MIAMI — A portion of a large project in Miami has been completed.
On Wednesday, a special ceremony was held to celebrate the new and revamped East Flagler Street.
The street might seem familiar to many who frequent downtown Miami, but the third of five segments of the major downtown beautification project has officially opened.
Sections A and B have been open since the middle of last year, improving access to restaurants, stores, and reopening the area to traffic.
The goal behind the entire project is to bring more life to Flagler Street, a historic roadway in the heart of downtown Miami.
The upgrades allow for more restaurants to have outdoor dining and spaces for live music, giving people more places to hang out.
Now there are more signs, more art and upgraded lighting throughout Flagler Street.
Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins said there’s still work to be done, but she envisions a bright future for Flagler.
“This is going to be that all of Flagler Street can revitalize itself, for small business, for neighborhood activation,” said Higgins. “And as you can see, we have also been diverting all of our buses all over downtown, so we have better connectivity, a better business environment and better pedestrian environment and cars can use First Avenue now. Hallelujah!”
Despite the progress, there has been a lot of frustration from business owners and residents as well, saying the very slow progress of the five-block project has forced businesses to close for good, citing a lack of foot traffic, parking issues and periods when sidewalks were difficult to access.
City officials said the project has been delayed for a variety of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic, aging infrastructure under the streets, and contractor issues.
But they say, slowly but surely, the transformation is coming together.
Officials said final two sections are expected to open in the next few months, with everything fully finished by May.
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