Miami-Dade County Freight Plan

Miami-Dade County is home to a well-established and expanding freight transportation system. This system serves as the cornerstone of the region’s economy, providing goods and services to Florida’s largest consumption market as well as connecting the region to the global economy through major sea and air gateways, taking into account emerging and future technologies. 

The June 2018 update of the Freight Plan, by the Miami-Dade TPO, highlights the importance of freight mobility in Miami-Dade County, updates the County Freight Plan from 2014 to 2018, develops an application for a Miami-Dade County designated Freight Logistics Zone (FLZ) and coordinated with freight stakeholders in the preparation of an updated list of transportation needs. The list of projects developed in this update will be considered for funding in the development of the TPO’s Year 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (2045 TPO LRTP).

The existing air, port, rail, truck and roadway transportation facilities complement the largest warehouse/distribution center agglomeration in the State as well as the international banking and brokerage infrastructure that facilitates international trade activities for the region.

Read the Plan here.

Miami-Dade County Freight Logistics Zone (FLZ) Designation

In 2015, the Florida Legislature created a new section in Florida Statutes Chapter 311, “Designation of state freight logistics zones (FLZs)”. FLZs provide a framework for directing potential funding to freight projects within the defined boundaries. These designations have the potential to qualify projects for funding or incentive programs, and ultimately compete for available funding.
 
FLZs by definition increase the efficiency of freight moving to, from, and through the designated area. The proposed Miami-Dade FLZ includes the entire county and encompasses key subareas that provide for freight and logistics operations, and also captures other key operations including workforce training (e.g., colleges, universities, industry training programs) that typically are located outside of the industrial areas. The intent of this approach to FLZ designation is to provide the county and its municipalities with the ability to market the entire county for a full range of freight and logistics related activities.
 
The proposed FLZ designation was prepared as part of the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) 2018 Update to the Miami-Dade County Freight Plan.

Read the Plan here.

Welcome New TPO Governing Board Members

Eileen Higgins is the newly elected Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioner for District 5, which includes Little Havana, parts of Miami Beach, Downtown, Brickell, The Roads, Silver Bluff, and Shenandoah. Eileen is a business owner and community advocate in Miami who works closely with local organizations to address the many issues facing our community. She owns and operates Inside the Glass, a firm that helps local entrepreneurs and small businesses grow their companies in Florida and beyond. Ms. Higgins has had a long career as a leader in both the private and public sectors. She started as an engineer working in heavy-duty manufacturing. After earning her MBA from Cornell University, she went on to drive growth for some of the world’s most well-known brands. In 2006, she began serving as a Peace Corps Country Director in Belize and later worked as a diplomat in the U.S. State Department in Mexico and Southern Africa. In Miami-Dade County, she is active with Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, People Acting for Community Together, the Miami Downtown Neighbors Alliance, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, Miami Climate Alliance, the Sierra Club, and the League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade County.

Esther “Shelly” Smith Fano was appointed to the Miami-Dade TPO Governing Board by State of Florida Governor Rick Scott for a term beginning June 22, 2018 and ending June 30, 2021. Ms. Smith Fano is the Chair for the Board of Directors of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) and Executive Director of the Hospitality Institute Program of the Miami International Hospitality Center at Miami Dade College. The Hospitality Institute was established to connect Miami’s inner city residents with job opportunities in the local hospitality and tourism industry through job readiness and customer service training. Since its inception in 2007, The Hospitality Institute has provided training and job placement assistance to thousands of participants. Ms. Smith-Fano is active in local, state, and federal civic organizations. She received an Associate in Arts degree from Miami-Dade College, a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages and a Master’s Degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Organizational leadership from Northcentral University.

Nondiscrimination: Title VI, ADA and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)

The Miami-Dade TPO has set a policy that assures that no person shall on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, family, or religious status, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination or retaliation under any program or activity. The following information supports the TPO’s Title VI/DBE Program:

• Title VI Policy Assurance Statement
• Title VI/Nondiscrimination Complaint Procedures
• Limited English Proficiency Plan (LEP)
• DBE Assurance Statement

The Miami-Dade TPO Governing Board approved the following two federally mandated major documents during their April 26, 2018 meeting:

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)

The FYs 2018/19 & 2019/20 UPWP describes the transportation planning activities to be managed by the TPO in and for Miami-Dade County. Tasks included in this document are scheduled to be conducted during the fiscal period beginning July 1, 2018 and ending on June 30, 2020. The document reflects metropolitan transportation planning work tasks to be funded with Federal, State or Local transportation funds, and the agencies responsible for implementing the various tasks included in the program. The use of the Federal funds shall be limited to transportation planning activities affecting the transportation system within the Miami Urbanized Area. Projects in the UPWP address required work activities and agreed upon Local, State, and Federal transportation planning issues and priorities.

View the UPWP here.

Public Participation Plan (PPP)

The PPP document is a Federal requirement, which is updated periodically to ensure compliance with newly released federal and state regulations. This update is a result of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. Public involvement (PI) is an integral process with a goal to involve all persons in a community, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, family or religious status, being affected positively or negatively by a future transportation project. PI is a two way communication stream aimed at incorporating the views, concerns, and issues of the public into the transportation decision making process, which is on-going in all phases of a project. lt allows the general public to be informed and to be heard. The PPP provides general guidelines for the development of stand-alone, specific public involvement plans for the TPO's required major planning documents, programs, and studies. This affords flexibility to TPO Project Managers to tailor PI techniques and strategies to a community's demographics within a study area.

View the PPP here.

New SMART Plan Transit Oriented Development Video

Click arrow above or see this video on our YouTube Channel.

2017 Miami-Dade TPO Annual Report

The Miami-Dade TPO’s 2017 Annual Report details the accomplishments achieved by the TPO Governing Board and staff. This includes the advancement of the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit “SMART” Plan through several bold steps taken to increase momentum and establish directives that are critical to the success of the SMART Plan. The report also discusses how the SMART Plan is aimed at providing solutions through mobility options. Finally, there is information regarding the various activities TPO staff was engaged in, as well the various studies that are “Thinking Big” about improving the overall transportation system.

View the 2017 Annual Report as a Flipbook or download the PDF.

Connecting the Highways Network Missing Links Study

The purpose of this Miami-Dade TPO study is to evaluate the existing and planned highway network and provide the needed connectivity to meet the future demand in accessing major employment and activity centers in Miami-Dade County. This document details the efforts undertaken to evaluate the existing conditions of the three potential missing highway segments defined as follows: SR-826/Palmetto Expressway from Golden Glades Interchange (GGI) to North Miami Beach; SR-112/Airport Expressway to Palmetto Expressway and Turnpike; and SR-874/Don Shula Expressway from the Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike (HEFT) to SR-836/Dolphin Expressway Southwest Extension (Under Planning Phase).  The study includes an overview of the Year 2015 land use, traffic volumes, levels of service, congestion, speed scans, safety and connectivity around the missing connections. Furthermore, future conditions sections for each of the study corridors are included to present readily available information for 2020-2030 land use, planned programs and 2040 levels of service In addition, the 2040 Southeast Regional Planning Model version 7.071 (SERPM 7) was used to analyze three grade-separated build alternatives that were developed after the existing conditions analysis in conjunction with the project team and the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) members.

Download the Connecting the Highways Network Missing Links Final Report, December 2017.

Miami-Dade Multimodal Accessibility-Based Needs Analysis Study

Develop an Alternative Needs Assessment methodology based on accessibility performance metrics. This analysis approach is to be used to evaluate the 2040 LRTP improvements to test the methodology in advance of the 2045 LRTP Plan Update. The Multimodal Accessibility based needs analysis tool addresses FHWA Ladders of Opportunity planning emphasis area.

Download the Miami-Dade Multimodal Accessibility-Based Needs Assessment Final Report, February 2018.

Engaging the Community in 2017

The Miami-Dade TPO continuously looks for ideas to improve our transportation system. How do we do that? Staff goes out to schools, colleges, universities, places of work, and community events to educate, encourage participation, and generate awareness about the complex world or transportation. It is our responsibility to document citizens’ needs, comments, and concerns, and encourage them to provide their ideas to create a more efficient transportation system for Miami-Dade County. As a result of this effort, during 2017, staff participated in over sixty-five events throughout the community.

• Be part of the solution today by contributing to the process! Call us at (305) 375-1888 or email pchance@miamidadempo.org

Check out our 2017 Public Involvement Outreach Events as a Flipbook or PDF.

First Mile - Last Mile Options for High Trip Generator Employers Study

The SMART Plan corridors will include stations that will have redevelopment plans to create transit oriented developments (TOD). However, the scope of TOD is limited by the walking time to and from the station as many residential neighborhoods, workplaces, and other major destinations will be beyond an easy walk to a station. The purposes of developing First/Last Mile (FLM) mobility options are to:

• extend the service area for high capacity transit corridors;
• increase transit ridership potential;
• reduce single occupant vehicle miles;
• reduce roadway congestion;
• reduce greenhouse gas emission;
• improve the overall welfare of the community by reducing travel time;
• stress and cost to commute;
• and be more competitive for federal funding.

Download the First Mile - Last Mile Options for High Trip Generator Employers, December 2017.

Federal Planning Emphasis Areas Study

The objective of this study is to address the renewed focus on transportation planning brought about the "Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act" (FAST Act) by developing process improvement recommendations to ensure that the federal PEAs are addressed in the Miami-Dade TPO’s 3-C planning process; a process that is cooperative, continuous, and comprehensive.

Download the Federal Planning Emphasis Areas for Miami-Dade County, November 2017.

Addressing Compliance of 2045 LRTP Update with Federal, State, Regional and Local Requirements Study

The objective of this study is to review, evaluate, and recommend new policies, programs and trends that evolved at the federal, state, regional and local levels since development of the current 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). Current laws applicable to LRTPs were reviewed and evaluated. New requirements have been identified and evaluated as to how they will need to be applied to the upcoming 2045 LRTP. At the Federal level, there are many factors to consider that have a direct impact on the planning process at the state and local level. Federal and State statutes outline the required elements of MPO Long Range Transportation Plans (LRTPs).

Download Addressing Compliance to the 2045 LRTP Update with Federal, State, Regional and Local Requirements, November 2017.