Project Description

Miami-Dade Transit proposes to construct approximately 10 - 13 mile Metrorail extension known as the Orange Line Phase 3: East-West Corridor Metrorail Extension from the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) at Miami International Airport (MIA) to Florida International University (FIU) and points west to SW 137th Avenue.  A Build alternative consisting of an extension of Metrorail service west from the MIC will be evaluated against a No-Build or a Baseline/Transportation System Management (TSM) alternative.

The area adjacent to the Orange Line Phase 3/East-West has seen significant growth in recent years.  The population of Miami-Dade County was more than 2.2 million in 2000, an increase of 16% from 1990.  The project area currently has more than 195,000 residents in 68,000 households and some 180,500 jobs.  Official growth forecasts indicate that growth in the project area will continue with population increasing by 44,000 (23%) in 2030 and jobs increasing by 60,000 (33%).

The existing transportation system has been unable to accommodate the traffic associated with the population and employment growth in the corridor. Anticipated growth in the area will remain a considerable hindrance to the mobility to, from, and through the corridor.