At the Town Council's October 6, 2015 meeting, resolution 15-1330 was passed adopting 23 strategies to address transportation issues facing the Town. One of the strategies identified was to create two new east-west connections through the Palmetto Expressway to enhance connectivity within the Town and to alleviate traffic congestion on NW 154th Street.

Following the adoption of Resolution 15-1330, Town staff scheduled several meetings with FDOT to discuss the potential of having these two connections included as part of the plans in FDOT's future SR 826/Palmetto Express Lanes project. During the coordination efforts, it was agreed that FDOT would pay for the elevation of the Palmetto Expressway from north of NW 138th Street to bend of the C-8 Canal (near NW 163rd Street) to accommodate the underpasses and the Town would pay for the design and construction for the roadway connection necessary to connect them. Currently, the Town only has one main corridor, NW 154th Street that provides east-west connectivity. This corridor during peak hour periods is failing to meet the level of service standards set by the County and is experiencing heavy congestion. The creation of these two underpasses are vital to the Town, because they will assist with the distribution of traffic flow and provide three east-west connections within the Town, thus alleviating traffic on NW 154th Street.

In addition to the inclusion of the Palmetto underpasses, the Town worked with FDOT to include the construction of a shared-use path trail along NW 77th Avenue from NW 67th Avenue to NW 154th Street in the plans for the SR 826/Palmetto Express Lanes project. The construction of this shared-use path will complete a trail segment identified in the Town's Greenways and Trails Master Plan and will create a safe facility for pedestrian and bicyclists to enjoy for either recreational use or as an alternative mode of transportation that will connect them to both sides of Town. FDOT agreed to construct the shared-use path, if the Town would split the cost 50/50 to widen the bridge on NW 77th Avenue over C-8 Canal to provide the necessary space to accommodate the path.

Approval of the LFA between the Town and FDOT is necessary, in order to transfer funds to FDOT to move forward with the design and to stay on track with the project schedule. The total proposed cost for the design for both efforts is approximately $515,000, with a contingency authority of $40,000, if it is needed. The breakout of the total cost is as follows:

• Design for Underpasses- $412,000

• Underpass Traffic Signal Warrant Analysis- $43,000

• Design for the NW 77th Avenue Bridge Widening- $60,000

The FDOT SR 826/Palmetto Express Lanes project is currently at 60% design and construction is expected to begin construction April 2022. The construction cost for both underpasses is estimated to about $7.5 million. The Town is pursuing funding opportunities with the County and the State for the construction.

The attached exhibit is a copy of the boiler plate agreement between FDOT and the Town of Miami Lakes. Please note FDOT staff is still working on finalizing the agreement to include project specific details. The final agreement will not differ much from what is shown on the boiler plate agreement.