MIA Mover — Post 9/11 Project Strategy

The MIA Mover (previously known as the MIC/MIA Connector) is an elevated Landside Automated People Mover (APM) system that is being implemented at Miami International Airport (MIA) by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD). The MIA Mover will provide a convenient and reliable means for transporting passengers between a centrally located MIA station and the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC). The MIC includes the Consolidated Rental Car Facility (CRCF), which will be one of the first elements of the MIC to become operational. After 9/11, with the impacts on the Aviation Industry and MIA in particular, efforts were undertaken to re-evaluate the overall MIA Capital Improvements Program in conjunction with the uncertainty presented by business and economic conditions. As part of this evaluation, the MIA Mover was modified to operate in a "straight configuration," with approximately 1.25 miles of dual lane guideway, a single MIA Station and the MIC Station (compared to approximately 1.75 miles of dual lane guideway and 3 MIA stations) to support ridership commensurate with 39 million annual passengers in the 2015 time frame (compared to 48/55 MAP previously) and approximately 48 million annual passengers in the 2033 time frame. These modifications resulted in a reduced project budget of $254 million (compared to $400 million previously). Commitments for the operational readiness date for the MIA Mover, necessitated that the entire project (infrastructure and operating system) be procured under a single Design-Build-Operate-Maintain contract (inclusive of infrastructure and operating system). Draft documents were issued for an Industry Review in the second quarter of 2004 to solicit industry input. This paper examines the process wherein various project parameters such as ridership, alignment, need for compatibility with future airport needs and other operational considerations were considered in support of the appropriate policy decisions by MDAD that resulted in the re-configured MIA Mover and its contract requirements.