Palmetto Bay Residents Oppose the 87th Avenue Bridge

We residents of 87th Avenue, and the surrounding Palmetto Bay area oppose the potential bridging project in Palmetto Bay over SW 87th Ave, between SW 164th St. and SW 163rd Terrace. Diverting traffic from busy streets to peaceful residential streets is wrong and will harm residents' safety, peace, and may lower home values. If built, this bridge will decimate this short strip of 87th Avenue. It does not connect to US1 and will generate substantially more traffic on the already backed up streets of 152nd and SW 144th. Additionally, 87th Avenue dead-ends at 141st street. Residents choose to live here because it is safe for children, pets, and all pedestrians. Residents appreciate the dead end of the canal because it helps insulate and protect our streets. We understand that those on the south of the canal need relief, but this bridge will only lead to an impossible bottleneck. Traffic problems must be solved for those south of the canal, but this proposed bridge over 87th Avenue is not a solution. Miami-Dade County has conducted studies such as the Kimley-Horn, the 79 Transportation Plan for Dade County (Long Range Element), 1978-83 Transportation Improvement Plan, the Metropolitan Planning Organizations December 1978 Report, and all these studies reveal  that this bridge is not a Phase 1 plan, nor have many of the Phase 1 recommendations, which would have an overall relief of traffic congestion been implemented either. Most importantly, the most recent Marlin Traffic, an inclusive and holistic report and study DOES NOT CONDONE BRIDGING 87th AVENUE. Another devastating effect would be a 20% decrease in home values around the bridge, not just on 87th. Diverting traffic from busy 168th St. will not alleviate traffic on that street, but spread it over other streets, and at the cost of the peace, safety, cleanliness, and value of residential 87th Avenue and all nearby roads. This expensive bridge project will NOT help those south and will create significantly more traffic during rush hour both north and south of the canal. It will harm those north immensely. For example, the streets that connect to US1 and Old Cutler from where the proposed bridge will be are 152nd Street (a major intersection that is congested already), 148th St. (this borders Publix where speed humps were recently constructed to slow down speeders), 144th St. (this road is busy but manageable, but it is difficult to make a left turn towards US1 as there are wide concrete columns for the electric lines and trees, so no need to make it busier which would lead to accidents), and 141st St. (low rise condominiums are here and more traffic will lower quality of life and make this road more congested). There is a 4 way stop at 155 Terrace and at least one accident occurs here per year, so bridging 87th Avenue will increase the number of accidents. There is a traffic light on 87th and 152nd Street now, and this 87th Avenue bridge will cause a line of cars releasing carbon dioxide as they wait for the green during peak times. A creative solution that does not involve bridging the 87th Avenue canal can be invented. A smarter way to alleviate traffic exists. Diverting traffic from busy streets, carving up peaceful streets to allow traffic, is NOT A VIABLE SOLUTION BECAUSE IT HARMS PALMETTO BAY. WE OPPOSE THE BRIDGING OF 87th AVENUE BETWEEN SW 164th St. and 163rd Terrace.