Kendall Parkway poised to provide relief to west and southwest communities

The west and southwest area of Miami-Dade County are presently seeing more growth than any other area in the county, with population growth that is nearly double the region’s average. Fueling the area’s popularity is the simple fact that it’s a very nice place to live, with plenty of space and amenities – at all affordable rates.

But there’s trouble in paradise – primarily due to limited accessibility for vehicular travel and very little in the area of effective public transit. Historically, the area developed with no real access to major infrastructure to contend with the development and population growth.

And if something is not done soon, the prognosis is not good. The area’s volume of vehicle trips is expected to expand at a fast pace, exacerbating current congestion. Almost all arterials, east/west and north/south main roads are operating in failing conditions, especially during the morning and evening rush-hour periods, where cars crawl at a painful pace. Imagine spending 20 minutes just to cover three miles. For far too many people, this is an everyday dilemma – and with no apparent single solution.

Clearly, public transit is needed, one that will attract riders because it saves time and is convenient, but this alone will not resolve the issues – since 95 percent of the public still prefer to use their own cars to travel.

MDX uses a comprehensive approach to regional transportation – creating new expressway connections integrating mass public transit and new technologies that can be implemented in the short-term. For instance, the proposed six-lane Kendall Parkway is a multimodal expressway that includes express transit service on special lanes, a multi-use path, and transfer hubs or stations. It is a self-financed project by user fees or tolls.

What this means is that the user fees commuters pay for using the Kendall Parkway will pay to build the project which also includes the facilities for the express transit service. In other words one mode is paying for the other.

The major benefit nevertheless is quite interesting. For those who would use it, the Kendall Parkway could reduce their daily commute by an average of more than an hour. Traffic from the area would split down the middle around SW 137th or SW 142nd Avenue between the Turnpike and the Kendall Parkway so now, not everyone would be going east in the morning and returning west – in one long, slow moving rush-hour “parade.”

Traffic engineers categorize the roads by what is called Level of Service. The levels of service, or LOS for short, are further delineated by a system of letters, from A to F, which measure how traffic flows. LOS A for instance means that the road is free flow, with motorists having complete mobility between lanes. LOS C is a stable flow or near free flow. LOS E describes an unstable flow, with the road operating at capacity. Finally, LOS F is a forced or breakdown flow, with vehicles moving in lockstep with the vehicle in front.

Currently all the main and local roads in the West Dade, Kendall, and West Kendall operate at Levels of Service E and F.

Once you build the Kendall Parkway, commuters will be able to choose between the Parkway and the Turnpike to travel to their destination. MDX traffic studies show that the resulting benefit will be noticeable on the local roads which will now begin to operate at a LOS of C, a stable flow or near free flow. Whether you live or work in the area, and regardless of whether you use the Kendall Parkway or not, you will see an incredible change due to reduced congestion and shorter travel times, which ultimately will boost your quality of life.

Imagine improving the time you will have so you can do the things you really want to do, like getting to work with less stress, making it to your kid’s game on time, or spending more time in the evening with your family.

Imagine no more. The Kendall Parkway can make this a reality.


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Bill Kress, President of Kress Communications, is an editorial consultant with the Community Newspapers, covering business news, non-profits, and municipal government. He is an award-winning public relations practitioner, news reporter, photographer, and a prolific social mediologist. Reach Bill at bill@kresscom.com or call 305-763-2429.

5 COMMENTS

  1. This concept needs to be explained a whole heckuva lot better. Why are we not talking about expanding the 836 west to Krome Ave?

  2. It’s only going to add more traffic. It’ll be temporary relief that provides more problems. No thanks.

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