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Commission defers decision on Underline pedestrian/bike bridge after residents and Waterways board raise height and safety concerns
Summary
After months of public comment, the city deferred action and asked Miami-Dade County to present alternative designs and clarifications; the Waterways Advisory Board asked the Coast Guard to extend its comment period and recommended removing a viewing platform that could encourage fishing.
The City Commission deferred Feb. 11 consideration of two resolutions from the Waterways Advisory Board seeking a pause and additional review of the proposed Underline pedestrian and bike bridge across the Coral Gables Waterway.
The Waterways Advisory Board chair, Doug Yoder, told the commission the board had met with county engineering staff and recommended (1) asking the U.S. Coast Guard to extend or reopen its public comment period and (2) removing a proposed viewing area on the bridge that the board said could encourage fishing from the span. The board also expressed concern about the clearance of the bridge over the navigable waterway and urged a peer review of the vertical-profile survey and tide assumptions used in the design.
The county department representative present, Alex Barrios of Miami-Dade Transportation and Public Works, said the county would take the concerns back to the design team and prepare alternative design concepts and engineering analyses. Barrios estimated the county could present conceptual alternatives in roughly two to three weeks and agreed to work with the city manager and the commissioner's office on a public forum to share updated information.
Residents and users of the waterway told the commission they were not adequately informed about the bridge's vertical clearance and expressed fear that a low bridge could set a precedent for other low crossings, reduce navigational access for sailboats and motorboats and make the waterway less usable for kayak and paddle-board traffic. Petitioners reported collecting more than 300 signatures and asked for a short extension to permit a peer review of the design.
Other speakers supported the Underline and urged the commission not to delay construction; they described the project as a long-planned regional trail and said the proposed bridge would be higher than existing low crossings.
Mayor Lago directed staff to coordinate a community information session with the county to present accurate, updated design details and asked the county to provide a single public contact for submissions and questions; the commission then voted to defer the matter to allow the county time to produce alternatives and documentation. The county and the commission specified a timetable to return with additional information and to work with the commissioner's office to schedule community outreach.
The deferral preserves the county's timeline while providing a formal avenue for the city and residents to review alternatives, engineering assumptions and sight-line and safety details before final federal and county approvals proceed.
