A limited version of the A Route has resumed operation over the Venetian Causeway.
Weight restrictions on the dilapidated bridge caused the service to be halted temporarily, and the new route will only work for a set amount of hours during the morning and the afternoon.
The modified bus route will now run between the Adrienne Arsht Center Metromover Station and West Avenue- 20Th Street in Miami Beach, a bit shorter than the original route which stretched all the way to Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue. The buses will operate in the mornings from 7 a.m. To 9:30 a.m., and return from 2 p.m. until approximately 6:50 in the afternoon.
The most effected were those who work on the islands and rely on public transportation. Route A is the only route to service that area. The SOBE Local route only enters the first island on the eastern end.
The A buses have had some issues as of late crossing the Venetian, most famously one opened up a hole on the western most part of the bridge. According to a county memo, in March that bus was delayed because of “contact with a localized bridge deck failure.” Emergency repairs were made, metal slabs over the bridge, and the causeway opened up for traffic. Nearly a month to the date, bus service was cut off because of their weight, even as the A route uses a smaller model than the rest of the county fleet.
The county had a short term fix for the bridge that would extend the life of the bridge by two years: pour concrete on the metal slabs with $700,000.00 price tag.
Recently the county has indicated that they will go with a more long-term solution of replacing the effected segment of the bridge. This procedure will close the Venetian Causeway anywhere from half a year to nine months.
The estimate cost will be $9 million dollars, and according to county memos will extend the life of the bridge by 60 years.
-Frank Maradiaga
