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Brightline: bridge span for Aventura station landed on mall parcel; construction bid evaluation underway
Summary
Brightline told the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust that easements with Aventura Mall and Miami‑Dade County are finalized and that contractor bids for the Aventura pedestrian bridge have been received; FDOT aerial easement and $4 million in local contributions must be finalized before work begins.
Brightline representatives updated the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust on March 19 on the status of the East Brightline (Aventura) station pedestrian bridge and ramp.
Brian Kronberg, senior vice president of development and construction for Brightline, said last year the company finalized an easement with Aventura Mall and Miami‑Dade County that identifies an outparcel where the pedestrian bridge will land.
"We were able to finalize the easement with Aventura Mall and Miami‑Dade County," Kronberg said, adding that the recorded easement allowed Brightline to issue construction drawings and go out to bid for general contractors to perform the bridge erection work.
Kronberg said the physical bridge sections already exist and are currently stored west of U.S. 1 at Brightline's Aventura Mall station site. Bids for general contractors were due the Friday prior to the meeting and staff were evaluating the responses; Kronberg said the team expected to select a contractor the following week.
Outstanding items and financing Kronberg identified two remaining items that must be closed before issuing a notice to proceed: a final aerial easement with the Florida Department of Transportation to authorize the structure over Biscayne Boulevard and a funding commitment for about $4 million that the city of Aventura holds from contributions by Aventura Mall and a nearby developer.
He described the funding arrangement as two commitments of $2 million each from Aventura Mall and from Saratoga (a developer active in the Aventura area) that are in agreements with the city of Aventura. The city in turn has a funding agreement with Miami‑Dade County to transfer those funds to the county for the project. Kronberg said the written commitments exist and that funds are being moved as milestone triggers are met.
Timeline If the FDOT aerial easement and the funding transfer are finalized, Brightline hopes to award the contract and begin bridge work in April, with a goal to have the bridge open before Christmas 2025.
Other details Kronberg said the bridge structure has been fabricated and delivered to the site but has not yet been set on the eastern landing, because final access and aerial easement details must be completed. He said the procurement and contract selection processes were underway.
Quote "Once that item is done and resolved in terms of the $4,000,000 that's needed to be entered into the project, we'd be in a position to select the contractor, issue the notice to proceed. And our goal is to have the bridge we hopefully can start in April, our construction. And if we are able to do that, the bridge will be open before Christmas of this year," Kronberg said.
Ending Trust members asked follow‑up questions about the identity of the private contributors and the timing of the FDOT approval. Kronberg identified the private contributor as Saratoga and expressed optimism the remaining approvals could be completed in the coming weeks.
