SMART Plan
One of the local plans the TPO Governing Board supports is the People’s Transportation Plan (PTP). In 2002, Miami-Dade County voters approved a one-half percent local surtax with the purpose of improving, among other things, rapid transit corridors within the county through the PTP. While the PTP is a locally funded initiative administered by the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust (CITT), the Miami-Dade TPO remains committed to assisting in the development of these rapid transit corridors.
On February 16, 2016, the TPO Governing Board unanimously approved a policy to set as “highest priority” the advancement of rapid transit corridors and transit supportive projects for the county. Then, on April 21, 2016, the TPO Governing Board officially adopted and endorsed the proposed Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan advancing six of the PTP’s rapid transit corridors to implement mass transit projects in Miami-Dade County. To ensure that the SMART Plan moved forward, the TPO Governing Board directed the Miami-Dade TPO Executive Director to work with the TPO Fiscal Priorities Committee to determine the costs and potential sources of funding for Project Development and Environment (PD&E) studies for the projects, and to also take all necessary steps to implement the SMART Plan.
On February 16, 2016, the TPO Governing Board unanimously approved a policy to set as “highest priority” the advancement of rapid transit corridors and transit supportive projects for the county. Then, on April 21, 2016, the TPO Governing Board officially adopted and endorsed the proposed Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan advancing six of the PTP’s rapid transit corridors to implement mass transit projects in Miami-Dade County. To ensure that the SMART Plan moved forward, the TPO Governing Board directed the Miami-Dade TPO Executive Director to work with the TPO Fiscal Priorities Committee to determine the costs and potential sources of funding for Project Development and Environment (PD&E) studies for the projects, and to also take all necessary steps to implement the SMART Plan.
Two Major Activities Moving the SMART Plan Forward
To ensure the community was involved in the planning and visioning process to select the best technology and highest, best land uses along each corridor there were two separate major activities that occurred for each corridor as follows:- Land Use & Visioning Planning – Headed by the Miami-Dade TPO
Transit supportive land use plays an important role in the success of major rapid transit investments. It promotes transit use and increases mobility choices for the residents, businesses, and visitors along the corridors. The ultimate purpose of the Land use Planning & Visioning Planning was to develop a Land Use Scenario Plan for each of the six SMART Plan corridors. This exercises provided the technical basis for the development of transit supportive land uses for the six corridors. Two series of SMART Implementation Plan Charrettes were conducted for each of the six corridors. The first corridor charrette series was conducted to assist in the scenario development exercise for the task associated with Land Use Scenarios Development and Testing. The second corridor charrette series was held as part of the corridor visioning work.
- Project Environmental Studies (aka PD&Es)/Rapid Transit Studies – Headed by the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation & Public Works (DTPW) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Six
FDOT District Six and DTPW initiated PD&E Studies to evaluate proposed transportation improvements for the SMART Plan corridors as adopted by the Miami-Dade TPO Governing board in April 2016. The PD&E Studies served as the next step in the planning process to make premium transit service a reality along the corridors that directly support the mobility of Miami-Dade Counties future population and employment growth. The PD&Es evaluated the implementation of a cost-effective, premium transit system and infrastructure within the corridors as part of an overall interconnected premium transit network. A focus on providing multimodal street improvements to accommodate Premium Transit service was determined through an evaluation of transit options – mode, alignment, station stop locations, etc.
The purpose of these studies was to develop transit oriented communities (TOC), first mile-last mile (FLM) connections, and transit hub components to support the economic mobility and accessibility plans for the SMART Plan corridors. Development of transit-oriented developments (TOD), which are an important component of TOCs, along transit corridors are key to maximizing the potential of the infrastructure investment. TODs are mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented areas surrounding transit stations. Many studies have noted that people are generally comfortable walking between ¼ mile and ½ mile to a transit station. As such, this area should be the focus of development and redevelopment in order to maximize the potential symbiotic relationship between land use and transportation.
Transition from the SMART Plan to SMART Program
During the Miami-Dade TPO SMART Trends Transportation Summit in June 2022, DTPW and Miami-Dade County partners commemorated the official transition of the SMART Plan to the SMART Program and implementation phase. Transforming a plan into action, DTPW and agency partners shifted the SMART Program to focus on revitalizing Miami-Dade’s transportation network while accomplishing four key objectives: to deliver a safer, cleaner, more efficient, and better-connected system. Once completed, the SMART Program will reduce traffic congestion and transportation-related emissions, significantly increase transit ridership, and improve travel time and reliability.
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RAPID TRANSIT CORRIDORS |
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CORRIDORS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER |
FROM |
TO |
LEAD AGENCY |
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Beach Corridor |
Midtown Miami |
Miami Beach |
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East-West Corridor |
Tamiami Station |
Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) |
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Kendall Corridor |
Dadeland area |
Krome Avenue |
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North Corridor |
Martin L. King, Jr. |
NW 215th Street |
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Northeast Corridor |
Downtown Miami |
City of Aventura |
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South Dade TransitWay |
Dadeland South |
SW 344th Street |
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BUS EXPRESS RAPID TRANSIT (BERT) |
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BERTS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER |
DESCRIPTION |
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Beach Express |
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Flagler Corridor (PD&E) |
Downtown Miami to West Dade via Flagler Street |
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Florida’s Turnpike Express |
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Northwest Miami-Dade Express |
Palmetto Metrorail Station to Miami Gardens Drive Park-n-Ride via Palmetto Expressway and I-75 |
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South Miami-Dade Express |
Dadeland North Metrorail Station to southern Miami-Dade County via SR-878, SR-874, and Florida’s Turnpike |
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Southwest Miami-Dade Express |
Dadeland North Metrorail Station to Miami Executive Airport via SR-878 and SR-874 |
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