Miami-Dade Expressway Authority is saturating Kendall with opportunities to address attaching Sunpass or being billed to travel Snapper Creek or Shula Expressways, some time in July.
Meanwhile, half of East Kendall is figuring out how to avoid any toll while gantry columns are erected along both X-ways and bulletins continue daily from the MDX alerting closures of the Shula during weekends (a real pain when NASCAR schedules Saturday or Sunday events at the Homestead oval).
Also appearing almost daily in our Email are notices of Palmetto Expressway ramp closures from Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as its widening project continues dipping southward from Central Miami-Dade into Kendall.
It’s bound to get worse, now that the first project to rebuild the Dolphin-Palmetto interchange has been contracted, said to be the granddaddy project of them all, once fully underway.
As far as we know, Open Road Tolling has yet to be planned for the Palmetto, which remains under FDOT control. Sunpass is being used for fast lane traveling on I-95 as a convenience to avoid commuting blockades, although that X-way is not an MDX-maintained route.
What MDX calls a “public review” of ORT (Open Road Tolling) in Kendall is scheduled for three forthcoming dates, each session open for three hours at St. Thomas the Apostle Church (May 26), Kendall College campus (May 27) and the Alper Center (June 1). You’re welcome to visit www.MDXORT.com for details.
If you still have unanswered questions, Kendall Federation of Homeowners Association will host an MDX presentation of ORT at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 7, during a Town Hall meeting at Kendall Village Center, 8625 SW 124th Avenue. Extra added KFHA attraction: “Greenprint,” presented by a county agency called the Office of Sustainability, a new one on us.
Complaints from West Kendall say the Graffiti Bug is biting once again, especially on bus benches along SW 104th Street neighborhoods. as well as along SW 117th Avenue where colors are scribbled on glass panels. Maj. Alexander Casas of Hammocks District asked residents to ring up the non-emergency station number (305-383-6800) if observing illegal artistry in the works!
Dr. Armando Ferrer, President of Miami Dade College Kendall Campus, reports on the impact of the school at the monthly West Kendall Business Association luncheon Thursday, May 27, at Signature Gardens, 12725 SW 122nd Avenue.
Will there be a ring around the coastline…?
If you’re concerned about the possible impact the Gulf Oil Spill may have on the seafood you eat at area restaurants or the fish you catch in the bay, shore areas or other waterways, you can find updates on the spill at the Florida Sea Grant’s website. Their web address is http://www.flseagrant.org/ so check them out and find out what’s going on. And speaking of local seafood, do the health inspectors who safeguard the quality of food in local restaurants also keep an eye on the guys you see along the side of the road holding up lobsters or fish they’re hoping to sell? Doesn’t seem like seafood that’s been out in the sun for hours would be very healthy, even without the oil spill concerns.
Sometimes you feel like a nut… (sometimes you don’t.) Message found on the inside surface of a candy bar wrapper last week… “Peanutopolis \pE-nut-ä-pu-lis\ (noun). A state of mind making you feel very strong and powerful, almost mayorlike.” Gee…wonder if that’s how any of our local municipal leaders feel, given what’s going on these days. Seriously? Well, let’s just let the fact that the comment was on a Snickers bar speak for itself… Special events for Palmetto Bay VIPs: Mayor Eugene Flinn and his wife Alexandra celebrated their wedding anniversary on Sunday May 23rd. (Hope Gene didn’t forget!) Belated birthday greetings to Councilman Ed Feller (May 13th) and former Vice Mayor Linda Robinson (May 19th). Cutler Bay officials, let us know your special days! Miami-Dade Expressway Authority is saturating Kendall with opportunities to address attaching Sunpass or being billed to travel Snapper Creek or Shula Expressways, some time in July.
Meanwhile, half of East Kendall is figuring out how to avoid any toll while gantry columns are erected along both X-ways and bulletins continue daily from the MDX alerting closures of the Shula during weekends (a real pain when NASCAR schedules Saturday or Sunday events at the Homestead oval).
Also appearing almost daily in our Email are notices of Palmetto Expressway ramp closures from Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) as its widening project continues dipping southward from Central Miami-Dade into Kendall. It’s bound to get worse, now that the first project to rebuild the Dolphin-Palmetto interchange has been contracted, said to be the granddaddy project of them all, once fully underway.
As far as we know, Open Road Tolling has yet to be planned for the Palmetto, which remains under FDOT control. Sunpass is being used for fast lane traveling on I-95 as a convenience to avoid commuting blockades, although that X-way is not an MDX-maintained route.
Thought of the Day:
Before you can do something you must first be something.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Gary Alan Ruse and Richard Yager contributed to this column.
Got any tips? Contact me at 305-669- 7355, ext. 249, or send emails to < michael@communitynewspapers.com >.
