Alexander Lugo | August 3, 2022, 3:16 PM
Downtown Miami is getting 33 acres of new public space in an area that is seeing lots of development.
The park is part of an $840 million project that will turn Interstate 395 connecting the Dolphin Expressway to the MacArthur Causeway into a double-decker of traffic, expanding capacity and streamlining the traffic flow to Miami Beach.
A massive park similar to The Underline in Brickell, dubbed The Underdeck for now, is being built under the highways.
Although the new park won’t be open for a while, you have the chance now, until Friday Aug. 5, to name it. The Underdeck’s committee is taking input on the branding through an online survey.
The Underdeck’s location
The park aims to make the area more walkable and address the division between communities separated by a railway. The new shared space will link Overtown to downtown Miami and the Omni district.
“The Underdeck is a space for all of Miami, all cultures and all communities,” said Suzan McDowell, a spokesperson for The Underdeck Committee.
The mile-long park will include a pedestrian bridge that goes over the commuter rails that separate Overtown from downtown Miami. The project will span from Overtown’s Gibson Park to the Perez Art Museum along Biscayne Bay.
In recent years, downtown Miami has seen increased development with a batch of new high-rises like the Miami Worldcenter. Developers are planning more new towers like the E11EVEN Hotel & Residences Miami that will be just a walk away from The Underdeck.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the proposed park in Overtown, police have cleared homeless encampments, making way for the construction of the highway and The Underdeck.
The Underdeck vs. The Underline
The project mirrors The Underline, a $140 million park under Miami’s Metrorail that will span 10 miles from the Miami River to Downtown Dadeland once fully complete.
READ MORE: The Underline’s first section is open in Brickell. It has butterflies and 30K plants.
Although similar, The Underdeck is a completely different project than The Underline, with different backers.
The Underline is mostly an effort by Miami-Dade County. The Underdeck is a joint effort between the city of Miami and the Florida Department of Transportation.
Another project led by Miami-Dade County will transform an abandoned railway into the Ludlam Trail, another six-mile park stretching from Dadeland to Robert King High Park by Miami International Airport.
All three projects are separate undertakings with similar visions.
The Underdeck’s features
In addition to a pedestrian path going through the entire park, The Underdeck concept features an amphitheater, a dog park, a playground, a cafe and an athletic court, according to its website.
Meanwhile, see what designers envision the park looking like once it’s finished in summer 2026.
