$100 million grant to help restore Venetian Causeway bridges

As the scenic Venetian Causeway nears its 100th birthday, the federal government is allocating over $100 million to restore 11 historic bridges along the road that connects Miami to the beach so they can endure another 75 years.

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $100.5 million in funding for Miami-Dade County for the Venetian Causeway Bridge Replacement Project that aims to address environmental and mobility concerns by incorporating modern safety and resiliency features while preserving the causeway’s original appearance. The project is on track to submit final designs by the end of 2024 with an anticipated construction advertisement date in early 2026.

“We are honored to receive this substantial investment, and we are extremely grateful to the US Department of Transportation, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson and our Congressional Delegation for making it happen,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

“This project is crucial to improve mobility to and from the beach on a vital roadway for residents who live and work there and for millions of tourists who visit our county, as well as protect a key evacuation road during storms. This investment will help future-proof our infrastructure while generating jobs to support our local economy – a major step forward in our ongoing efforts to upgrade our infrastructure and build a resilient, future-ready Miami-Dade.”

The county’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW), the Florida Department of Transportation and other stakeholders are working together to replace 11 bridges, including the easternmost moveable bridge, which have all reached the end of their useful lives.

Constructed in 1927, the Venetian Causeway connects six manmade residential islands in Biscayne Bay to the mainland and Miami Beach. It has 12 bridges including 10 fixed-span bridges and two bascule-leaf span bridges.

The causeway is a designated landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. With an initial design life of 50 years and having weathered many hurricanes during its history, the bridges are in varying states of deterioration and have been repaired numerous times.

The bridges and approaches don’t meet current design and safety requirements and are at risk of hurricane wave loading, storm surges and sea level rise. This is especially concerning as the causeway is an emergency evacuation route.

The improvements will raise the bridges to mitigate sea-level rise, provide green areas for recreational use, widen sidewalks and bicycle lanes and enhance overall safety.

“The Venetian Causeway Project is such an important endeavor for resilience as well as public safety,” said Jimmy Morales, chief operating officer for the county and a former Miami Beach city manager. “We thank the county and DTPW teams that worked on the grant proposal and especially Mayor Cava for championing the proposal in Washington, DC.”

In April 2023, the DTPW hosted a public meeting in which it presented plans to provide residents and businesses with information about the project’s design phase.

The scope of work includes replacing bridges 2-12 at an estimated cost of $149 million using a mix of federal, state and local funding. The new bridges will be built to mitigate sea-level rise by increasing the existing vertical clearances and adding resiliency components to the bridge approaches and adjacent spoil islands.

The replacements will also be 16 feet wider, providing better safety for joggers and cyclists who regularly use the causeway. Also, some of the spoil islands will be widened to their original footprints following the impacts of time, erosion and storms.

The modern bridges, designed to have a useful life of about 75 years, are to pay homage to the Venetian Causeway’s history and original appearance. Additional infrastructure improvements, such as FPL feeder lines and water main replacement, will service Miami Beach.

“The new bridges will address current safety concerns, including increased weight limits to improve the delivery of goods to area residents,” added Eulois Cleckley, director and CEO of DTPW. “We are excited to move this project forward and make the Venetian Causeway safer and better connected for all users.”

The project’s team has been working to finish the 90% design milestone, scheduled for submission at the end of 2024. The design and permitting phases are estimated to be completed by the end of 2025 and construction advertisement is tentatively estimated for early 2026.