Update on Major Projects Currently Underway in Sunny Isles Beach

By George “Bud” Scholl, Mayor

(Friday, June 23, 2017) – In addition to the number of new buildings still under construction by developers, our City has also had several large, complex projects happening over the past several months.

Probably the most visible to our residents and guests has been the undergrounding of our utility lines and new lighting posts along Collins Avenue. This is a project where the major work has been completed at night to cause the least amount of disruption. However, the most frustrating part of this project for residents and commuters has been the uneven road conditions along Collins Avenue because of all the road patches needed to cover the trenches that were required. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is responsible for resurfacing Collins after we have completed the necessary trenching for placement of the underground conduits (piping) that will house the utility cables. The good news is we have completed the portion of this project that has prohibited the FDOT from resurfacing the road. They are scheduled to commence this work by the end of June. We hope that by the time you are reading this article, the resurfacing of Collins Avenue will have commenced.

Another major project coming our way is beach renourishment. The federal Army Corps of Engineers is the branch of the government that is responsible for beach renourishment in South Florida. We have been working with the Army Corp. for a number of years in acquiring the permits and easements necessary to provide additional beach sand to some badly eroded areas of our beachfront. We are pleased to announce that the Army Corp has scheduled this project to commence by November. It is no longer possible to pump sand from offshore like in years past, now it must be trucked in from specially approved sand reservoirs.

The other project that is moving along and should be completed by year end is the emergency/pedestrian bridge connecting North Bay Road at 174th Street. This has been a multi-year endeavor that required a massive amount of coordination and permitting. We have also completed the Gateway Park and parking garage along with the Gateway Park Pedestrian Bridge over westbound 163rd Street, Sunny Isles Boulevard. These projects continue to move us toward our major goals of hardening our infrastructure and having a truly pedestrian friendly, interconnected city.