After years of debate and controversy, a new bridge in South Miami-Dade finally opened on Saturday.
Read more Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara arrives in Miami after being released from prison in Cuba
The Southwest 87th Avenue bridge that runs through Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay is expected to improve connectivity and emergency response, but some neighbors and officials still worry it could bring more traffic to local streets.
Several county leaders were present during a ribbon-cutting that turned a project that took years to make into reality.
“Public safety has always and will always be our top priority,” said Miami-Dade County City Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins.
The bridge will now connect Southwest 87th Avenue across a canal near Southwest 164th Street, and will create a new north-south route between Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay.
County leaders said it’ll reduce congestion and help first responders reach emergencies faster.
“It means lower traffic times, it means lower commute times, it means increased public safety,” Cohen Higgins said. “When we studied this issue, we had then fire chief Cominsky testify that this project would reduce response times for emergency and 911 calls”
Read more ‘Got my arm badly bit’: Man recovering after being attacked by 2 pit bulls in Wynwood
But the project sparked years of passionate debate and controversy.
Some neighbors argued the bridge would simply shift traffic onto neighborhood streets, while others believed the added connection would ease traffic and improve accessibility.
Palmetto Bay’s mayor, who has been vocal in her opposition against the bridge, said the village’s concerns haven’t gone away.
“We need to do a traffic study north and south and figure out how the neighborhoods are going to be impacted,” Mayor Karyn Cunningham said.
Nearby residents told NBC6 that they’re hopeful.
“I hope it does what they want it to do, but I don’t know,” Claire Barry said. “Now, we’ll be able to go straight, so from that perspective, we’re happy.”
Now with the bridge open to traffic, many said the real test begins.
Palmetto Bay leaders said they’ll be watching closely to see whether the bridge eases congestion or creates new traffic problems in surrounding neighborhoods.
Read more Precautionary water boil notice issued for parts of Lauderhill, officials say