The Venetian Causeway is falling down. Crumbling, at least.
As the Miami Herald reports, structural deficiencies were uncovered last month when the weight of a bus knocked a hole out of the westernmost section of the causeway.
Last week the county imposed weight restrictions that resulted in suspended bus service along the causeway. Wednesday morning, smaller buses began running but not along the final stretch of the bridge that ends next to the old Miami Herald building -- a controversial section, according to the Herald.
...the state repaired beams and decks for all 12 structures and replaced 70 percent of the bridge from the mainland to Biscayne Island, known as the West Venetian Bascule Bridge. That project, completed in 1999, had called for total replacement of the drawbridge — the one currently most affected by the weight restrictions. But residents opposed replacement because it “was not consistent with the historic nature of the existing bridges,” according to a county memo.
The West Venetian Bascule Bridge is arguably the most visible section of the causeway. Fans of the Showtime series Dexter, which is set in Miami, may have noticed a cameo or two by the Bascule Bridge.
As of yet, there is no scheduled start time for the estimated $700,000 temporary repairs to the Venetian Causeway.
