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Municipality's Attempt at Creativity with Our Taxes: Building a "Roller Coaster" on SR-836 and Milam Dairy Approach to SR-826

On a previous post on this blog I try to time the construction and installation of traffic lights on an intersection, after six months the traffic lights project is still not completed, to show our tax dollars at work in Miami. Therefore I have come to a conclusion that it is no surprise that projects that are far more complicated such as road construction and expansion projects are taking years to complete in Miami. Below I will document a public work that is clearly executed inadequately and wastefully, but surely funded fully by our voiceless tax dollars. The project was rightfully closed for fixing a few months after its opening and is located on SR-836 West bound and the exit at Milam Dairy Road (NW 72 Avenue) next to Miami International Airport. The map below shows the general area of the project:
For 2006 and 2007, drivers endured hours long construction delays at every hour of the day and night driving West bound on SR-836 (better known as Dolphin Expressway, Turtle Expressway is more fitting). The project that seem to be causing most of the delays on this stretch of the road concerns the expansion and redesign of the exit ramp to Milam Dairy Road and the addition of an extended ramp leading to the ramp (note two ramps) to North bound Palmetto Expressway.

It turns out that our road designers had taken to themselves to be very creative and of course the governing authority must have approved the fantastic acumen with glee, awarding the project to the rightful contractors.

Prior to the start of the project there were three lanes on 836 going west and an exit ramp allowing an intuitive driver to decide to make an exit or continue driving west ward. Now there is a sophisticated behemoth of a ramp next to the exit that extends hundreds of yards which goes up about thirty feet on the right hand side of the highway and then comes back down reconnecting back to 836's three lanes, but allowing drivers to take the ramp north to SR-826. Here we have two ramps to 826 north: first is the path that goes up and then down back to 836 and then there is the ramp that goes from 836 to 826.

There are three questions I have:

1- Why did you do this?

2- Why did you not add lanes to the three lanes on 836 west bound, instead of taking so much room building this useless and dangerous behemoth? You went as far as building a bridge to add one lane connecting 836 to 826. Why not add more lanes to what we already have?

3- Why is the slope that comes back down on 836 so dangerously steep? It is obvious to anyone with some knowledge of physics that this type of slope should have never been integrated on any highway considering highway driving speeds.
This part of the construction which is a part of a general expansion project encompassing a large area of our local highway system, including SR-836, SR-826 leading all the way down to SR-874 in Kendall has taken a very long time and the construction alone has choked our roads for years.

It is interesting that another similar work that seems comically ridiculous also happens to exist just in downtown Miami on I-95 just north of SR-836, where a bridge was built that leaves I-95 and comes back down without connecting to any other road, just like a roller coaster. The explanation of the officials for that project is that the bridge helps ease traffic. The roller coaster ramp is denoted with red dots in the picture below:

In addition a similar roller coaster project is in progress on the junction of SR-874 and SR-878 where weird out of place columns for road paths are under construction. You should go and observe this one yourself, it is beyond explanation, I wonder how they are going to squeeze the roads under the existing bridge.

What is more interesting is that we are not complaining about any of these happenings in our sight. In Miami people are not used to speaking up or being heard about their concerns and about how their hard earned money is being spent by their government. I am interested to find out the list of the people and companies who make money out of these projects and how they get access to continue to do the quality of work they do. This post is only one example of the failure of our local managers and decision makers. Are they really competent to make sound decisions which will directly influence our daily lives?

There are new businesses people that opened operations in Miami but have halted their future projects because of experiencing the impediment to business here. There are many business people in Miami who are seriously making decisions to move to better managed municipalities. Where they can do business based on sane and long term planning. Where they do not find local government red tape and municipal permitting issues inhibiting their expansion or production.
Where they can grow and live in a city that has a healthy prospects. With the current population growth in this city we will have an unbalanced, congested, polluted and unhealthy city in a very short time. Combine that with municipal mismanagement and the huge rise in taxes and living expenses, it is inevitable for crime rates to hit new highs for South Florida.

Viva La Evolucion....Move on Miami

And the clock starts.

Finally traffic lights complete: It took 178 days
Your
Dollars
at Work

I am going to find out how long it will take the local authorities to install a functioning light located in front of the Miami Dade Water and Sewer Department on Le Jeune. I saw the sign being installed about three weeks ago, OK, let's say the sign was installed April 15th 2007. I will update the progress. Our tax dollars at work! One question I have is the timing of the light, if the light is timed incorrectly (which is unlikely by the city's highly educated traffic engineers) there would be a traffic jam on the north side of the light since the light is too close to the corner of South Dixie Highway and Le Jeune Road.

The sign is placed: "Your Dollars at Work" and the names of officials involved roll below like movie credits.



The light post base is dug, May 1st 2007


An Experience to Remember, May 15th 2007
Today, I watched as workers were lowering four traffic light posts into their respective concrete bases. It seemed almost like a religious experience, like witnessing history happen, untainted, and crisply in the presence and in super reality, not a painted representation, nor a work of a documentary film maker, nor one of the numerous scholarly versions written in the annals of history. It was happening in front of me, it was wonderful, enlightening, long live America.


Horizontal light post installed, June 30 2007
The post seems almost completed, the horizontal posts were affixed atop the previously installed poles, light fixtures have been attached to them on every corner, wiring is visible from the signal lights with their heads drooping down. They look as though they are sleeping and just need a signal from our city officials to wake them up.

Bingo
Yellow Lights blinking on Le Jeune, October 10 2007
Congratulations to all involved in installing the traffic lights on the intersection! It took the authorities and the contractors to get the lights completed in no more than 178 days. It is important to note that I will assume the work is done and complete, although the lights are currently working technically as a stop sign since the yellow lights on Le Jeune are blinking when intersecting streets have the red lights blinking. In addition there are temporary barricades and unfinished work at the base of the light poles. nevertheless congratulations to everyone involved in this monumental project! Therefore next time you complain about slow work on the streets of Miami then use this post as a benchmark for the progress.
178 days later the traffic lights start blinking yellow & red.

Does history move in cycles?

Could there be another boatlift? This time filled with Party members?

This is my first post on Miami247

Miami247 is about Miami and Florida.

I bought this lighter with its built in bottle opener and the text Miami printed below the image of the Cuban flag at the Walgreens located at 200 SW 13th Street Miami Florida. The lighter was prominently displayed in a lone and almost full box, on the cashier's counter. It cost me $1.19 before tax.