Coconut Grove is buzzing with projects! Besides the new and beautiful Park Grove and Grove at Grand Bay Towers there are many ‘works in progress’: Regatta Park & surrounding plans, Save the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Commodore Plaza sidewalk beautification, CocoWalk revival, and of course new commercial ownerships and proposed site plans all over the Grove.
Very large and intensely discussed on the list is the Stormwater Drainage Improvement Project on Main Highway. That’s Dade County’s child, not the City of Miami’s, and there isn’t any voting about it – it’s a must, it will be messy until completed, and progress is sometimes painful. We barely live above sea level, and proper drainage is a must. City of Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff was kind enough to issue a letter to the community with the facts (as the County presented them).
There is an ocean of information in his letter (see below), complete with site maps, but in a nutshell beginning in June and for approximately seven months (ha ha) there will be a retrofitting of the existing drainage system along Main Highway between Royal Road and McFarlane Road. Main Highway will be one lane only moving in the north direction, and Grand Avenue will essentially be the route out for southbound traffic. Ouch.
Just thinking about it gives parents dropping off at St. Hugh’s, Ransom, Carrollton, and Plymouth Congregational Pre-School some serious anxiety, but this too shall pass! Many moons ago I worked in Miami Lakes and the commute was really, really painful. My father’s advice? Turn up the radio and enjoy the ride.
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The Insider Scoop on the Main Highway Drainage Project
We have received a large volume of emails and phone calls regarding the upcoming Miami-Dade County Stormwater Drainage Improvement Project on Main Highway. With the many rumors and gossip that have been circulating throughout the community, we wanted to present the plans as they have been presented to us by the County. Hopefully this clears up any misunderstanding about the project and its intention.The project is slated to begin in June of 2015 and will retrofit the existing drainage system that has failed due to age and been compromised by tree root intrusion. As you can see in the diagram below, the project stretches from Royal Road to MacFarlane Road and will take 7 months to complete. Miami-Dade County officials have told us that the project was actually going to start earlier. However, it was pushed to June to prepare those frequenting the schools on Main Highway for the incoming traffic congestion when the new year school year begins and to allow for the completion of the Southwest 27th Avenue Project.
With a project of this magnitude, there are bound to be many community concerns. The first is obviously traffic. Undeniably, this will narrow one of the most used streets in this community, especially for drop off and pick up during the school year. Traffic will be one-way, heading North, and southbound traffic will have to be rerouted down Grand Avenue to Douglas Road. See the below illustration for a visual representation.
Another concern for the community and this office has been the removal of trees along this signature corridor in Coconut Grove. We have been told by the County that NO trees will be removed during this project. This project only addresses the stormwater drainage system underneath the street. Additionally, the City has requested that a bike lane be striped on the side of the street, removing the commodore trail from the sidewalk.Another concern we have heard from residents is that the County project is to add sewage lines for up-and-coming high-rise development down Main Highway. This was also answered in the negative by Alejandro Barrios, the Miami-Dade County project manager. This project is EXCLUSIVELY for retrofitting an outdated stormwater drainage system. Additionally, nowhere in Miami-Dade County do stormwater drainage pipes run next to sewage pipes.If you have any additional questions about the project itself, feel free to reach out to Alejandro Barrios, or Francisco Gonzalez at the Stormwater Drainage Design Section of Miami-Dade County, and they will help you. Please call 305-375-4772.As always, if you have questions or concerns that you’d like to share with our office, you can always call us at (305) 250-5333 or email me at [email protected].
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Learn more about real estate in South Miami, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay, by contacting Val Byrne at [email protected] or at 305-323-6231. Val Byrne – Working For You!
