maintenance Memorandum of Agreement, and the developer executed the non-standard improvement covenant with the city.

Maria Alonso

Photo by Cristina Sullivan

Ex-volunteer is new CEO of United Way of Miami Dade The profile is on Page 4

Next act at Grove Playhouse may be city garage

By John Charles Robbins

While neighbors keep campaigning to save the old Coconut Grove Playhouse from the wrecking ball, officials with the Miami Parking Authority are moving ahead with plans for a municipal garage for the theater site.

The Miami City Commission has put off a decision on partial demolition of the large theater, a fact reported to the city’s Off-Street Parking Board Aug. 2 by authority CEO Art Noriega.

The parking board governs the authority, which for years has been planning a garage adjacent to the theater in partnership with the county.

The authority continues to support the county’s plan, which spares only the corner front wing or eyebrow; the bulk of the playhouse would be razed and replaced by a far smaller 300-seat theater.

“The front of the building – the eyebrow – is the only portion that will remain,” Mr. Noriega told the parking board.

The state owns the theater and leases it to Miami-Dade County in a deal with Florida International University.

New parking board member Larry Spring asked Mr. Noriega what role the parking authority has in the project.

“Our role is that of parking developer,” Mr. Noriega said.

The authority is developing the parking on the site and ancillary uses, he said. The authority plans a multi-level 450-car garage lined by residential units.

Mr. Noriega is continuing to work with county officials and the project architect to design the garage and have it ready for bidding this fall.

He said talks regarding design, contracts and timing will move ahead “in earnest,” with a goal of putting the garage out to bid in October.

On April 4 the city’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board granted a special certificate of appropriateness to partially demolish the structure, construct a new theater, and construct a public garage with residential units.

Residents Barbara Lange and Katrina Moss appealed that decision, but the city commission has twice deferred the issue, now to Oct. 26.

In a letter supporting the appeal, an attorney for the women states that the preservation board’s decision should be overturned for

North-south may lead all transit aims

The chairman of both the Miami-Dade Commission and the Transportation Planning Organization says he will seek a planning organization vote by October to declare a north-south transportation corridor the county’s transit priority.

Esteban Bovo Jr. told Miami Today that by selecting a single project as priority the county would be positioned to win federal transportation matching funds to help develop the transportation line at a cost Mr. Bovo estimated at $1.2 billion.

The official position of the county and the 30-member Transportation Planning Organization for more than a year has been that all six legs of a mass transit network labeled the SMART plan for transit are equally important, with none having priority over others.

That neutrality has frustrated US Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who has chaired the House subcommittee on transportation appropriations that deals with discretionary spending. He told the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce last year that he’d been seeking to put a major Miami transportation project into the federal budget but couldn’t because the county’s planning organization refused to select a top priority.

Mr. Bovo said that once the Transportation Planning Organization labels the north-south corridor its top priority he will forward it to Rep. Diaz-Balart as he has repeatedly requested.

The newly branded priority corridor would combine two of the six legs in the SMART plan, linked by the current Metrorail. One leg is along the South Dade Transitway from the south end of Metrorail to Florida City. The other would run north from the Martin Luther King Metrorail station to the Broward County line.

That northern leg would require purchase of right-of-way along either Northwest 27th Avenue as has long been planned or along Northwest Seventh Avenue. Mr. Bovo said that transit would run at grade. His preference is rail.

reasons including that the board “did not have sufficient supporting data to issue a [certificate of appropriateness] because the board relied on an incomplete application, flawed technical advice, and a flawed and inadequate Historic Designation Report and Historic Structures Report.”

The famed 90-year-old playhouse at 3500 Main Highway has sat vacant and deteriorating since it shut down in 2006 after financial woes strapped the group running it.

In a letter to the preservation board, the county and FIU, in partnership with GableStage, said they followed three central goals for developing a master plan for the playhouse: To respect the historic status of the property and the legacy of architecture and the arts associated with it.

To return great regional theater to the playhouse by creating a state-of-the-art complex to be run by GableStage, focusing on cultivating the talent of Miami artists and theater professionals and providing enriching educational and outreach programs.

To adhere to the budgeted and secured County may take another run at funds, currently $20 million of county-issued buyingCSXrailtiefortransit,pg.9 bond revenues for the capital project.

CLEANUP BEGINS FOR LONG-POLLUTED RIVER TRIBUTARY ...

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VOLKSWAGEN VOWS POWERFUL CAR CHARGING STATIONS ...

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MIXED-USE BUILDINGS GET FIRST WYNWOOD DESIGN OKS ...

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GRANT AIMS AT FEWER BISCAYNE BOULEVARD CAR LANES ...

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VIEWPOINT: CLOSE THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE IN TRANSIT ...

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12-PASSENGER VEHICLES LINKED TO TRANSIT COUNTY AIM ...

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MAYOR EYES A MOBILITY FEE TO FUEL TRANSPORTATION ...

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AIRPORT ABOUT TWO YEARS FROM DIRECT FLIGHT TO ASIA ...

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MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2017

TODAY’S NEWS

The Insider POPULAR WITH PARKERS: The Miami Parking Authority continues to report impressive numbers for the online service PayByPhone to pay for parking. Usage this summer has grown to 77% of all parking transactions handled by the authority, according to authority COO Alejandra Argudin.

“We continue to push it, especially in the county parks,” she told the city’s Off-Street Parking Board. The goal is 80% usage by October, she said.

Fueling use and new customers is the authority taking control of parking at several Miami-Dade County parks and a few city park locations including Morningside Park and Virginia Key Beach.

EMERGING LEADER NAMED: Matthew Anderson, 32, a senior associate with realty brokerage Foundry Commercial and a former banker, will receive the Emerging Leader Award presented by the Center for Leadership at Florida International University in a ceremony Oct. 11. The award is presented to next-generation South Florida leaders under age 40. Past winners were Dr. Susan Amat, founder of Venture Hive, and Vance Aloupis, CEO of The Children’s Movement of Florida. There were 11 finalists for the award. “The committee found that Matt and his Matthew Anderson fellow nominees are successful professionals who find ways to give back to their communities in significant and meaningful ways. That bodes very well for South Florida’s future of engaged professionals and civic involvement,” said Mayra Beers, director, strategy and implementation, for the Center for Leadership.

Seybold Canal and Wagner Creek are Florida’s most polluted waterway. Cleanup has long been sought.

BRAZILIAN SUCCESS STORIES: The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida has launched a campaign to showcase members and document how the chamber has supported businesses. The aim, the chamber says, is to foster business relationships “that will increase trade and investments between South Florida and Brazil. It will feature success stories of member-companies…” Companies in four size categories have until Sept.

1 to submit those success stories.

Cleanup begins for river tributary that has long history of pollution

WAREHOUSE DEMAND GROWS: Class A warehouse space is in such tight demand in Miami-Dade County that developers are adding 1.5 mil- By John Charles Robbins lion square feet this year and it still can’t match growing needs, brokerage Marcus & Millichap reports. Asking rents on the Class A space have rising in The long-awaited cleanup of strong double-digit figures in the past two years, the firm says. The demand Wagner Creek and Seybold Canal is concentrated primarily around Miami International Airport and in North has begun.

Miami Beach, the company says.

AUDITORIUM UPGRADE: Miami-Dade County commissioners voted 11-0 with no committee review last month to expand the Joseph Caleb Auditorium at 5400 NW 22nd Ave., designating the expansion as a government facility, with no costs listed in the resolution. The auditorium on an 8-acre site seats 962. The addition is to include 5,000 square feet for dressing rooms, laundry facilities, storage for scenery and sets and lighting equipment, a break room for staff, and acoustical enhancements. The project also includes a marquee, a new lobby configuration and upgraded concession areas, public restrooms Michael Spring and a green room. Work is to be completed by December 2018. It’s overseen by Michael Spring, head of the county’s Department of Cultural Affairs, which has also applied to the Florida Cultural Facilities Grant Program for an additional $500,000.

BURNING DRUGS AND UNIFORMS: Proper disposal of fire and police equipment and contraband was dealt with recently by Miami commissioners, who approved hiring Wheelabrator South Broward Inc. for incinerating for the city’s fire and police departments. It’s done as needed, subject to availability of funds and budgetary approval, says the resolution. Estimated annual cost is $6,000. A background memo says the fire and police departments need incinerator services to properly dispose of bunker gear, uniforms and controlled substances. The procurement department’s market research found that Wheelabrator has the only incinerator in South Florida with the capacity to properly dispose of the fire and police equipment and contraband. It further determined that Wheelabrator was a sole source provider for the specific services. The commission’s action waived requirement for competitive sealed bids.

DEVELOPER GETS CONSTRUCTION LOAN: Florida Community Bank has provided a 24-month, $59 million construction loan at undisclosed terms to The Astor Companies, which is building Merrick Manor, at 10-story, 27-residence project at 301 Altara Ave. in Coral Gables. More than 50% of the Mediterranean villa-style building is under contract, a statement from Astor said. Completion is planned during the first quarter of 2019. Units are priced from the $500,000s up to $2.5 million and range from 574 square feet to more than 3,400. The project includes 19,000 square feet of ground floor retail.

PARKING GARAGE UPKEEP: Several Miami Parking Authority garages are due for improvements after the city’s Off-Street Parking Board awarded contracts to companies in its pool of contractors. Florida Lemark Corp. was chosen for waterproofing repairs at Courthouse Center Garage, 40 NW Third St., for $176,080. Florida Lemark was also chosen for concrete restoration and waterproofing at the Cultural Center Garage, 90 SW First St., for $77,875.

Darcon Group Corp. was chosen for ADA accessibility upgrades at College Station Garage, 190 NE Third St., for $92,621. Minimise Energy Americas LLC was chosen for LED canopy light installation at College Station Garage for $158,438.18. Each project has a 15% contingency ceiling.

AIRPORT ROADWORK COMING: Miami International Airport is preparing to realign Perimeter Road around the airport and replace the four-lane bridge that connects the airport’s employee parking lot to Perimeter Road. The cost of the whole project is just under $22.7 million, with the county’s Aviation Department funding the local share.

County commissioners last month accepted a joint participation agreement by which the Florida Department of Transportation will pay $800,000 toward the project.

Deputy Mayor Jack Osterholt wrote to commissioners that the transportation department may increase that Jack Osterholt sum to more than $10.5 million under future grants.

He noted that no federal funds will be involved.

City of Miami officials and members of the Miami River Commission gathered July 31 for a ceremony marking commencement of the restoration project.

Cleanup of the long-polluted Miami River tributary comes two years after the city commission approved the Wagner Creek and Seybold Canal Maintenance Dredging and Environmental Cleanup Project.

The city had lined up the necessary permits and money for the dredging and cleanup, but a start was delayed as the city procurement department wrangled with bidders.

Eventually, the city rejected all bids and started a fresh solicitation in 2016.

A second request for proposals was prepared and issued and ended with the city choosing Sevenson Environmental Services Inc. to undertake the project.

A happy Horacio Stuart Aguirre, river commission chairman, brandished a shovel and wore a big smile as he tossed ceremonial sand at a site near Northwest 19th Terrace and Northwest 15th Avenue.

“The Miami River Commission sincerely thanks the City of Miami, Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), Mr. Spencer Crowley, and the State of Florida for funding the Wagner Creek and Seybold Canal Maintenance Dredging and Environmental Cleanup Project,” said Mr. Aguirre.

He was joined at the ceremony by Mayor Tomás Regalado and Commission Chairman Keon Hardemon.

“This long awaited and widely supportedprojectisgreatlyimproving the local economy by removing toxic sediments, including dioxin, from the most polluted waterway in the State of Florida,” Mr. Aguirre said.

Cleanup costs top $18.4 million, which includes the removal of accumulated sediments, storm water capacity enhancement and vessel navigation improvement.

Mr. Aguirre said job-generating boatyards and commercial fishing businesses along Seybold Canal will have restored vessel navigation,

‘This long awaited and widely supported project is greatly improving the local economy by removing toxic sediments, including dioxin, from the most polluted waterway in the State of Florida.’

Horacio Stuart Aguirre which had become so shallow on the canal that safe navigation was nearly blocked, and vessels were breaking propellers on the bottom of the canal.

In addition, single-family homes will have improved navigation for recreational vessels, and the natural environment and flood conveyance capacity will be significantly improved, he said.

He noted the long and meandering history of the cleanup proposal.

“Since its creation in 1998, the Miami River Commission advocated for this project for 19 years, and it was discussed at an average of two public meetings per month with residents, business owners, the City of Miami, FIND, [county and state environmental officials] and the Florida Legislature. That’s a total estimated over 450 public meetings, in addition to countless emails, calls, etc.,” said Mr.Aguirre.

He said all of that “mutual hard work” was well worth it because the waterway is being restored, leading to significantly improving South Florida’s economy and natural environment.

Mr. Aguirre thanked the mayor and District 1 Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort, whose area

includes Allapattah and the canal, for their continued support for the blossoming mixed-use Miami River District.

Also on-hand for the project commencement was Brett Bibeau, managing director of the river commission.

The City of Miami, the Florida Inland Navigation District, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection funded the project, which consists of six operation sections.

Dredging is to start where Wagner Creek flows out of a culvert at Northwest 20th Street and continue to where Seybold Canal empties into the river 2.5 miles away. The plan is to excavate accumulated contaminated sediment and truck it to a landfill.

City officials said the anticipated completion of the project is fall 2018.

When city commissioners approved the project in 2015, the total estimated cost for the design, permitting and dredging was $23 million.

Sevenson says it has done more than 1,400 projects with a total value of more than $4.2 billion, including cleanup at the infamous Love Canal.

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

Phone: (305) 358-2663 Staff Writers:

Gabi Maspons gmaspons@miamitodaynews.com Susan Danseyar sdanseyar@miamitodaynews.com John Charles Robbins jrobbins@miamitodaynews.com Katya Maruri kmaruri@miamitodaynews.com People Column people@miamitodaynews.com Michael Lewis mlewis@miamitodaynews.com

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MIAMI TODAY

VIEWPOINT

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2017

Miami Today is an independent voice of the community, published weekly at 2000 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 100, Miami, Florida 33133. Telephone (305) 358-2663

How to close the continental divide in county’s transit plans The chairman of the Miami-Dade County Commission says his bold, farranging plan for six new mass transit corridors is not really at odds with the mayor’s aim to focus for now mostly on a new style of bus serMichael Lewis vice.

Chairman Esteban Bovo Jr. offers a complex and visionary program that aims at mostly new rail service as a way of spreading major mass transit across the county, while Mayor Carlos Giménez says what’s do-able with the funds available is mostly a bus rapid transit service.

But Mr. Bovo seeks to dispel the perception that the issue has split the two far apart.

Mr. Bovo says they are in full agreement on the need for six new transit corridors. The only divergences, he told Miami Today last week, are on how much money is available for the plan, what modes of transit to use in each corridor, how to fund the operations and maintenance of the new transit, and what steps to take next.

Forgive us if we see those four divergences not as a minor split but as a continental divide. Considering that everyone involved has already signed off on the basics of the six proposed corridors, the only real issues remaining are available funds, transit modes, funding of operations and maintenance, and what to do now.

After all, what else could cool-headed, thoughtful and respected county leaders diverge on?

The good news is that they have to agree on only one thing: what do we do next? The rest is going to take care of itself.

Let’s explain that.

The mayor says that for $534 million the

county can get moving on all six transit corridors now, with rail on the Northeast corridor where tracks already exist and buses on the others. While Mr. Bovo says the bus plan “does not make my feet tingle,” he can live with it as a first step, “a crawl before you can walk bus service.” The mayor too says buses are just a step for now, as other technology makes progress.

So neither of them sees dedicated busways with fast-traveling buses as a long-term solution but both acknowledge them as a first step, and the money is there to take that step.

So, take it – just don’t stop there. While new buses are relieving some traffic congestion we should be building toward the future.

This “temporary” bus solution is no waste.

One of the largest costs in the $534 million plan is to acquire right-of-way on the north end of a transit link from Florida City on the south to the county line on the north. That right-of-way could be the basis for a future transit mode north, be it Mr. Bovo’s rail or Mr. Giménez’s bright new technology of the future. Either way, the land would be in county hands when needed.

And the buses? It’s nearly certain that some bus rapid transit would still be needed in Miami-Dade until the new buses reach the end of their useful lives, even if another transit mode – rail or autonomous vehicles or whatever – was already being phased in.

The county rarely fails to run any transit until it falls apart.

So very little would be lost if the mayor, the commission chairman, the Transportation Planning Organization and all involved agreed today to push the mayor’s mostly-bus plan forward – so long as they all also move forward plans like those Mr. Bovo outlines.

And while Mr. Bovo clearly prefers rail – a choice we share – he also is pragmatic when he says that the decision on transit mode in each corridor can come later, and indeed he agrees with the mayor and many area residents that bus rapid transit may well be the long-term solution for Kendall.

L etters Too soon for new degree to have been presented

The July 27 article titled “After two years, first associate’s degree in program awaited” focused on Miami Dade College’s Associate in Science degree in Business Entrepreneurship, indicating that the program had not produced any graduates. It is misleading since the program has not been in operation long enough for the first entering cohort of students to complete.

Miami Dade College serves a large population of part-time students who work while attending classes. Even those who may have been attending full-time are just now reaching the two-year marker since the 2016 opening of the program.

By stating that the program has no completers, the connotation is that it is deficient in some way. Oftentimes, new programs take a year or two to ramp up but, I assure you, the Associate in Science in Business Entrepreneurship is a viable and valuable program. In fact, we are taking the program to the next level this fall through an innovative instructional strategy.

The typical first-year courses, like English and Humanities, will be contextualized to incorporate entrepreneurship concepts and content. Faculty from the liberal arts are having curriculum conversations with

That still leaves gulfs on where to get money to go beyond buses and how to pay to operate and maintain new corridors.

For operations and maintenance, Mr. Bovo plans to introduce county legislation this fall that would create tax increment financing along the six new transit corridors – in other words, new development and increased property values along the corridors would be assumed to mostly result from new transit, and anywhere from 25% to 50% of the added taxes in the area would be set aside to maintain and operate the new transit.

Mayor Giménez, on the other hand, wants to have the operating and maintenance costs of new transit in hand when service begins and is budgeting for that in his plans. Mr. Bovo calls that conservative. We call it the smart way to operate the new SMART transit routes.

If you’ve been around a while you may recall when the City of Miami constructed a sparkling fountain with unique water displays in Bayfront Park that was dedicated to Mildred and Rep. Claude Pepper. It was expensive but a showpiece. If you never saw it in action, it’s only because the city had money to build it but none to run it. So the city ripped out the costly spray mechanism and for decades the fountain has been mostly dry.

Mayor Giménez was a city firefighter at the time and probably remembers. Moral: if you don’t have the money in hand to run it, don’t build it.

Mr. Bovo’s financing for transit operations and maintenance is a projection based on an untried tax. Values along transit should rise, we agree, but by how much and how fast?

That’s a gamble.

We need solid operations and maintenance funding from the get-go; then, add tax increment financing too. The worst thing that could happen is we’d have too much operating money. We’re certain the county could deal with a surplus more easily than a deficit if we used only tax increment financing and it fell short of projections. Conservative financing isn’t bad financing.

to the

Finally, how to fund all this.

The mayor says between local funds and matching money from the state we can do it all.

Mr. Bovo says we should agree that the north-south corridor from Florida City to the Broward line, held together by existing Metrorail in the middle, is our single priority and ask for help from Congress to make it reality.

His multi-step plan would shift $30 million yearly in federal highway funds to transit funding, freeing $30 million a year in funds from our transportation sales tax to be bonded to bring in $720 million; take $75 million in capital reserves from the transit sales tax; get $370 in federal credits for Metrorail cars and the airport Metrorail extension that we have never collected; and the total would be $1.09 billion of the estimated $1.2 billion needed for the north-south line.

That’s a mess of hoops to jump through.

They all seem possible. Putting them all together at once will be one of the great circus tricks in our community’s history, but there’s no good reason not to try.

And while trying all of those, we need to speed the mayor’s plan forward, because it has only a few hoops. His plan is just a onering circus; Mr. Bovo’s is three rings, plus.

We agree with Mr. Bovo that it’s senseless to argue today over transit modes or battle over which corridor is to be running first – under either his plan or the mayor’s, the Northeast rail corridor from downtown to Aventura is probably first for speed. And for purposes of dealing with the federal government, a north-south plan as a single entity should be top priority.

So a continental divide in the future of new transit here should be starting with total common ground: get the mayor’s state-local transportation partnership plan rolling today while at the same time trying to piece together Mr. Bovo’s far more complex plans for the next phases of transit expansion.

We have nothing to lose but our gridlock.

E ditor Restoring a bit of history

entrepreneurship faculty to re-tool the traditional liberal arts coursework so students are immersed in entrepreneurship mindset early in their program.

Damian J. Thorman Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, Miami Dade College

was donated to the city for the purposes described. Genius!

What a fantastic thing to do. Miami has Bert Harris a bad habit of demolishing historic landmarks and building right on top something of no real value. It would be great to see This is all good. In fact, I would venture a little bit of history restored and maybe to say this is one of the best things that has throw in a little something new as well. I ever happened to this community – well, can imagine the marine stadium being used since the stadium first opened for business for all sorts of things.

MJ Ridenhower in 1963. It was and still is the first marine stadium that was built for boat racing and in fact may be the only one in the world – which is something the city might want to officially brag about on its website, media and signage. miamitodaynews.com DC Copeland FOUNDED JUNE 2, 1983

Bright future for stadium

Create a walkable marina

How to Write

Letters for publication may be sent to the Editor, Miami Today, 2000 S. Dixie Hwy, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33133 or email to letters@miamitodaynews.com.

Letters may be condensed for space.

This is fantastic news about 50 proposed uses. The Marine Marine Stadium is part of the Miami culture. People have always been attracted to marine-related venues.

The stadium’s future looks bright!

Phil Vargas

Stadium back to the future Interesting. In other words, it can be used for what it was used for before the greedy commission decided that condos would be a better use for the property that

Stadium’s unique purpose

I am in favor of demolishing that ugly structure. The best use for the Marine Stadium would be developing a walkable marina, with hotels and restaurants and many new slips. Something like in Key West.

I am a boater and would love to be in a place that looks like Florida, designed with a good sensible taste. Something like an authentic Florida Keys style, nature oriented, with lots of green space, lush vegetation, unlike the eyesore that is there now.

Roberto Zarvos Linhares

VOLUME XXXV No. 11 ENTIRE CONTENTS © 2017

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Transportation Reversible lanes may be coming by 2019 to county arteries

By Gabi Maspons

The county should switch to reversible traffic lanes along two heavily traveled northwest corridors, the Department of Transportation and Public Works recommended last week, moving forward a more detailed study to alleviate congestion during peak hours.

Starting use of the reversible lanes could take two years.

The department recommended the county consider reversible lanes on Northwest 25th Street from the Homestead Extension of the Florida Turnpike to State Road

826 and Northwest 36th Street from the Homestead Extension to State Road 826.

The recommendation came after the county Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) completed a traffic study in September 2016 to evaluate use of reversible lanes along major roadways based on volume, geometry and number of lanes.

A reversible lane is used to increase a roadway’s directional capacity during daily peak travel times by shifting the direction of traffic to serve the greater demand.

The system signals traffic to flow in one direction during one period

of time, and then reverses it to the opposite direction, depending on where traffic is stalled.

Reversible lanes can only work on roads that have predictable and unbalanced peak-period travel times with heavy commuter travel, the TPO study says.

The transportation department chose two of the three highestranked corridors, according to

the TPO’s analysis of 15 feasible corridors.

The Northwest 25th Street option “is a great corridor because it has a canal on one side so there are limited side-street openings and very favorable conditions,” said Alice Bravo, the department’s director.

“The roadway was already supposed to be widened to six lanes from the current four, so we’re analyzing from the perspective of trying to get the same capacity with only minor widening,” Ms. Bravo said.

“Now that we have identified the corridors, we need to get detailed operational commands and find out equipment needs,” she said.

After the recommendation, the department’s Traffic and Engineering Division is to move forward with the feasibility analysis, which outlines the operational analysis, conceptual plans and cost estimates to construct both corridors, legislation says.

“I think we probably need another six months for the detailed analysis,” Ms. Bravo said.

If reversible lanes are recommended after the additional study, the legislation says the county will need to allocate funds for full design and a construction period, which could take up to two years.

County may take another run at buying rail lines for transit Miami-Dade’s business leaders should look again at a proposal to have the county buy 35 miles of rail line from the CSX Corp. for new commuter service, County Commission Chairman Esteban Bovo Jr. says.

The county and business leaders have looked at the plan in the past but had difficulty striking a deal. But Mr. Bovo says things now have changed.

The railroad has two lines that would tie into county transportation plans, one running 11 miles from near Miami International Airport to the west and the other running 24 miles from near the airport to Homestead in the south end of the county.

The new element in the equation, Mr. Bovo told Miami Today, is that the railroad changed its leadership with the March announcement that F. Hunter Harrison, the 72-yearold former head of the Canadian Pacific Railway, had signed on for a four-year term as CSX chief executive officer.

The railroad, he said, has approached Miami-Dade County and is interested in selling the lines and then running limited freight service on those lines in pre-dawn hours, leaving the rails otherwise clear to establish new commuter service to both

Changes at CSX are driving a push by commission Chairman Esteban Bovo Jr. to buy 35 miles of its track.

West Dade and South Dade.

Mr. Bovo says he is interested in having business leaders look at the plan and not leave it to politicians, noting that business leaders in the past had looked at county acquisition of the CSX line to the west.

In June 2015 the Massachusetts Department of Transporta-

tion acquired a 21-mile segment of rail from Framingham to Mansfield from CSX Corp. for $23 million. Mr. Bovo said that put in his mind a Florida price of $1 million a mile, or $35 million, to pay CSX. Even a price of $1.5 million per mile would work for the county, he said.

He said he plans to meet with

business leaders in September to advance the effort.

When Mr. Bovo a year ago discussed the possibility of buying the 11-mile segment running from Southwest 132nd Avenue to the Miami Intermodal Center near Miami International Airport, where commuters could link to Metrorail service, he

suggested that line would cost about $100 million to build and require nearly $8 million per year to operate and maintain, a total cost that he labeled then “a drop in the bucket.”

At the time, he was suggesting the addition of the 24-mile segment running south at a later date.

But as the Metropolitan Planning Organization – now called the Transportation Planning Organization – considered Mr. Bovo’s proposal, member Maurice Ferré expressed doubt that CSX would cooperate.

“Have you ever dealt with CSX?” Mr. Ferré asked then.

“Maybe they’ve changed, but as of last year they hadn’t” Those comments came well before Mr. Harrison took the throttle of CSX. Local government has acted before to try to acquire the CSX freight rail lines to convert to passenger service.

In December 2014 the Metropolitan Planning Organization requested a feasibility study of passenger service on the 11-mile east-west link. And in late 2015 the county commission voted to urge the Florida Legislature and the Department of Transportation to provide funding to buy the entire 35 miles of track.

Mayor looks hard at new mobility fee to fuel transportation Mayor Carlos Giménez plans an extensive study of creating a mobility fee to fund “available transit and transportation alternatives” in Miami-Dade County.

The fee would be geared to replace the current road impact fee that is assessed against new developments in the county to cover costs of more traffic that the developments spawn.

In a memo last week to commissioners announcing his plans, the mayor noted that many governments nationwide, including Orlando, Jacksonville, and Sarasota and Hillsborough counties, “have moved in the direction of establishing mobility fees to fund multiple modes of transportation” and

investing in a “broader multimodal system approach that transcends roadway capacity.”

Miami-Dade County and the county’s Transportation Planning Organization have been grappling for years with ways to fund additional mass transit here as the roadway systems become increasingly congested. Current plans call for six corridors of new mass transit for the county, but neither funding to add that transit nor the modes of transit have been pinned down. A mobility fee could be considered a piece of the solution to funding.

Current county commission Chairman Esteban Bovo Jr. last year sponsored legislation directed the mayor to report on how existing impact fee programs could be

transformed to get impact fees from transit oriented developments that could help fund new transit. The mayor wrote that his report responds to that request.

“If evaluated and ultimately adopted by this board,” Mr. Giménez wrote, “this mobility fee would replace our current road impact fee. Mobility fees can be structured around localized traffic and development patterns and hence can serve to incentivize development in the transit-supported urbanized area.”

The mayor wrote that “evaluation via study is a necessary next step to implementation of a mobility fee,” and that the administration will competitively solicit a mobility fee study and “the county will begin a very

extensive public involvement process that will be needed to provide the needed input from citizens, property owners, and affected industries to evaluate the potential impacts of adopting a mobility fee to replace the existing road impact fee.”

The mayor said he would send commissioners a report when the study is finished.

On June 6, the county commission approved reducing restrictions on the use of road impact fees in order to improve capacity on local roads. The legislation by Rebeca Sosa targets an increase in capacity on the roadway network by funding increases in local roadways that feed into arterial and collector roadways.

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Volkswagen unit plans powerful car charging stations here

By Catherine Lackner

Electric-car drivers in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties just got a boost, even if it comes from an unlikely source.

The tri-county area will be the beneficiary of the first 30-month cycle of investment by Electrify America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America. The unit was created as part of a settlement between the federal government and the German automaker over after excess diesel emissions were found in some Volkswagen cars.

The investment “will bring charging stations to workplaces, commercial areas, and near highways in South Florida,” according to an Electrify America release posted by the county’s Transportation Planning Organization it is weekly e-newsletter.

Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland (OR), Raleigh (NC), Seattle and Washington, DC, were also chosen to be part of the first cycle.

“Electrify America’s vision is to establish a premier… charging network that is comprehensive, technically advanced and customer-centric,” the release said. “Our infrastructure investment, combined with

our education and access programs, will enable millions of Americans to discover the benefits of zero-emission vehicle driving.”

As part of Volkswagen’s settlement, it will invest $2 billion over 10 years throughout the US, with $800 million going to California, which is one of the world’s largest markets for zero-emission vehicles.

“In its first national zero-emission vehicle investment cycle, Electrify America will establish a network of more than 2,500 nonproprietary electric vehicle chargers at more than 450 station sites,” the release said. Any electric vehicle can use the charging stations.

“Approximately 240 charging station

sites will be installed or under development outside of California by the end of the first cycle. These sites will be located along hightraffic corridors between metropolitan areas, including multiple cross country routes, and will include between four and 10 individual direct-current fast chargers at each location.

“Stations chargers will be extremely powerful, capable of delivering 150 or 350 kilowatts to vehicles. Sites will be, on average, about 70 miles apart, with no more than 120 miles between stations, meaning many shorter-range zero-emission vehicles available today will be able to use this network,” the release said.

Grant seeks fewer Biscayne Boulevard car lanes downtown

By John Charles Robbins

A plan to transform Biscayne Boulevard into something other than a busy downtown street just got a significant financial boost.

The City of Miami and the Downtown Development Authority applied for and were awarded a $421,829 federal grant to speed the Biscayne Green Lane Elimination Analysis Project along Biscayne Boulevard from Southeast First to Northeast Sixth streets.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will pass through the federal funds, and a Local Agency Participation agreement will be required to access the funds.

On July 27, city commissioners voted to allow City Manager Daniel Alfonso to accept the funds and execute the necessary local agency agreement.

A background memo on the grant says the Biscayne Green Lane Elimination Analysis Project will provide essential pedestrian safety and accessibility improvements at seven Metromover stations.

Currently, the Biscayne Green Project is included in FDOT’s five-year work program, a comprehensive list of major capital

A grant aids the Biscayne Green Lane Elimination Project to replace cars with grass and street furniture.

projects throughout Florida.

For years the development authority has advocated for Biscayne Green, which aims to reduce driving lanes from eight to four or six from Biscayne Boulevard Way to Northeast Eighth Street and replace them with grass, trees, street furniture and other features to link Biscayne Bay and Bayfront Park to downtown.

The plan aims to calm down-

town traffic and provide more and safer pedestrian and bike access.

The proposed vision of Biscayne Green calls for the redesign of the boulevard into Miami’s grand pedestrian promenade, similar to that of San Francisco’s Embarcadero, Madrid’s Paseo del Prado, and Barcelona’s Las Ramblas.

In 2011, the development authority completed a streetscape

analysis for a complete redesign of the six blocks of Biscayne Boulevard. The preferred concept includes reducing lanes for vehicles, on-street parking, wider sidewalks, and a dedicated bicycle facility.

In January, the development authority, with support from the Knight Foundation, created a one-month temporary installation within three pods in the median

of Biscayne, reimagining the boulevard and creating a new active public space for downtown residents and visitors.

The installation provided both recreational and passive amenities, fun and interactive elements, as well as events for guests day and night, allowing people to gather and connect.

From Jan. 6-26, the installation attracted 16,939 visits on Biscayne between Southeast Second and Northeast First streets.

The project transformed surface parking lots into colorfully decorated spaces with picnic benches, a playground, a dog park and other amenities.

The temporary pop-up park was a hit with some of the new residents who call downtown home.

Development authority officials touted the demonstration as a successful first attempt to showcase the potential of a redesigned Biscayne Boulevard into a world-class pedestrian promenade, saying it provided a sneak peek into the future of downtown Miami.

Beyond the lane elimination analysis, future steps include securing funding options to advance design development and finance future construction.

Environmental concerns dampen waterborne transit aims

By Gabi Maspons

City OKs water taxi stop, pg. 14 requested that the county update prepare an implementation plan

Plans to introduce waterborne transportation services to MiamiDade County are delayed because of environmental concerns.

“We’ve done a fair amount of coordination with environmental agencies, the Coast Guard and municipalities to identify operational issues,” said Alice Bravo, director of the Department of Transporta-

tion and Public Works.

“There are issues with regards to manatees that need to be addressed if this service is feasible,” Ms. Bravo said. “Right now, we’d be looking at speed limitations six months out of the year, and that limits the effectiveness” of a proposed system, she said.

Commissioner Javier Souto

a feasibility study on waterborne transportation solutions as part of a comprehensive transportation network. The report was due Feb. 23 but is still pending and was listed as “past due” on the most recent status listing by the Office of the Commission Auditor.

The resolution states that the feasibility study should find “possible routes and locations… and

for the creation of on-demand and fixed-route waterborne transportation” to address the “traffic density and gridlock on overburdened roadways.”

A survey distributed in the county is gauging interest in a water taxi service and public docking spaces downtown.

The majority of the survey asks participants to answer questions about access to boat slips; participants are to answer their age, size and primary use of their boat, how often they use their boat, whether they would use reasonably-prices boat slips, and which locations they would dock their boat. Of the nine questions, only the final question asks, “If a reasonably priced Water Taxi could take you to the above locations, would you use it?”

For now, the county is looking at two water taxi express routes and will see how they perform before expanding.

“I think initially we’re focused on two north-south routes: one on the river, and the other from Haulover Beach to downtown,” Ms. Bravo said.

Javier Souto sought county study.

County residents are demanding innovative solutions to the traffic congestion and the dense development along the county’s waterways presents a unique opportunity to re-examine the use of waterways and address the traffic problem, Mr. Souto’s legislation says.

When asked about the timeline of the study, Ms. Bravo said, “I think it’ll be another six months.”

“Every coastal city I’ve ever visited has some kind of waterborne transportation system. It’s something that residents and visitors could take advantage of and benefit from.”

14

MIAMI TODAY

TRANSPORTATION

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2017

City puts water taxi stop on Key for future service

By John Charles Robbins

In a growing metropolis like the City of Miami – embraced as it is by vast waterways – expanding transit options to the water makes sense.

Miami city commissioners have just designated a site on Brickell Key for water taxi service, while the Miami River Commission continues to lobby Miami-Dade County to identify potential water taxi stops on the river.

On July 27, city commissioners accepted a right-of-way deed of dedication for upland property on the key, a man-made triangular island at the foot of Southeast Eighth Street.

It’s part of a development agreement the city has with property owner-developer Swire Properties.

The legislation directs City Manager Daniel Alfonso to accept, pursuant to a right-of-way deed, the dedication of upland from Swire Properties US Inc., Swire Properties Inc. and Swire Jade Co. LLC. The land is to be “utilized as a public linear park and as a public water taxi pick up and drop off location” and associated purposes,

the resolution says.

As part of the deal, the Swire companies must maintain the property subject to the deed.

A map presented with the deed marks the park and water taxi site just north of where Brickell Key Drive bridge (Southeast Eighth Street) connects with the island.

Also called Claughton Island, the 44-acre island is connected to the mainland by a bridge. The island is home to high-rises offering office space, hotel rooms and, primarily, luxury condos.

Swire took over the development of Brickell Key in the 1980s.

Aplan for the build-out of Brickell Key, with the development of a new residential tower, was given the goahead in October 2015. City commissioners approved an amendment to the Brickell Key Development of Regional Impact, or DRI, order.

The change reduced the permitted non-residential floor area by 676,116 square feet while increasing the number of residential units by 668, and required a 3.75-acre linear park on the island.

Swire Properties plans to bring a

Water taxis like this one at Bayside and others that served the Miami Boat Show have been successful.

new residential tower to the island’s southern corner.

At the time of the amended DRI order, Swire said references to the 3.5-acre park were confirmation of an existing “linear pedestrian park already in place around the island.”

The amended development order is noted in the latest resolution, stating the order permitted a 3.5-acre linear park and a quarter-acre park on the island.

Swire has determined that to satisfy its obligation, in part, to

dedicate public park land it will convey property to the city for a park and water taxi site, according to the resolution.

The new deed includes a reverter clause should the property ever cease to be used for a public park and water taxi stop.

Dedicating the site for public water taxi use comes as city and county officials are seriously considering encouragement of water-borne transportation and are busy sifting sites for water taxi stops.

County officials are considering a water transit fleet to help lessen traffic gridlock on area streets and highways. The county’s transit department is looking at both a water bus system for commuters with a fixed schedule and route, and water taxis.

Having water taxis power a major component in a growing transportation system gained buoyancy with heavy use during the Miami International Boat Show on Virginia Key in 2016 and 2017.

As Grove trolleys add riders, city targets more efficiency

By Katya Maruri

The City of Miami trolley service in Coconut Grove, which celebrated its first birthday in March, has seen an increase in average

monthly riders, with boarding numbers increasing from 16,650 to 17,148 since January.

“Right now we are focused on adjusting resources and improving what we do instead of

focusing solely on growth,” said Sandra Harris, director of the city’s Office of Transportation Management. “Of course, growth is definitely a priority, but right now we are more focused on

improving the efficiency of the trolleys citywide.”

The city plans a final expansion of the rubber-tired trolley service by launching routes in Little Haiti and Flagami in 2018.

One of the recent improvements to the Grove trolley service includes an expansion of the trolley’s Coconut Grove route in June to include service to the Shops at Merrick Park and the Coconut Grove Metrorail station on Southwest 27th Avenue.

The two new stops join the trolley’s other stops at Mercy Hospital, Ransom Everglades School, Kennedy Park, City Hall/Regatta Park, Kenneth M. Myers Bayside Park, CocoWalk and the Douglas Road Metrorail station at 3060 SW 37th Court.

Other improvements to the Grove trolley service include its updated mobile app, which provides riders real-time information regarding the trolleys’ location.

“We updated our mobile app earlier this year,” Ms. Harris said.

“The relaunch will provide riders with real-time information about the trolleys in regards to where they are located and when they are scheduled to arrive at their next stop.”

Information about the trolleys comes via the City of Miami Trolley mobile app or the trolley website, http://www.miamigov. com/trolley/, to track real-time information about the trolleys and their location.

“Overall,” Ms. Harris said, “the Coconut Grove trolley service is doing great.”

The city’s free trolley service remains popular and continues to post impressive ridership numbers.

The city reports the following monthly average ridership counts for the ten routes: Health District, 8,490; Stadium, 25,540; Brickell, 43,949; Biscayne, 81,497; Overtown, 4,406; Allapattah, 80,185; Coral Way, 83,184; Wynwood, 7,484; Coconut Grove, 17,148; and Little Havana, 78,316.

Details: http://www.miamigov. com/trolley/.

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15

Federal Aviation Administration bills divide Florida delegation

By Gabi Maspons

Just as the House and Senate are currently divided in Washington over how to modernize the Federal Aviation Administration, representatives from Florida can’t seem to agree on the best course of action.

There are currently two versions of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bills. The House version would move air traffic control from the FAA to a non-profit corporation, while the Senate version dropped that provision to garner bipartisan support for the underlying bill.

While Florida Rep. Brian Mast supported air traffic control privatization at the recent Florida Airports Council Conference in Miami Beach, Rep. Mario DiazBalart voiced his concerns about the privatization proposal, while still lauding other modernization efforts: “It’s a fantastic bill, I don’t want to minimize the good work,” Rep. Diaz-Balart said. “There are many important and muchneeded reforms, but there is some dispute in the House and Senate about whether [air traffic control privatization] is the right way to go. We’re concerned.”

“I’m all about privatization when it makes sense – but I don’t think this is just privatization,” he said. “There’s a security expert who says there are three things the federal government has to

Mario Diaz-Balart: no privatizing.

Privatizing air traffic control operations like this one in Washington is a top priority for the airline industry.

hold onto and control: national security, national intelligence, and national air space. I agree; those are three important national

security assets.”

Rep. Diaz-Balart echoes the opinions of many critics who say a corporate board cannot be trusted with securing our air-space.

General-aviation advocates like the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the National Air Transportation Association also fear Bill Nelson: bipartisan supporter. that a non-profit corporation will charge passengers higher fees The core bills are geared to than the government without pub- speed up modernization efforts lic oversight through Congress. at the FAA. Some of the provi-

sions include overturning a court ruling that limits the FAA’s right to force recreational drone users to register their aircraft with the government and banning airlines from involuntarily removing customers from a flight after they have boarded.

The air-traffic control privatization proposal is a top priority for airlines because they want more predictable funding to modernize equipment and training.

Rep. Diaz-Balart is not the only representative from Florida who is concerned about privatizing air traffic control.

Sen. Bill Nelson was excited to announce that the Senate had

dropped the privatization proposal in an attempt to garner bipartisan support.

“This is a good example of what can happen when Republicans and Democrats work together toward the same goal,” said Sen. Nelson after the Senate bill dropped the proposal.

“With this bill, we’re putting the flying public first and insisting they receive better treatment from the airlines,” Sen. Nelson said.

Now the Senate and House bills to modernize the Federal Aviation Administration are directly at odds.

The decision isn’t likely to be final until the Senate and House debate and resolve their differences many months from now.

While lawmakers still need to debate and come to a decision, any change in the Federal Aviation Administration directly affects Miami International Airport, the leading economic engine for Miami-Dade County.

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MIA is ‘about two years out from a direct flight to Asia’

By Gabi Maspons

Miami International Airport is expanding its search of Asian air carriers to create a direct flight to Asia. After meeting with Japan Airlines to market a Tokyo-Miami connection, MIA has continued to look at all Asian carriers who are interested in servicing Miami with an Asian link.

“We’re about two years out from a direct flight to Asia, but I hope I’m wrong,” said Emilio Gonzalez, county aviation director.

“We’ve been working on this for about a year. It’s something that we initiated because we want to expand our route network from just being north-south, to a more global airport,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

Demand for a direct flight to Asia has been high, and MIA is interested in serving both passenger and cargo flights.

In the past ten years, Asian cargo flights and tonnage have more than doubled. The most recent figures show that nearly 100,000 tons of cargo flow between MIA and Asia annually, at a value of $5.2 billion, the airport said.

“Right now all of the cargo carriers are one-stop, usually at Anchorage,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

Miami is now the busiest US market for leisure and business travel from Asia that does not have nonstop passenger service, according to an independent study

by Sabre AirVision Market Intelligence.

More than 415,000 travelers made connecting flights between Asia and Miami in 2015, which ranked Miami 15th among all US cities.

To address the passenger and cargo demand, MIA is expanding its search and reaching out to any airlines that might have a vested interest in a direct flight to Miami: “We’re going to pitch to all of the airlines,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

“We do our due diligence; we look at airlines expanding routes into the US and refurbishing fleets, and

‘We don’t have a direct flight from Miami to Japan, so we have to use connecting flights. It is inconvenient to travel to Japan.’

Takahiro Ogihara

Miami International began talking with Asian lines to expand and become more global, said Emilio Gonzalez.

then we get in front of the process and market ourselves to them, just like any business.”

Up to now, the main obstacle to non-stop service has been finding an aircraft capable of traveling the long distance without refueling, he said.

In June, MIA welcomed the first nonstop flight from Asia when Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen flew in from Taipei, confirming that the 8,628-mile, 17-hour flight was possible.

The most promising connection so far has been a Tokyo-Miami link.

“I would welcome a MiamiTokyo route because it’s the closest route; the travel time would be about 14 hours,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

“Other routes would require airlines to take a weight penalty going back because the wind would

make them burn more fuel; with a flight between Miami and Tokyo that would not be the case.”

In May, about 100 members of the airport’s Asia Task Force hosted a meeting with Japan Airlines to pitch a Miami-Tokyo route.

“The task force is made up of business leaders with interests in places like Japan, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

The airport meets with the task force to conduct surveys about interest and frequency of travel.

MIA compiles the information to pitch to airlines so they understand the market.

“We’ll be meeting with other carriers to give them our pitch.

It’s nice because when they come they meet with businesspeople here with a need to go to Asia, they don’t just read numbers on a piece of paper,” he said.

In addition to Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA) also has many routes between US and Japan and is looking into a possible Miami connection, said Takahiro Ogihara, deputy consul general of Japan in Miami.

“We don’t have a direct flight from Miami to Japan, so we have to use connecting flights. It is inconvenient to travel to Japan,” Mr. Ogihara said.

While Tokyo would be the easiest connection, MIA is looking into all possible city pairs.

“We’re scheduling meetings with every Asian carrier out there. We’re inviting everybody and teeing everything up,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

“Our research has shown that our passengers here don’t really care where they transfer from – if they’re going to Hong Kong, they don’t mind transferring to Tokyo,

for example. So we’re working very hard just to get the first one, and then the others will fall in line,” he said.

The process is extensive, and MIA is to meet regularly with the airlines before creating the connection, Mr. Gonzalez said.

Although China is MIA’s highest valued partner in both volume and value at $2.1 billion in 2015, Mr. Gonzalez said it would be too difficult to open up a connection there right now.

“Mainland Chinese carriers are harder because routes to China are controlled through reciprocal agreements through the US and China,” he said. “Shanghai and Beijing don’t have any slots available right now.”

“The secondary markets in China would have slots, but they are so far inland that it would be almost impossible” to reach by plane without refueling, Mr. Gonzalez said.

When asked about how an air link to Asia would help the Miami economy, Mr. Gonzalez said, “The impact would be huge from both a passenger and cargo perspective.

It’s just a matter of making the airlines see how profitable this is going to be.”

“I can only hope a direct flight would be established as soon as possible,” said Mr. Ogihara. “It would deepen the personal exchange between the two countries and strengthen mutual understandings. Personally, I am excited and look forward to the possibility of a direct flight.”

Airport’s on-time performance drops, still flies past peers

By Gabi Maspons

While Miami International Airport’s on-time performance percentage continues to drop in the summer months, other airports have also been struggling, paving the tarmac for MIA to fly up in the global rankings.

The OAG, or Official Airlines Guide, calculates on-time performance by the number of flights that depart within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

Since May, MIA’s on-time performance has dropped from 79.6% to 71.7% in July.

Though the on-time departures have dropped nearly ten percentage points in three months, this July’s performance numbers match up perfectly with last July’s: both months had 71.7% of flights departing on time.

While the identical numbers would suggest that MIA has maintained its position, other airports have also been having trouble with on-time performance, decreasing the global average.

MIArose 12 spots in the rankings,

On-time performance at Miami International fell in May to 71.7%, leaving more people waiting to leave.

from 785th to 773rd in global rank for on-time performance.

In terms of domestic flights, data from June 2016 through May compiled by the US Department of Transportation rank MIA 22nd of the 30 major US airports surveyed for on-time performance.

While MIA doesn’t have a particularly high ranking nationally or globally, it’s still the regional airport with the best departure-time records. The most recent OAG monthly reports show that MIA has consistently flown above other major airports in Florida: MIAleads

Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Orlando International Airport and West Palm Beach International Airport in on-time departure performance.

“Factors that determine on-time performance are primarily related to weather and airline and FAA

operations, which are out of the airport’s control,” said Greg Chin, communications director at Miami International Airport.

TheAir Carrier On-Time Reporting Committee’s reporting system uses five categories to define delays: air carrier delays; extreme weather; National Aviation System (NAS) delays, which include non-extreme weather conditions, airport operations, heavy traffic volume and air traffic control; a late-arriving aircraft; and security delays.

While all of the listed delay factors that determine on-time performance are seemingly out of airports’ control, a closer look shows that most weather-related delays can be prevented by system changes.

In the broad category of NAS delays, between January and May of this year MIA reported that 65.94% were volume delays and 28.54% were weather delays.

According to the Air Carrier On-Time Reporting Advisory Committee, non-extreme weather and volume delays “could be fixed through improvements to the system.”

28

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