Transportation in South Florida

The Miami metropolitan area made up of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, known together as South Florida, has many ways for people to get around. There are trains like Metrorail and Tri-Rail, as well as a special train called the Metromover. There are also many roads, two big airports (Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport), and ports like the Port of Miami and Port Everglades. Buses such as Metrobus, Broward County Transit, and Palm Tran help people travel all over the area.

Miami has more people using public transportation than any other city in Florida. About 17% of people in Miami use public transportation regularly. Most of these services are run by Miami-Dade Transit, the largest transit system in Florida.

South Florida is a crowded place with over five and a half million people living in a relatively small area. Because there is limited space and many people, getting around can be tricky. The area is spread out, making it hard for public transportation to connect everyone to where they need to go.

Overview

Transport in South Florida mainly uses roads and highways, including special roads called toll roads. The area grew because of trains a long time ago, but now many people drive cars. There is a train system called Metrorail in Miami-Dade County, which is the only heavy rail system in Florida. It was built after people asked for better ways to travel instead of adding more highways. Another train system, Tri-Rail, runs west of the big cities to help with traffic on Interstate 95.

South Florida has many buses and two rail systems. There are also many toll roads with special lanes that can cost more during busy times. Even with new roads being built, traffic remains very heavy.

Miami has a busy airport called Miami International Airport (MIA), which is very important for the city's economy. It connects to the Metrorail through a special train called the MIA Mover. The number of people using public transport and flying changes with the seasons, being higher in the winter.

Road transportation

Miami-Dade County has many wide highways built to high standards. The main road running north to south through the whole area is Interstate 95. Together with the Palmetto Expressway, these are the busiest roads in South Florida, with over 250,000 cars using them each day. Interstate 95 ends at U.S. Route 1 just south of downtown Miami.

Interstate 95 has three smaller roads branching off to the east and west. These include I-395 and I-195 in Miami-Dade County and Interstate 595 in Broward County. These roads connect to important places like South Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

In Broward County, north of Miami, Interstate 595 links Interstate 95 to Fort Lauderdale. To the west, it becomes known as Alligator Alley and ends at Interstate 75, which runs north through the whole state of Florida.

Many roads meet at a busy junction called the Golden Glades Interchange near North Miami Beach. Some highways have special lanes called express lanes where drivers pay a toll to use them. These tolls change depending on how busy the traffic is.

Miami’s streets are laid out in a grid, making it easy to find your way around. Most roads follow this pattern, but some areas like Coral Gables and Hialeah have their own street layouts. There are also many bridges called causeways that connect different parts of the city over water.

Taxis are common in Miami, especially near tourist spots like airports and South Beach. There are also car-sharing services like Uber and Lyft available in the city.

The Miami area has many cars and not enough public transportation, which causes traffic jams. Many people spend a lot of money on transportation, and the city has some of the worst traffic in the country. Parking can be hard to find and expensive, especially in busy areas like downtown Miami and South Beach.

Underground parking

In South Florida, building underground spaces like parking is unusual because the land is very close to sea level and the water is often just below the surface. However, some places have underground parking. For example, Downtown Dadeland, built in 2005, and Brickell City Centre, finished in 2016, both have underground parking. Even though building underground costs more, some cities now prefer it to make streets look nicer and control traffic better.

Aviation

South Florida has three big airports: Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, and Palm Beach International Airport. There are also smaller airports like Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, Opa-Locka Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, and Boca Raton Airport.

Miami International Airport is the main airport for the area. It is very busy, handling over 40 million passengers each year. It offers flights from many airlines and has non-stop trips to cities around the world. The airport has taxis, buses, and a train station to help people get around. There is also a special free bus service called the MIA Mover that connects the airport to other transportation options.

Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport is another large airport nearby. It connects to train services with shuttle buses and has major road links. Palm Beach International Airport serves the Palm Beach area and is easy to reach by car from several main roads.

Main article: Miami International Airport

Main article: MIA Mover

Main article: Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport

Main article: Palm Beach International Airport

Water transportation

The whole area of South Florida lies along the Atlantic Ocean. It has three important ports: PortMiami in Miami-Dade, Port Everglades in Broward County, and Port of Palm Beach in Palm Beach County.

PortMiami is the world’s busiest place for cruise ships, with over seven million passengers each year. It is also a big place for cargo ships. It sits on Dodge Island near downtown Miami. After a storm in 2005 damaged a railway bridge, trains could not reach the port until repairs were finished in 2014. A big tunnel project finished in 2014 helps connect the port to main roads.

Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale, is almost as busy as PortMiami for both cruise ships and cargo. It is home to some of the largest cruise ships in the world, like the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

South Florida also has many places for boats, with lots of marinas and waterways. The Miami River runs through downtown Miami and connects to more marinas and places for cargo. Fort Lauderdale has many canals and is called the “Venice of America.” Biscayne Bay is a popular spot for fun activities like fishing and kayaking. There are also tours on water taxis along the coast, such as the Miami Water Taxi and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Water Taxi.

Main article: PortMiami Main article: Port Everglades

Public transportation

Miami-Dade Transit runs most public transport in Miami-Dade County, including Metrorail, Metromover, Metrobus, and special service for people who need help getting around. In Broward County and Palm Beach County, most people use buses run by Broward County Transit and Palm Tran.

South Florida has many buses, trains, and other ways to get around. Miami has more people using public transport than any other city in Florida. About 17% of people in Miami use public transport regularly. Tri-Rail is a train that connects the three counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. There are also many bus systems, like Metrobus in Miami-Dade, Broward County Transit in Broward, and Palm Tran in Palm Beach.

The shape of South Florida makes it hard to design easy ways for everyone to get around. The area is long and narrow, which makes it tricky to plan train and bus routes. Miami grew a lot when cars were very popular, so many people still like to drive. But more and more people are starting to use public transport.

Rail transportation

Miami-Dade County has two important rail lines: the state-owned South Florida Rail Corridor and the Florida East Coast Railway. The area uses a commuter rail system called Tri-Rail, which travels through Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. There were plans for a government-funded Florida high speed rail system connecting South Florida to Orlando and Tampa, but this plan was cancelled in 2011.

In 2014, construction began on a higher-speed rail system named Brightline, which now connects Miami and Orlando. The Northeast Corridor Rapid Transit Project aims to add commuter rail on the Florida East Coast Railway between MiamiCentral and Aventura.

Intercity and higher-speed services

Amtrak

Miami is the southern end of Amtrak’s Atlantic Coast services, with two lines, the Floridian and the Silver Meteor, ending in Chicago and New York City. The Miami Amtrak Station is in Hialeah near the Tri-Rail/Metrorail Station.

There are five other Amtrak stations in the area: Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach. Most of these stations share space with Tri-Rail.

Tri-Rail

Main article: Tri-Rail

Tri-Rail is a 70.9-mile (114 km) commuter rail system with 18 stations. It runs through Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, ending at Miami International Airport. Tri-Rail has six zones, and fares range from US$2.50 to US$11.55 depending on the trip. In 2015, Tri-Rail moved its southern end to a new station at Miami Intermodal Center. In 2024, Tri-Rail started running trains between the Metrorail Transfer station and MiamiCentral.

Brightline

Main article: Brightline

See also: Florida high speed rail

Plans for a Florida High Speed Rail system to connect Miami with Orlando and Tampa Bay were cancelled. In 2012, Florida East Coast Industries proposed a privately owned higher-speed rail system called Brightline. Construction began in 2014, and service between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale started in 2018. The line to MiamiCentral opened in 2018, and extensions to Orlando International Airport began in 2023. Future plans include extending the rail to Tampa.

Bicycling

Miami-Dade County and South Florida have many popular bike routes. In the 2000s, the city government supported bicycling for fun and getting around. They started an event called "Bike Miami" where streets were closed for people to walk and ride bikes. This event began in 2008 and grew quickly.

Miami also made plans for more bike paths and required bike parking in new buildings. In 2012, a new bridge was added to connect bike paths, creating a long off-road trail for bikes and walking. Miami Beach also became more friendly to bikes, with a bike-sharing program called DecoBike starting in 2011. The program includes many stations with bikes for people to rent.

Walkability

Miami is known for being a good city for walking, ranking eighth in the United States in a 2011 survey. The city scored well because of its many restaurants, shops, transit stops, and fun places to visit.

However, walking in Miami can be risky. Some drivers aren't very careful, and there have been many accidents where people were hurt or worse while walking. The city is working to make things safer by adding special crosswalks with lights and signs to slow down traffic. Popular walking areas include South Beach, with its busy Lincoln Road now just for pedestrians, and the beautiful oceanfront paths lined with shops and restaurants.

Transit-oriented development (TOD)

More focus has been given to building homes and places to shop close to transit lines. Two examples are at Brownsville and Santa Clara, which are two of the least used stations.

The Brownsville Transit Village will have 467 homes and shops next to Brownsville station. Santa Clara Apartments opened in 2011 near Santa Clara station. In 2014, more people started using these stations.

Plans for a Miami MLS stadium and a possible joint University of Miami football stadium need to be close to Miami’s center with good transit access. The answer was the now-closed Melreese Golf Course in Grapeland Heights.

The Miami Intermodal Center is near Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park, opening in 2026. A footbridge over the Tamiami Canal will connect the station to the stadium.

Historically, buildings were constructed with the MetroMover and Metrorail systems in the 1980s. Both connect on the north side of Stephen P. Clark Government Center. The Knight Center Metromover station is built into the Miami Tower. Another development, the Omni International Mall, is connected to the Adrienne Arsht Center station by a pedestrian bridge.

The dense suburb of unincorporated Kendall grew around the busy Metrorail stations of Dadeland North and Dadeland South, which opened in 1984.

Metromover

During the condominium real estate boom of the 2000s, nearly 50 new buildings were built in the greater downtown area, which along with fare elimination, led to more people using the Metromover. Two large projects are adding Metromover stations for direct access. Brickell City Centre closed the Eighth Street Station in 2014 to include it in their project; Miami Worldcenter may add stations at the Freedom Tower and Park West.

The dense downtown development is due to zoning that allows taller buildings, though many buyers prefer parking. Real estate developers pay fees for large buildings, which help fund public infrastructure. The Downtown Kendall Urban Center District ordinance from 1998 helped Kendall grow near the Dadeland South Metrorail station. The Loft/The Loft 2 and Centro Lofts are large buildings with exemptions to parking rules due to good transit access. Downtown and Brickell are often compared to New York City because of their density, cultural spots, and transit options.

Future proposals and extensions

Many transportation systems, including highways, have been suggested, especially in Miami-Dade County, but some were cancelled due to money problems. In the 1970s, people in Miami-Dade County voted to support public transit instead of highways. Building more heavy rail (Metrorail) costs a lot of money—about $100–200 million per mile. Plans for new toll roads and wider highways continued from the late 2010s into the early 2020s.

See also: Orange Line (MDT)

The Orange Line was a big idea for three new Metrorail lines. One would go north to the Broward–Miami-Dade county line, another would go east–west to Florida International University, and a third would connect to Miami International Airport. Only a short part to the airport from the Earlington Heights station, called the AirportLink, was finished in 2012. The other two parts were cancelled, mainly because of problems with money and leaders misuse of funds.

Although only a small part of the Orange Line was built, the whole line from the airport to Dadeland South is now called the Orange Line, along with the Green Line. This is because trains going to the airport will travel all the way to Dadeland South.

The "Coastal Link" is a long-planned project to move or expand Tri-Rail service to the Florida East Coast Railway freight line. This would bring it closer to people and could bring up to 59,000 passengers a day, according to a study. It would also go straight into Downtown Miami, ending near the Government Center transit hub. The plan also suggests extending service north to Jupiter. However, the line would need big upgrades, as much of it is only a single track. New stations would also need to be built. It’s not clear if Tri-Rail would keep its current line or not. The state is thinking about letting private companies run Tri-Rail. An east–west connection between the lines would make South Florida’s commuter rail system much better.

Plans for a Tri-Rail "Coastal Link" came up again with the building of Brightline (now Virgin Trains USA) in 2014. One idea was to reroute trains from the Midtown area to downtown Miami. Another idea was to build six new stations between downtown Miami and Aventura. These plans slowed down because of money issues and problems with the Florida East Coast Railway.

BayLink is a long-proposed streetcar, light rail, or Metrorail extension that would connect Downtown Miami to South Beach via the MacArthur Causeway. Miami Beach city officials preferred a streetcar instead of a light rail because they thought it would be less noticeable. In 2014, they were thinking about a way to fund it with help from private companies.

In 2016, a new plan called the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) expansion plan was introduced. It talked about six areas that need better transit lines. In 2025, the first line built under this plan, the South Dade Transitway, opened to the public.

Several ideas for street cars and local bus routes have been suggested for Miami’s Downtown/Brickell/CBD/Arts & Entertainment District area. A notable idea is a streetcar line down Biscayne Boulevard from Downtown to the Arts & Entertainment District. Miami had streetcars since 1906, but they were removed after the 1926 Miami Hurricane.

Fort Lauderdale had plans in 2011 for a small downtown streetcar system called The Wave Streetcar. After delays and problems, the project was cancelled in 2018.

In 2011, a study was suggested to see if building a Metromover extension to the PortMiami would work. This would create a direct link from Miami International Airport to the seaport. In 2014, a Metromover connection to the port was still being thought about.

There have also been ideas to improve connections to Port Everglades, including the long-term plan for the Wave Streetcar. In the 2000s and 2010s, road access to the port via I-595 was improved.

There is a plan to extend the Dolphin Expressway further west and south, with Krome Avenue being the main road used. This plan has been controversial because it would go through rural areas and near a sensitive environment. The project started widening Krome Avenue in 2015.

Geography

The Miami metro area is much longer than it is wide. It is located between the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the protected Everglades wetlands to the west. Because of this, the area can only grow so much, and most new buildings are going up closer together, especially near places where people can use public transportation.

Hurricanes can be a big problem for Miami and the whole east coast of the United States. Miami is one of the cities that could lose a lot of money if a big storm hits. The city is also one of the places in the world that could be greatly affected by rising sea levels. Some areas, like Miami Beach, already see flooding during certain times of the year. The city is working on projects to help protect against this, like building taller sea walls and adding pumps to move water away. Other cities in the area are also finding ways to deal with flooding, like adding special valves to their drainage systems. With so many people living near the coast, there are big questions about how safe it is to keep building in areas that could be affected by rising seas in the future.

See also: Draining and development of the Everglades

Politics

The region, like the rest of the state, often prefers lower taxes and less government spending. In Miami-Dade, many people with roots in Cuba tend to support right-wing politics, seeing it as opposite to ideas they associate with socialism. Even though South Florida is seen as one of the more liberal areas in the state, only about a third of people there feel they live in a liberal area.

At the state level, there isn’t much support for public transportation projects. Most planning for transit happens at the city or county level, with Miami-Dade County being very active in transportation planning. Because of this political view, there is a focus on private infrastructure like highways. While highways can bring in money for the state, public transit systems like Metrorail and Metromover often face financial challenges.

There have been issues with trust in government in South Florida, partly because of political corruption and broken promises. For example, a tax meant to fund new transit lines did not deliver on its main promise, leading to disappointment among the public.

History

See also: Interurban, Tram, and History of Miami

Miami and nearby areas had many early transportation systems, especially in the 1920s. The first electric streetcar started around 1906, and more followed in later years. These streetcars stopped running in the 1930s, partly because of a big storm in 1935 and then because buses took over.

Today, Miami has many bus and train services to help people get around the city. Plans to bring back streetcars have focused on smaller, flexible vehicles since 2006.

Selected images

Four-level [Dolphin—Palmetto Interchange](/wiki/Dolphin—Palmetto_Interchange) under construction in early 2015

The headquarters of [Miami-Dade Transit](/wiki/Miami-Dade_Transit), known as the Overtown Transit Village, is adjacent to the [Historic Overtown-Lyric Theater](/wiki/Historic_Overtown-Lyric_Theater) [Metrorail](/wiki/Metrorail_\(Miami\)) station, yet still has a large parking garage.

Congestion in Downtown Miami due to container trucks leaving the port. The [Port Miami Tunnel](/wiki/Port_Miami_Tunnel) helped to relieve this

[The Loft 2](/wiki/The_Loft_2) condominium, which was built around the [First Street](/wiki/First_Street_\(Metromover_station\)) Metromover station, contains no on-site parking.

Metrorail tracks run over Metromover tracks at Government Center

The Miami Intermodal Center being built in December 2011

[Critical Mass](/wiki/Critical_Mass_\(cycling\)) Miami assembling in [Government Center](/wiki/Government_Center_\(Miami\))

[MetroPath](/wiki/MetroPath) bridge over the Snapper Creek Expressway entrance, completed in January 2012

The southernmost 3-mile (5 km) of [Interstate 95](/wiki/Interstate_95_in_Florida) where it passes by Downtown Miami are often congested.