Is the bridge a bust? Why work on signature South Beach gateway has ground to a halt

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A colorful, long-awaited signature pedestrian bridge that’s supposed to welcome residents and visitors to South Beach has hit a snag ― and now work is at a standstill.

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A Miami Beach city commissioner is saying the planned bridge, off the MacArthur Causeway, might be a bust.

After work finally started more than a year and a half ago, seven years after the project was proposed, nothing’s happening except rusting rebar.

Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez said there have been a “lot of issues with the underground utilities,” pulling no punches on social media, saying contractors drilling for bridge pilings don’t want to hit underground transmission lines that power South Beach.

The problem, he said, is that Florida Power & Light can’t find them.

“They got it wrong three times,” Suarez said. “In fact, on the second time that they gave the city and the developer a location, when they started to drill it for pilings, they hit the encasement of the FPL feeder line.”

A document shows the area is where the lines are believed to be now, and that might make constructing the bridge too complicated.

“If one of those get punctured, it can black out the entire neighborhood for months,” Suarez said. “There are certain provisions in the contract, unfortunately, that allow the developer to essentially walk away if it becomes too burdensome.”

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The proposed pedestrian bridge is part of a commitment developers made to residents in exchange for building this giant condo called Five Park.

In a statement to Local 10 News, an FPL spokesperson said the company has “worked closely” with the city and developer.

“Under Florida law, FPL identifies and locates its underground facilities, while the developer verifies those locations and designs around existing infrastructure,” the statement reads in part. “FPL has met and exceeded its responsibilities by locating its facilities several times using multiple methods.”

The spokesperson went on to say that the company “remains committed” to forging a “feasible path forward” with the city and the developer while “continuing to provide reliable electric service”for residents and businesses.

Local 10 News also contacted developer Terra Group and was awaiting a response.

Suarez said he’s asked the city manager to explore other bridge options here and that the developer is hiring a third party to look into what’s going on.

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