US Army Corps Miami-Dade Backbay Study
Overview
The United States Army Corps of Engineers’ Miami-Dade “Back Bay” Study is investigating solutions to reduce the damage and risks from flooding that comes from storm surges associated with hurricanes and tropical storms amplified by sea-level rise. The three-year feasibility study (Oct 2018 – Sept 2021) is fully funded by the federal government ($3 million) and focuses on critical and at-risk infrastructure and areas of the county that are vulnerable to coastal storms and looks to implement infrastructure that will protect these assets.
In regards to Downtown Miami, the Army Corps Tentatively Selected Plan, or TSP, proposes three major infrastructure components: a 10-foot high floodwall located east of Biscayne Blvd in the Central Business District from I-395 to the Miami River; a large sector gate at the mouth of the Miami River; and a 15-foot high floodwall located in Biscayne Bay 50 feet offshore from the Miami River to SE 15th Road in the Brickell District. These proposed floodwalls will have an overwhelmingly detrimental effect on the entire waterfront area of the Miami DDA district, as well as greater Downtown and the County.
In response, the Miami DDA hired a team of architects, coastal engineers, and planners to propose natural alternatives to the floodwalls. We combined these hybrid concepts with a formal letter to the Army Corps. Swire Properties hired their own team of designers to further advance these hybrid concepts of natural and built solutions.
1-Year Outlook: If the local sponsor, Miami-Dade County, signs off on the Army Corps study/design, the final report will be presented to Congress for funding. Preliminary versions of the Army Corps report estimated that the project would cost $6 billion, 35% of which local governments will be responsible for.
2 and 3-Year Outlook: Continue to work with the City and County Commissions to ensure that the Army Corps final plan includes a hybrid approach of nature-based features instead of walls that might ruin our economy/quality of life.
Click here to download our formal letter to the Army Corps and proposed renderings.
Funding
If the project is authorized and funds are appropriated by Congress as a result of the study, the Federal Government will be responsible for 65% of the implementation costs ($4 billion) of the Project, and a non-Federal sponsor (State, County, City, Private) would cost-share in 35% of the implementation costs ($1.6 billion), and be responsible for all future operation and maintenance.
Timeline/Milestones
October 2018: USACE Backbay Study begins.
January 2019: USACE holds the Alternatives Milestone Meeting. This milestone was an opportunity for the project team to present their first ideas for the “Back Bay” study for internal comments and approval.
September 2019: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and non-Federal Sponsor, Miami-Dade County, holds an informational public meeting on the Backbay Study in Miami Beach.
June 5, 2020: Miami-Dade Back Bay Coastal Storm Risk Management Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement is released for public comment. USACE and Miami-Dade County host a pair of online public meetings.
August 19, 2020: USACE extends public comment period 30 days from July 20 to August 19
October 2020: Agency Decision Milestone
Spring 2021: Submit Final Report Package/Policy and Legal
April 2021: Compliance Review Team
September 2021: Full Final Report signed by the Chief of Engineers and sent to Congress for authorization
If the project is authorized and funds are appropriated by Congress as a result of the study, the next phase will be preliminary engineering designs (Preconstruction Engineering and Design (PED) Phase) is approved and funded by Congress, which would be in 2022-2023 at the earliest. Construction (on whatever is finally approved) could begin by 2025 at the earliest.
Media
If you would like to read more about this project and its potential impacts, click on the following links: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article245085975.html
https://es-us.noticias.yahoo.com/muro-bah%C3%ADa-miami-soluci%C3%B3n-extrema-222200552.html
