Miami-Dade County officials, including Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, celebrated the opening of the latest leg of The Underline project yesterday. According to a Miami-Dade County press release, this 2.14-mile stretch aims to transform the city's underbelly into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly zone.
"Reimagining the underutilized land beneath Miami-Dade’s Metrorail tracks serves a shining example of collaboration and innovative urban design," Mayor Levine Cava stated in the press release. The Underline is intended to not only facilitate safer walking and biking routes but to also better connect the community to transit options. Despite previous phases making significant strides, the County is eager to quickly finish the remaining segments of the 10-mile corridor.
District 5 County Commissioner Eileen Higgins highlighted the project's emphasis on health and convenience. Higgins, herself "a proud pedestrian, transit rider, and lover of green spaces," said in the press release, "The Underline represents a significant milestone in the County's steadfast commitment to vibrant, accessible transit-oriented communities." The newly inaugurated Phase 2 runs from SW 13 St to SW 19 Ave, linking neighborhoods and increasing access to local amenities.
District 7 Commissioner Raquel Regalado spoke to The Underline's broader impact, noting that it connects communities in a way that cars cannot. "By bringing this mobility-focused linear park to the people of Miami-Dade, we’re putting the magic of exploration and nature back into our urban core," Regalado told the press release. They hope to ultimately drive more people to use public transportation through the enhanced infrastructure of the project.
The Underline is not just a construction project but a vision for urban revitalization as shared by Miami-Dade County and the non-profit Friends of The Underline. Founder and CEO Meg Daly describes the partnership as transformative, aiming to impact mobility, resilience, public health, connectivity, and community—sowing the seeds for a future model of public-private partnerships for parks globally.
The project still has a way to go, with Phase 3, a massive 7.36-mile section underway, promising to extend the greenway even further by 2026. This final stretch will intensify the connectivity of the Miami-Dade region, knitting together a diverse patchwork of locales and institutions. For updates and information, residents can sign up for transit alerts or follow the Department of Transportation and Public Works via social media and their monthly newsletter, Mobility 305.
