The Venetian Causeway Is Reopening A Day Early
December 28, 2016 by Lucas Lechuga
photo courtesy of Dora Puig[/caption]The Venetian Causeway is reopening today, one day ahead of schedule. As we reported back on December 13, the causeway was closed in order to finish the last leg of the repairs that were required in order to ensure the safety of those who cross between mainland Miami and Miami Beach each day. The bridge was scheduled to reopen on December 29, but a news release from Miami Dade announced the completion ahead of schedule. It reads:
MIAMI (December 28, 2016) —
The Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) will permanently reopen the East Bascule Bridge on the Venetian Causeway starting at 6 p.m. today, Wednesday, December 28, 2016.
In November, the bridge was closed to pedestrian, cycling, and vehicular traffic due to necessary maintenance and repairs. A little over six weeks later, DTPW has completed the necessary rehabilitation work in a timely manner and will reopen the bridge ahead of schedule on December 28, 2016.
Up until now, Venetian residents have had access to the island via the west side of the bridge up to Rivo Alto Island. In order to accommodate for holidays and large-scale events, the East Bascule Bridge was temporarily reopened in late November for Thanksgiving and Art Basel Miami Beach, and once again in late December for the long holiday weekend.
Now, after working diligently for weeks, the Department is ready to lift the barricades and allow the natural flow of pedestrian, cycling, and vehicular traffic.
DTPW has worked closely with the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, as well as other agencies, and ensured that the contingency plans set in place by police and fire rescue were well executed in order to immediately respond to any emergencies on the Venetian Islands.
Did the government ever remove the toll? Decades ago I remember that the toll was to be removed once the bridge was paid for. Instead the fee – which used to be 15 cents never disappeared and only kept rising.