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FTA 15-04
Contact: Kim Riddle,
Tel.: 202-366-5580
Thursday, May 27, 2004
U.S. Transportation Department Closes Book on Palmetto Extension; Final
Payment Clears way for Miami-Dade Transit to Focus on Other Projects
The U.S. Department of Transportation officially closed the books today on
Metrorail’s Palmetto extension, freeing local officials to move other transit
projects forward. Transportation Under Secretary for Policy Jeffrey N. Shane
visited Miami today delivering on the federal government’s promise to help pay
for the first extension to the system in nearly 20 years.
“I am here with a message from President Bush and Transportation Secretary
Mineta -- if you build it, we will come through for you,” he said. “Today the
federal government is giving back to South Florida’s taxpayers.”
The Department today announced a $5.8 million installment on the federal
government’s promise to help pay for the extension of Metrorail to the Palmetto
Expressway. Today’s payment was the final installment provided by the federal
government to pay to connect Metrorail to the busy Palmetto Expressway.
Under Secretary Shane said that this marks a win for Florida taxpayers, “with
the books closed on the Palmetto Expressway extension, Miami-Dade Transit
officials can now turn their attention to other crucial projects like the South
Dade Busway Extension and the East-West Corridor.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation provided over $54 million for the Palmetto
extension, a 1.4-mile extension of the Metrorail to the Palmetto Expressway. The
project included a new station and parking facility, and extended the line from
the Okeechobee Metrorail station to the west side of the Palmetto Expressway
just north of N.W. 74th Street.
The station opened in May 2003 and today supports nearly 730,000 transit rides
each year. “More Metrorail riders mean fewer cars on Miami’s roads, more workers
in offices, and more shoppers in downtown stores,” Shane said.
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