Coast Guard to Test New Weekend Schedule for 63rd Street Bridge Openings

The U.S. Coast Guard will test a new bridge opening schedule for Miami Beach’s 63rd Street drawbridge over the next six months. Following “a request from a private citizen” to consider a permanent change from the current on-demand schedule to a weekend operating schedule in order to alleviate traffic congestion, the Coast Guard reviewed tender logs and determined that a regular weekend schedule “may better serve the needs of vehicle traffic… while ensuring the reasonable needs of navigation are maintained.”

The new opening schedule will be tested for 180 days beginning 12:01 am on December 14 through 11:59 pm on June 11, 2021:

From 7 am to 7 pm, openings will occur on the hour and half-hour (only if there is demand), except on Federal holidays when it will operate on demand.

There will be a 60-day comment period to gather information on the impact of the schedule change.

In a letter to Commissioners, City Manager Jimmy Morales wrote, “The City’s Transportation and Mobility Department staff will monitor the weekend operations of the bridge to gauge its impact on vehicular traffic and report its findings to the City Commission… However, based on the frequency of current bridge activity during weekends, staff anticipates that the USCG’s proposed schedule change may have a positive impact on vehicular traffic flow.”