***Para leer esta petición en español, por favor haga clic aquí***

Recently, Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz proposed a resolution in the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners which once again seeks to open the NW 154th Street Bridge above I-75.

The resolution claims that opening the bridge "may" minimize traffic congestion but fails to offer any data or studies to support this claim. If it does help traffic at all, such benefit would only be seen in the West Hialeah Annex, and would come at the severe detriment of Miami Lakers. 

To be clear, it was the City of Hialeah who unscrupulously permitted the massive developments west of I-75 without any regard for proper infrastructure to allow traffic in and out of the area. Moreover, while we can empathize with the residents of those communities west of I-75, at the end of the day, they were well aware of the limited infrastructure in and out of the area when they purchased in those communities. Hence, why should Miami Lakers, with their already overwhelming traffic issues, now be forced to bear the consequences of the actions of politicians in other cities and in no way caused by their own actions? Is this not the point of incorporating municipalities?

Here are some additional reasons why this bridge should never be opened and why this resolution should fail:

• The Town of Miami Lakes and the City of Hialeah executed a written interlocal agreement in which they both pledged that the NW 154th Street Bridge would never be opened to vehicle traffic. Forcefully opening the bridge now against the consent of Miami Lakes would set a dangerous precedent that interlocal agreements need not be adhered to when it is no longer convenient to one of the parties.
• At the very least, any discussion must include the implementation of wholistic traffic mitigation prior to or contemporaneously with the opening of the 154th Street Bridge to ensure proper flow of traffic in and out of the area. Yet, Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz's resolution fails to even suggest a wholistic approach to mitigating the area's existing traffic issues. Instead, it seeks to merely open the bridge without more. This shortsighted approach is the equivalent of putting the cart before the horse and is the reason why the Palmetto Expressway has been under construction for 30+ years. 
• If the bridge is opened, the only way NW 154th Street between I-75 and the Palmetto Expressway could handle the additional traffic is if it is widened to add additional lanes. In order to widen NW 154th Street, you would need to remove many of the large Oaks and other trees lining the street, effectively destroying a large portion of Miami Lakes' famous tree canopy. 
• The NW 154th street bridge was built merely to transport cows. When I-75 was built, it cut through what was then a large cow pasture owned by the Dunn family. In response, the Dunn family requested that a bridge be built over I-75 so they could get their cows from one side to the other. 
• Because the NW 154th Street bridge was built to transport cows, it is exceptionally narrow. In fact, the bridge only fits one lane in each direction. As such, if the bridge is opened, it will only cause tremendous bottlenecks which will constantly block the main entrances of Satori and Hidden Lakes on the east side of the bridge, and the entrances of Bonterra and Aquabella on the west side of the bridge, rendering these entrances nearly unusable.
• Opening the bridge would put drivers in severe risk of injury or death. The bridge was built in 1986 and has seen little to no maintenance since then (because, again, it was built to move cows around). Moreover, since it was built, it has been subjected to constant and repeated blasting directly next to it. Such blasting has undoubtedly weakened the bridge over the years. In fact, the most recent inspection of the bridge in September of 2018 (almost 3.5 years ago) rated the bridge's overall condition as "Poor" and specifically rated its superstructure as "Poor." You can check out the reports for yourself by clicking here.
• The added traffic and constant noise would cause property values in Satori, Hidden Lakes, and other nearby communities to plummet. Imagine being told the bridge would be turned into a beautiful Bridge Park, and instead getting car horns and exhaust fumes. 
• Lastly, in order to open the bridge, they would need to destroy Jakey Duque Park. This park was built as a memorial and celebration of life in honor of a little boy whose battle with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a cancerous tumor, united and inspired Miami Lakers and created "Jakey's Army," and whose passing brought mourning to all Miami Lakers. The destruction of this memorial would not only disgrace his memory but would open wounds that have not yet fully healed for both his family and the many Miami Lakers who supported his fight. 

Please sign this petition and share it with everyone you know so we can show the Miami Dade Board of County Commissioners that bad behavior should not be rewarded (referring to City of Hialeah's myopic approval of permits for these communities without regard to basic city planning and infrastructure norms) and to let them know that Miami Lakers will not allow themselves to be made to suffer consequences not of their own doing.