Dolphin Park & Ride/Transit Terminal Facility “Dolphin Station"

Project Overview
MDX in partnership with Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is conducting a Project Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) to evaluate a park and ride/terminal facility to be called the Dolphin Station. The site is located approximately 15 acres of publicly owned land on NW 12th Street, west of the Turnpike and east of the NW 122nd Avenue in Miami-Dade County. The Dolphin Station will support: MDT’s SR 836 Express Bus project, other Express Bus routes, a future commuter rail service and provide a potential terminus or stop for several local bus routes serving the nearby cities of Sweetwater and Doral and the Dolphin Mall. The PEIR will evaluate potential social, natural and physical environmental impacts of the proposed project within the surrounding study area.

Agency Partnership
Miami-Dade County has asked MDX to fast track the planning, design and construction of the Dolphin Station. FDOT will fund 100% of the planning and design development, and share the construction cost with MDT. Commissioner Pepe Diaz has been instrumental in advancing this effort.

FDOT is funding 100% of the project’s conceptual engineering and environmental study, as well as the design development, and has entered into an agreement with MDX to complete that phase of the project. The facility will ultimately be operated and maintained by MDT.

Purpose and Need
There are very few major east-west arterials that provide connectivity from the residential areas to the employment centers and downtown Miami. Most of these arterials experience heavy congestion during the peak periods with significant delays. To enhance mobility and support multimodal modes of transportation, the need for a park and ride/transit terminal facility has been identified to serve as a transit hub for the SR 836 Express Bus Service as well as the other planned routes and a future east-west commuter rail service. This project will provide the needed transit terminal and offer a viable commute alternative for potential transit riders from Doral, Sweetwater, and other residential areas of West Dade to major employment areas such as Miami International Airport, the Health District, Downtown and Brickell. It will also provide easier transfer for those in reverse commute from the east to job rich areas such as Doral, the Dolphin and International Mall and Florida International University.

Public Involvement and Schedule
A Public Hearing will be scheduled in the fall of 2015 to engage the community, businesses, elected officials, as well as, community, civic, environmental organizations, and other interested parties. The PEIR will be completed by the end of 2015.

For More Information:
Contact: Tere Garcia, Public Information Office
Phone:  786-277-9292
E-mail:  tgarcia@mdxway.com

 Dolphin Park and Ride Facility Fact Sheet

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status. The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) operates and maintains five expressways: SR 112/Airport Expressway, SR 836/Dolphin Expressway, SR 874/Don Shula Expressway, SR 878/Snapper Creek Expressway, and SR 924/ Gratigny Parkway. MDX is funded almost entirely by toll revenue and is dedicated to moving Miami-Dade County forward by making your commute safer and more efficient.

SR 836 Express Bus

The objective of this project is to offer customers a safe, comfortable, and convenient transportation choice connecting to major employment areas and reducing traffic congestion.

The SR 836 Express Bus Service Concepts and Preliminary Planning were developed by Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) in coordination with the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and other stakeholders. Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, District 12, was instrumental in advancing this project.

The SR 836 Express Bus Service is part of an incremental approach to implement rapid transit services in the East-West Corridor, which was studied in the mid-1990s and then incorporated into the People’s Transportation Plan (PTP) in 2002. Other transit improvements in the East-West Corridor include the conversion of the limited-stop route 51 (Flagler MAX) into the Flagler Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Service and the implementation of a route 8 limited-stop service.

The SR 836 Express will operate primarily on the Dolphin Expressway – resulting in no intermediate stops between the origin and destination - thereby reducing transit travel times.

Vehicles for this service will be branded for easy identification. Other vehicle characteristics include increased bus seating capacity, free on-board Wi-Fi, and real-time bus tracking equipment to provide a greater level of comfort and convenience to passengers.