Miami-Dade County and Brightline break ground on new Aventura Station

Today, Brightline and Miami-Dade County broke ground on the all-new Aventura Station. The station will be located adjacent to Aventura Mall on three acres at the 19800 block of West Dixie Highway and can be accessed from both West Dixie Highway and NE 26th Avenue.

“I am thrilled to be breaking ground and beginning construction for the all-new Aventura Station,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Working together with Brightline, we’re bringing rail to an area that’s not currently serviced by any public transit rail line and connecting residents and visitors to more opportunities, more places, and more possibilities.”

Funded by the People’s Transportation Plan (PTP), Miami-Dade County’s $76 million investment for this station will create more than 400 jobs during construction and generate significant economic benefit, including $90.8 million annually in economic impact and $2.7 billion over a 30-year period. Passenger rail will enhance the quality of life for people in the area and help to remove cars from congested roadways.

“A long-time necessity for Northeast Miami-Dade County, the Brightline Commuter rail stop at Aventura will provide much needed relief to road congestion and easy mobility for commuters to downtown Miami,” said County Commissioner Sally Heyman.

“As Chairman of Transportation and Finance at the Board of County Commission, I am proud to participate in the groundbreaking of Brightline’s Aventura Station, which will be a large asset going forward in Miami-Dade County’s goal for mobility and connectivity,” said County Commissioner Esteban L. Bovo, Jr. “With this development, we are enhancing ridership opportunities for the Northeast Corridor of the Miami SMART Plan.”

The Aventura Station includes the construction of a new pedestrian bridge over the railroad right-of-way and Biscayne Boulevard. It will also provide direct access to the Miami-Dade Transit Bus Terminal located within Aventura Mall.

“Our Aventura Bus Terminal already acts as a regional hub for Metrobus riders,” said Alice N. Bravo, P.E., Department of Transportation and Public Works Director. “This future, multimodal station is an incredible opportunity to give our riders access to more transit options. Miami-Dade Transit riders will one day soon be able to get from Homestead to Aventura completely car-free, allowing our vision of making Miami-Dade County a car-optional community more of a reality.”

The station is approximately 17,500 feet and it includes an 860-foot platform located inside the Florida East Coast Railway/Brightline right-of-way. The site includes 240 parking spaces, a bus drop-off for Miami-Dade Transit passengers, and newly landscaped and hardscape areas. The Aventura station will fit into Brightline’s existing rail system that now serves Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach with additional stations planned for Boca Raton and PortMiami.

“Today’s event kicks off Brightline’s South Florida expansion and represents the benefits of the public and private sectors working together,” said Jose Gonzalez, executive vice president of Florida East Coast Industries. “The new Aventura station will create jobs, economic impact and provide reliable transit service throughout the northeast corridor.”

Once service at this all-new station begins, Brightline will provide express service during the peak morning and evening weekday travel periods, as well as hourly trips. Miami-Dade County will offer subsidized fares for a percentage of riders between Aventura and MiamiCentral. Trip time between downtown Miami and Aventura is expected to take 15 minutes. Construction of the Aventura Station is expected to be completed by fall of 2021.

Visit miamidade.gov/transit for more information and follow DTPW on social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in-the-know for departmental updates. Download the GO Miami-Dade Transit app to plan and track your next trip on transit. Join Mobility 305 to receive monthly news, special events, perks and other updates.

Editor's Note: Event photos are available upon request.