Miami — Bay Link Delay

Rail Transit Online, December 2004

The local metropolitan planning organization on Nov. 18 blocked an effort by Miami Beach to accelerate construction of the $488-million BayLink light rail project connecting the city with the mainland, which confirms earlier estimates that trains won’t start running until 2023.  Opposition to BayLink was led by county commissioners representing predominantly black areas north of the city that are seeking Metrorail extensions promised when voters passed a transportation sales tax increase two years ago.  “I'm not going to allow anything to get in the way of the North,'” said Commissioner Dorrin Rolle.  “We have to keep our promises to these people.  If we let BayLink or anything else get in the way, they're going to be saying, `Here we go again.'”  Those projects include the 9.5-mi. (15.3 km) North Corridor along Northwest 27th Avenue from 62nd Street to the border with Broward County, a 10.5-mi. (16.9 km) East-West route from Florida International University to the new Miami Intermodal Center near the airport and a 2.3-mi. (3.7 km) branch from the Earlington Heights station to the intermodal center.  Only the latter line, which will be built without federal help, has been funded (see next story).  An advisory measure on the Nov. 2 ballot asking whether Miami Beach voters supported BayLink passed with a 54-percent margin.