January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 36

MIAMI - DADE
Plan Z for Miami creates a
separated, protected and
dedicated bicycle and pedestrian
pathway along the entire
causeway to eliminate bicycle
and pedestrian conflicts with
automobiles.
It focuses on elevating and
realigning the main roadway
on and across Virginia Key,
increasing climate resilience
against sea-level rise and storm
surge on Miami-Dade's most
vulnerable park and roadway
asset.
This realignment produces 20
acres of new park and beach area
on the south side of Virginia Key,
affording residents and visitors
additional and fully accessible
recreation opportunities.
By replacing the Bear Cut Bridge,
Key Biscayne's residents and the
island's billions of dollars in public
and private assets are further
protected from the impacts of
South Florida's hurricanes and
storm surge.
The plan took into consideration
the parks, preserves and public
spaces of Miami-Dade and included
the greenways, blueways and
complete streets that connect people
to the communities they live,
work or play in. Since its adoption,
the master plan has been instrumental
in encouraging and cultivating
partnerships that have built
more than 150 miles of greenways
and bike trails across Miami-Dade
- with more on the horizon.
One of the potential projects is
Plan Z, a public-private partnership
(P3) proposal that sits at the
intersection of architecture, urban
planning and public health. As
an enhancement to the county's
original North Dade Greeway Plan,
the creators of Plan Z envision this
multi-modal plan as an integral part
of the Miami LOOP, which would
connect the mainland's Commodore
Trail, Underline, Ludlam Trail
and Miami River Greenway with
Biscayne Bay and its waterfront
along the Rickenbacker Causeway.
Accessing the Rickenbacker
Causeway
The completed Plan Z and Miami
LOOP would deliver safe bicycle
and pedestrian access for all 2.8
36 Parks & Recreation |
J ANUAR Y 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
million Miami-Dade residents and
more than 16 million annual visitors
to the Rickenbacker Causeway
- a public space that has
become Greater Miami's Central
Park. With more than 2,000 acres
of
state,
county and municipal
parklands and preserves, as well as
a shoreline of nearly 20 miles of
accessible recreational waterfront
that opens to Biscayne National
Park waters, the Rickenbacker
Causeway is one of Miami-Dade's
most valuable public spaces.
Unfortunately, Miami-Dade
County's infrastructure
have not
been
sufficient
coffers
in
retrofitting this recreational asset
to protect cyclists and pedestrians,
and to adequately prepare for the
threat of rising sea levels. What's
more, the Rickenbacker Causeway,
with
its
aging infrastructure,
is
ranked as one of Miami's most
vulnerable public assets. As such,
Greater Miami is in dire need
of a coastal-resiliency plan that
incorporates best practices in green
infrastructure with feasible public
and private funding strategies to
ensure
the
Rickenbacker's longterm
survival.
The asset was named after Eddie
Rickenbacker, the American, World
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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