"The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is developing a project along State Road (S.R.) 986/SW 72nd Street/Sunset Drive/Marjory Stoneman Douglas Drive Historic Road. The limits of this project extend from SW 84th Place to SW 69th Avenue. Construction is expected to begin in August 2011.

Project improvements include repaving the existing pavement to extend the life of the road, upgrading drainage, installing new signing and pavement markings, and adding mast arms to traffic signals on 72nd Avenue. A new sidewalk will be constructed on the north side of the roadway, and existing sidewalks and ramps will be ungraded. The existing median will be modified so that a 14-foot outside lane can be provided in both directions to accommodate bicyclists.

A public information workshop will be held on Tuesday, March 30, 2010, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the St. Matthew Episcopal Church, 7410 Sunset Drive in South Miami. The workshop provides property owners and interested parties an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed roadway improvements while giving you an opportunity to provide input and participate in the project process. Your attendance is encouraged and appreciated."
- FDOT



Sunset Drive is a popular thoroughfare for cyclists commuting between West Kendall & South Miami/Coral Gables. On any given morning one can find cyclists riding from the west to their a.m. group rides starting in South Miami/Coconut Grove. I was always under the impression Historic Sunset Drive never had bike lanes due to restrictions based on it's "historic" designation. Knowing that there's a possibility for bike lanes is great news. Less than 1 year ago the City of South Miami had the opportunity to add bike lanes between 72nd Ave and 62nd Ave and they did not, instead they widened the sidewalks and added a few bike racks. Let's hope FDOT comes through on this one and implements 3.2 miles of bike lanes on 72nd St.

I think Sunset Drive has a lot of potential to have bike lanes all the way through from east to west. Maybe one day it'll boast bikes lanes from SW 152 Ave all the way to Cartagena Plaza (Cocoplum) / 42nd Ave/Old Cutler Rd. There's already bike lanes in Kendale Lakes from SW 127th Ave to SW 147th Ave, though labeling the south side between 137th and 147th a bike lane is more than generous. Also, let's not forget the whopping stretch of bike lanes lane on the south side of Sunset Dr between 56th Ave and 54th Ave (Coral Gables). Two whole blocks! We can dream right?