Howard Drive repaving joint effort of county and village

By Gary Alan Ruse….

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Lynda Bell (left) and Palmetto Bay Councilmember Patrick Fiore are pictured on SW 136th Street (Howard Drive).

Residents of Palmetto Bay will be enjoying smoother rides along Howard Drive (SW 136th Street), thanks to a joint effort of District 1 Village Councilmember Patrick Fiore and Miami- Dade County District 8 Commissioner Lynda Bell.

“The intersection of 136th Street and US 1 on the east side of the highway was really in bad shape, with potholes, rugged, and it was like that from the time I moved here in 2007,” Fiore said. “So much so your teeth would rattle when you’d go over the intersection. They did do a patch job back then but it didn’t last and it kept getting worse.”

During the campaign, one of the things Fiore said he wanted to work on was fixing that problem. Since 136th Street is a county road as well as the dividing line between Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest, he knew he needed to work with the county to achieve that goal.

“The people in District 1 in the northwest part of the city had a lot of concerns about the condition of that intersection,” Fiore said. “I told people that if I were successful [in the campaign] one of the first things I wanted to do was get that intersection resurfaced. So I had conversations with Commissioner Bell about it and her chief of staff Eddie Borrego.

“They put a request through Public Works and apparently there was money in the budget to not only resurface the intersection but to also resurface the whole road from US 1 to 82nd Avenue and re-stripe it.”

Commissioner Bell said she was glad to be able to assist with the project and help make things better.

“The SW 136th Street and US 1 roadway improvement project enhances access and drivability of this important corridor to the residents of Palmetto Bay and all who use it,” Bell said. “It was, indeed, a pleasure to work with Village Councilman Patrick Fiore, along with the county’s Public Works Department, to identify areas within and surrounding the village that needed improvement. I look forward to having the opportunity of working closely with the village council in the future as we strive to improve the lives of all county residents.”

For Fiore, it was a relief to see the fulfillment of a promise he had made to residents, and he found it encouraging.

“I really want to thank Commissioner Bell and her staff for helping the people, not just in Palmetto Bay but in Pinecrest too,” Fiore said. “Working together, we got it done.”


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