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The original community newspaper for the Town of Miami Lakes & surrounding areas Vol. 43 No 9
305-817-4078
MIAMI LAKES, FLORIDA
May 5, 2017
M.L. Chamber hosts Town’s Transportation Planner Michelle Gonzalez on May 10. See Page 4
Residents vent concerns about I-75 overpasses The Miami Laker staff Transportation improvement plans by Miami-Dade County and FDOT to place an I-75 overpass at N.W. 170 Street bordering Hialeah and northwest Miami Lakes sparked another concern for residents of Miami Lakes – an overpass at Miami Lakes Drive. In February, the Miami-Dade County Commission approved Chairman Esteban Bovo’s legislation for FDOT to conduct a study to determine if an overpass at N.W. 170 Street is feasible. Bovo, who represents the area, said traffic relief is needed for residents following a rash of new commercial and residential developments, and opening up the roadway was the only solution to alleviate the traffic bottleneck. Then, came an announcement that Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz is planning to sponsor legislation to open up N.W. 154 Street, a main thoroughfare that continues to generate traffic congestion and would get worse with an I-75 overpass, residents said.
The verbal proposal promoted a Town Hall meeting last month in Miami Lakes, where residents spewed their venom over the possibility of opening up the roadway, especially since the Town and the city of Hialeah have a legally binding interlocal agreement to keep the street closed. The residents feel a little more comfortable with a study to conceivably open up N.W. 170 Street, along with Bovo’s promise to rescind his legislation if the traffic analysis reveals any negative impact to Miami Lakes. “I filed legislation to open up the bridge and I will file legislation to keep it closed,” Bovo said at the Town Hall meeting. If FDOT proceeds with an interchange at N.W. 170 Street, Bovo’s legislation includes some restrictions to minimize the traffic impact such trucks are banned from using the bridge, and east bound traffic must turn left or right onto N.W. 87 Avenue instead of cutting through Miami Lakes and PSN. But an interchange at Miami Lakes Drive was greeted with a
different reaction. “N.W. 154 Street concerns us because it could be a nightmare,” said Miami Lakes resident Maria Kramer. Bovo said Miami Lakes has the power to keep the interlocal agreement in tact. “Neither side is looking at opening up it right now,” Bovo said. “But the Town has much of a say in the agreement.” Miami Lakes’ Mayor, Manny Cid, said an interchange at N.W. 154 Street would not resolve any traffic issues based
on the results of an earlier FDOT study. Bovo, who also chairs the county’s Policy Council Committee, said the group has been working on a series of mobility enhancement projects county wide for the past three years. He said in most cases, some cities were planned “poorly” making it difficult for them to resolve traffic congestion. Bovo said the county’s Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit Plan (SMART) and
Metropolitan Planning Organization, are collaborating with cities to explore upgrades to improve mobility, and determining the costs and seeking sources of funding for the projects. The proposed projects come with a hefty price tag of up to $3 billion. “We already have a plan but need to know how to pay for it,” Bovo said. Some of the projects for the SMART plan include expanding (Please See Page 4)
Mater Lakes Academy graduates 32 with MDC associates degrees
Popular ‘Paint-a-Picture for Mom’ event set for May 13
PAINT-A-PICTURE FOR MOM will be part of Super Saturday on May 13 on Picnic Park West. (See complete Super Saturday schedule on Page 3.)
A Look Inside:
MATER LAKES ACADEMY celebrates the 32 students earning their associates degree in addition to their high school diploma this school year. Pictured (front, from left) Melonie Hernandez, Samantha Severino, Cherryl Motha, Vanessa Martinez, Victoria Gayarre, Laura Ospina. Bianca Perez, Rasha Ajami, Katelynn Garcia, and Keilly Garcia; (middle row, from left) Ada Inigo, Gillian Peraza, Gabriella Gonzalez-Perez, Sabryna Pedrianes, Linor Sevilla, Jennifer Bravo, Mariah Hernandez, Amanda Lopez, and Libardo Lugo-Lopez; (back row, from left) Nya Segura-Watson, Liam Idrovo, Amanda Gonzalez, Angelo Molina-Castro, Stefan Gonzalez, Arianna Bocalandro and Gianno Stringfellow. (Not pictured: Christopher Aguilar, Felipe Gomez, Samantha Hernandez, Melissa Machado, Ana Otero, and Robert Rodriguez.) (See story on Page 24.)
n David Healy inducted into n Marjorie Prime in final n Proposed Senior Village gets n Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Miami Dade College’s Alumni weekend at the Main Street preliminary approval by the Academy named one of top Hall of Fame........................3 Playhouse................................9 Miami Lakes Council.............13 schools in the nation.........22
n News and Notes of interest n Mathnasium tutoring center n HML volleyball team loses n Community Calendar, 15, from the Town of Miami Lakes. has opened a local facility in star player and district champi- School, sports and church news, See pages......................6 & 7 Miami Lakes..........................10 onship game.........................18 18-27, Classified ads...28-31