Miami: Commute by boat instead of car

Holy guacamole: it looks like they’re serious about building the Port of Miami tunnel. The contract may be awarded as soon as May; the construction could take 35 years.

Three teams have submitted bids to build and operate a tunnel to connect Miami's cargo and cruise port with the interstate highway system.


The teams are FCC Construcción/Morgan Stanley, Miami Access Tunnel (Bouygues Travaux Publics S.A., of France, and Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Group US LLC, of Canada) and Miami Mobility Group (ACS Infrastructure Development-Dragados USA and Odebrecht Construction, both of Coral Gables).


Boosters say the project will remove thousands of heavy truck and bus trips a year from downtown Miami streets. Detractors say engineering such a roadway may be too expensive to be a workable solution to traffic problems.


The Florida Department of Transportation said it is reviewing the proposals. The agency predicted awarding a contract in May.


The successful bidder is to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Port of Miami Tunnel over 35 years.


In April, three groups responded to an FDOT request for qualifications. The agency shortlisted them all, inviting them to respond to a request for proposals it issued in November.