Dive Brief:
- The Miami-Dade County Commission is soliciting the private sector for ideas about what kind of public-private transportation model would be best for the Florida county's potential $6 billion, six-corridor Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) project, according to the Miami Herald, in order to break the stalemate between county agencies and speed the initiative along.
- The county has set a July 27 deadline for replies to its Request for Information (RFI), which encourages recipients to design their responses around a light-rail system, monorail, rapid bus service or other suitable transit system the county hasn't considered. If the county decides on a privately financed option, that could allow it to sidestep much of the review process that goes along with seeking federal funds. Respondents can offer proposals for as many of the six SMART corridors, and have been encouraged to include potential hurdles and the potential of success for their ideas.
- Proponents of a public-private partnership (P3) argue that this arrangement would eliminate another year of costly consultants' fees and at the very least will provide valuable suggestions for how to approach transit in the six corridors, which are considered to be the most congested in the county. Critics say the RFI process is a subterfuge to make local taxpayers believe that the county is making progress on the SMART plan.
Dive Insight:
A number of states and cities are turning to P3 arrangements as a way to speed up construction of costly transportation and infrastructure projects. For example, the Michigan Department of Transportation is working with private-sector partners to finish a $1 billion state highway modernization project in Oakland County. Using a P3 to design, build, finance and maintain the remainder of the Michigan project, rather than waiting on public funds to become available, could shorten the construction schedule by up to a decade, The Detroit News reported.
Speeding up the review process that the federal government requires on projects it finances was probably what Miami Beach officials had in mind when they voted nearly two years ago to start development of a $380 million light-rail streetcar system with French company Alstom. At the time, the project was not expected to seek federal-funding assistance; however, it's been put on hold until Miami-Dade commits to a rail link across Biscayne Bay from downtown Miami to Miami Beach.