MIAMI BEACH, Fla. \u2014 A colorful, long-awaited signature pedestrian bridge that\u2019s supposed to welcome residents and visitors to South Beach has hit a snag \u2015 and now work is at a standstill.<\/p>\n
A Miami Beach city commissioner is saying the planned bridge, off the MacArthur Causeway, might be a bust.<\/p>\n
After work finally started more than a year and a half ago, seven years after the project was proposed, nothing\u2019s happening except rusting rebar.<\/p>\n
Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez said there have been a \u201clot of issues with the underground utilities,\u201d pulling no punches on social media, saying contractors drilling for bridge pilings don\u2019t want to hit underground transmission lines that power South Beach. <\/p>\n
The problem, he said, is that Florida Power & Light can\u2019t find them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey got it wrong three times,\u201d Suarez said. \u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
A document shows the area is where the lines are believed to be now, and that might make constructing the bridge too complicated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf one of those get punctured, it can black out the entire neighborhood for months,\u201d Suarez said. \u201cThere are certain provisions in the contract, unfortunately, that allow the developer to essentially walk away if it becomes too burdensome.\u201d<\/p>\n
The proposed pedestrian bridge is part of a commitment developers made to residents in exchange for building this giant condo called Five Park.<\/p>\n
In a statement to Local 10 News, an FPL spokesperson said the company has \u201cworked closely\u201d with the city and developer.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder Florida law, FPL identifies and locates its underground facilities, while the developer verifies those locations and designs around existing infrastructure,\u201d the statement reads in part. \u201cFPL has met and exceeded its responsibilities by locating its facilities several times using multiple methods.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spokesperson went on to say that the company \u201cremains committed\u201d to forging a \u201cfeasible path forward\u201d with the city and the developer while \u201ccontinuing to provide reliable electric service\u201d for residents and businesses.<\/p>\n
Local 10 News also contacted developer Terra Group and was awaiting a response.<\/p>\n
Suarez said he\u2019s asked the city manager to explore other bridge options here and that the developer is hiring a third party to look into what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/p>\n
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