More cruise passengers generate the need for added parking facilities at the Port. A $7.5 million parking garage that can accommodate 1,100 cars near Terminal 5 has been completed. An additional $11.2 million was spent to add 1,350 parking spaces near Terminals 8 and 9, and the Port spent $2.5 million to add 1,000 ground-level parking spaces at the two new cruise terminals.
Further cargo and passenger growth has added to existing infrastructure demands in and around Miami. "Improving access to the Port of Miami is one of my top priorities," Towsley said. "Port access is currently limited exclusively to the Port Boulevard Bridge, over which 25,000 vehicles travel to and from the Port daily."
By the year 2020, the daily number of vehicles using Port Boulevard is projected to be more than 69,000.
The realignment of Port Boulevard to separate cruise and cargo traffic has been completed and traffic should flow with greater ease and increased security.
