The City of Homestead needs larger roads to handle the projected increase in traffic around the newly planned Sandero Landing project on 328th Street, located across the street from BJ’s Wholesale Club. During a recent workshop, the Homestead City Council discussed the need for expanding the road.
According to council member Larry Roth, 172th Avenue from 328th Street north to U.S. 1 will need to be expanded from two lanes to four lanes. There is also a need to expand from two lanes to four lanes in the area spanning from U.S. 1 East to 162nd Avenue. Funding this expansion will be another concern. The council discussed seeking money from the $12 million that D.R. Horton must pay Miami-Dade County so it can develop Sandero Landing. This money will go toward road construction, which will very much so be necessary.
These road expansions will be required because the city will see a high increase in traffic with these new developments. Council member Erica Avila agreed that more road improvements are needed. She said that during the workshop, the council identified and prioritized roadway improvements needed both in the short-term and long-term.
“It is absolutely necessary that we plan the infrastructure and maximize the possibilities of expediting the execution every time we get the chance to do so, and that is exactly what we did with this council workshop,” said Avila. She believes the workshop created a strong focus that will help in gaining the financing for the project. “We will be able to secure the funding for these improvements, as well as look back at prior years to make sure we get our fair share of the infrastructure buildout that was already promised,” Avila stated.
As more housing units are planned and then built in Homestead, there will be a need for wider roads and more traffic signals. A growing number of residents and city leaders have expressed concern about the increase in traffic as more people move to Homestead. The city offers open land to create more housing and business development. For many years, the city was focused on agriculture and had fewer residents, so there was more of a small-town feel.
Now, city leaders are planning a new downtown area and working to decide how mixed-use developments will be built. New road construction will take time and money, and residents may soon see some large-scale road-building projects in Homestead.
