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Miami‑Dade officials outline BRT fix list for Homestead; council presses for faster signal and safety fixes
Summary
Miami‑Dade DOT and Public Works briefed Homestead council on Bus Rapid Transit operations, retimings and signal preemptions; county staff said higher-than-expected ridership and system fine‑tuning require short- and mid‑term work, and council requested one‑pagers, task force coordination, and emergency preemption reviews.
Miami‑Dade County officials — led by Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Morales and Department of Transportation and Public Works Director Stacy Miller — briefed the Homestead City Council on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)/Transitway project and related traffic‑signal issues at the Dec. 9 special meeting.
Frank Ira, the county’s assistant director over traffic services, said the county has handled roughly 873 work orders in Homestead in the last year, completed many signal retimings and is coordinating with the BRT design‑build firm on short‑term fixes. County staff said the BRT has produced higher ridership than anticipated, increasing bus preemptions and complicating signal timing along corridors that include 28 signals inside the city.
Council members pressed for targeted actions: more frequent retimings at specific intersections (304th/308th and Flagler), pedestrian crossing improvements and flashing beacons in front of schools, “do not block” pavement markings, emergency vehicle preemption for the police and fire departments, and a one‑page public update for residents. The county agreed to provide a front‑and‑back one‑page summary and to work with Homestead staff on a joint task force for data sharing and corridor evaluations.
Why it mattered: several councilmembers described persistent delays and public safety concerns at busway intersections that affect travel times, emergency response and local businesses. County staff acknowledged progress and said additional operational tuning is planned over the next three months, followed by midterm adjustments as the contractor completes punch‑list items.
What’s next: county staff will provide information requested by council (one‑pagers and corridor reports), meet with Homestead public safety officials on emergency preemption, and continue iterative retiming and signal coordination.
