Quote:
Originally Posted by pj3000
It's never going to happen.
The median is only 6-10 ft wide. Constructing the metrorail along this route would require the permanent reduction of two traffic lanes and the complete obliteration of over 2 miles of hundred-plus year old banyan and ficus trees in Miami proper.
And Coral Gables would NEVER permit the metrorail going right through the middle and for the full length of its downtown business district, Miracle Mile (between Douglas and LeJeune).
You literally cannot even paint your house, unless it is an approved color by the city of Coral Gables.
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I think it's only a matter of time before Coral Gables and the rest of Miami Dade County realizes the potential of Metrorail and what it can do for Miami and the metro area.
Miami, Miami-Dade County, and the rest of South FL can't be car-centric forever!!! As the city of Miami continues to grow I population, it's going to need more than to widen it's expressways, it needs a mass transit system.
Also, the median may indeed need to change. As tough as it sounds, there's no Metrorail service in downtown Coral Gables and the closest Metrorail service is at the University of Miami. Also, people will have to change if people are that fully reliant on the automobile to get them to and from work or whatever.
I'm pretty sure both of us agree that Metrorail does need to expand. I don't consider expanding Metrorail to Coral Gables an urgent matter, as the most urgent expansion that really needs to happen is the proposed expansion to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
I'm hoping in the near future, the Metrorail network can be as expansive as the MBTA, MTA, and the CTA in the near future.