Miami hits federal funding jackpot for Underdeck

After the city commission passed a resolution in January urging local, state and federal entities to make funding available to support the Underdeck, Miami has been awarded a $60 million transportation grant for the project.

The March 14 commission meeting started with Chairwoman Christine King and Mayor Francis Suarez announcing the massive influx of federal funding for the 33-acre green space to be built under the I-395 signature bridge that is currently under construction.

“This is literally one of the most significant things that has happened in my time as mayor,” said Mr. Suarez. “This is [part of] the new and reconstructed I-395 that you are seeing built right now, right next to the school board headquarters, and this is going to open up a multi-use park for the community.”

The $60 million US Department of Transportation grant, which is the largest received in the city’s history according to the mayor, marks a critical leap forward for the I-395 Underdeck and signature bridge. The total cost for the project is estimated at $83 million.

The Underdeck is the current working name for the 33-acre public open space under the reconstructed I-395 bridge that is to serve as a multi-purpose green space connecting Overtown in the west to Biscayne Bay in the east. The signature bridge project is a partnership between the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the City of Miami.

“We are going to get that space right, we are going to curate it with compassion and respect for the community,” said Ms. King, who represents Overtown, the neighborhood through which the Underdeck will run.

The federal grant award comes after the city commission unanimously passed a resolution Jan. 11 urging Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida legislature as well as federal and local government officials, entities and instrumentalities to make funding available to support the I-395 Underdeck project. The resolution also made the finding of available federal, state and local funding a legislative priority for the city.

During a virtual information meeting on Feb. 13, David Hoot, the city’s consultant working on the Underdeck, provided updates on its progress. He stated that the consultants who work for FDOT are in final negotiations for the design efforts, which are expected to begin soon.

Oscar Gonzalez, an FDOT representative who attended the virtual meeting, confirmed the bridge is on track for completion in late 2027.

The virtual meeting was hosted by the Underdeck Committee, a group formed in 2018 consisting of civic, business and philanthropic leaders as well as adjacent landowners, small business owners, nonprofits and residents who united to advocate for the future of the Underdeck.

Over the past four years, they have worked closely with Miami’s administration to advocate for state-level funding for the project and contributed to the development of the concept design submitted by the city to FDOT through their community engagement process.

“We have recently entered into the next chapter of our work, which is moving forward with the establishment of a friends of organization to make sure that we’re advocating for the future of this public space with the recommendations that were submitted as the guiding principles, as the North Star of our work,” Lisa Martinez, Underdeck Committee manager and facilitator, told Miami Today in February.

“New working groups are being established to make sure that we’re most informed in our advocacy efforts and beginning to reach out to the city again for updates and to FDOT,” she said. “That’s going to be part of our strategy, reaching out to all those that are part of the planning and implementation of this public space to be able to know what’s coming next.”