FAQ

You can find our park rules posted on this website here: theunderline.org/park-rules/. Please contact the on-call manager at 305-603-9895 with park questions or concerns.

The Underline’s trails are open 24/7/365. The Urban Gym between SW 7th and 8th Streets is open from 7 AM-9 PM.

One of our top priorities is getting the community involved in the plans for The Underline and making sure we get your feedback. Please send your idea(s) or comment(s) to hello@theunderline.org

When the 10 mile Underline is completed, the linear park and urban trail will feature amenities including butterfly gardens, dog parks, exercise equipment, basketball courts, mini-soccer pitches, performance areas and temporary and permanent art. To serve users of all ages, The Underline will feature numerous health and wellness, meditation, cultural, educational and environmental programs.

Miami-Dade County is one of the most dangerous places to walk and bike in the country.  The Underline will be a 10-mile off-road, protected urban trail that connects to 8 Metrorail stations, will make walking and biking safe and fun for visitors and nearby residents. User safety is one of our biggest priorities so where possible, the biking trail will be separate from the walking trail. Currently, the street intersections and crosswalks along the trail from the Miami River to Dadeland are undergoing a series of improvements including: widening crossings to the combined minimum width of the bike and walking trails, 10 feet and 8 feet respectively; allowing more time to cross the street; having a “no traffic movement” period to allow people on foot and bike advance time to get into the crossing; no right turn on red where possible; and in some cases, tabled, or raised crossings. These, and other safety improvements, are being implemented with our partners from Miami-Dade County and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

Safety is one of The Underline’s top priorities (and one of our core values). For Phase 1, thanks to Miami-Dade County we have 24-hour security. We also have security cameras. If you need to report any incident or crime, please look for the number of the Metrorail column and nearby security personnel. Or, in case of an emergency, call 911 and report with the Metrorail column.

Management, maintenance, and programming will be fulfilled by a public/private 501(C)3 non-profit called The Underline Management Organization (dba The Underline Conservancy). There is more information about The Conservancy’s mission and board of directors here.

Yes! Our partner Hotwire Communications will provide free WiFi at amenity areas along The Underline.

The Underline is proud to have Brickell’s first public restrooms, provided and managed by the Downtown Development Authority, and are located at the south entrance of the Urban Gym on SW 1st Ave between SW 8th and SW 7th streets. Amenities like these enhance The Underline as a world class destination for all members of the Miami community and its millions of annual visitors.

The total projected construction cost of the Underline is over $120 million, which includes:
$80 million for the two trails, lighting, seating, native landscaping, and other amenities.
$20 million for intersections improvements (over 30 intersections).
$20 million for destination parks.

Construction for this public-private project is being funded with federal, state, local, and private contributions. Operations for the facility will be led by The Underline Conservancy, which will be supported with public and private funds.

Notable funding sources include: Miami-Dade County; US DOT; the State of Florida; FDOT; the cities of Miami, Coral Gables, and South Miami; the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Baptist Health South Florida, Swire Properties, Florida Power & Light, the Miami Foundation, the Health Foundation of South Florida; and Mitchell Wolfson Foundation.

For a complete breakdown of current funding by phase, please refer to our Phases page here.

Our team is very focused on ensuring the financial health of the Conservancy. Tax deductible donations of any amount will support ongoing operations, maintenance and programs. Larger donations can be directed to the Conservancy’s endowment, or to naming and sponsorship of amenities, programs and art.

Yes, Friends of The Underline is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and our most recent financials can be found on Guidestar.

Your donations will be used to help support the mission of Friends of The Underline and The Underline Conservancy. Both organizations are 501(C)3 non-profit organizations and your donations are tax-deductible.

Our team is very focused on ensuring the financial health of the Conservancy. Tax deductible donations of any amount will support ongoing operations, maintenance and programs. Larger donations can be directed to the Conservancy’s endowment, or to naming and sponsorship of amenities, programs and art.

You can donate online through our website or send a check made out to Friends of The Underline and mailed to:

Friends of The Underline
1800 SW 1st Ave., Suite 504
Miami, Fl 33129

Every tax-deductible dollar you donate will support our mission and contribute to a safer, more resilient, and more beautiful Miami. If you have questions, please contact Leana Cianfoni at 305-603-9895 or leana.cianfoni@theunderline.org.

We have naming opportunities within the park starting at a $1000 contribution, and we welcome your support. For more information, contact Amy Rosenberg at 305-610-8091 or amy.rosenberg@theunderline.org

The MPath is a paved multi-use trail in urban Miami-Dade County that opened in 1983 and is part of the Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) system. The trail follows an MDT right-of-way under the elevated Metrorail guideways. The MPath generally follows US 1 (South Dixie Highway) and crosses 28 roadway intersections. The path connects the Metrorail stations of Brickell, Vizcaya, Coconut Grove, Douglas Road, the University of Miami, and Dadeland South.

During construction, the MPath will be accessible to cyclists and pedestrians as always, but some detours might occur.

All Underline visitors will be treated with dignity and respect. To ensure that everyone’s experience is safe and welcoming, The Underline has posted park rules. Additionally, we will have 24-hour security. Plus, several members of our maintenance crew have experienced homelessness, and we believe they will be our best ambassadors for people experiencing homelessness. We are also working closely with the Homeless Trust to ensure that we may refer those individuals looking for housing or food to the right place.

The Underline works directly with Miami-Dade’s Homeless Trust, where they provide outreach and surveying along The Underline in order to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with services and resources that may be available to them. Through our partnership, we have formerly unhoused people staffing our mobile bathrooms for job training and long-term job placement. Finally, we partner with Hermanos de la Calle who comes to our park on a monthly basis to interview those seeking housing to see if they can provide much needed resources, such as showers, housing or mental health assistance.

Skateboarders are welcome to skate on the bike path but cannot skate on the pedestrian paths, furnishings or amenities. Security will ensure posted park rules are followed and will educate skaters of nearby skateboarding facilities. There is a great skatepark in downtown Miami below 1-95 near the Government Center Metrorail station located on NW 1st St & NW 3rd Ave, Lot 11.

Scooters are permitted on The Underline’s designated bike trails. However, The Underline is considered a “slow zone” due to its connection to mass transit and the many people transferring between train, bus and trolley. The maximum allowable speed is 10 MPH.

Fundamental to The Underline’s plan is to implement Universal Design principles: “The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” The Underline master plan and phase 1 design make physical improvements to the path, trails and amenities that increase safety and improve visibility at intersection crossings to help meet people with visual, hearing, cognitive, mobility and other difficulties navigate The Underline.

The Underline complies with all ADA requirements and accepts service animals as defined by the ADA. Service animals are defined as dogs or miniature horses that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. All pets must be on a leash. Owners of pets are responsible for cleaning up after their pets.

The Underline is pet-friendly! We ask that all animals be on a leash and that you please use the bags at the many pet waste stations to pick up after your pet. Help us keep The Underline beautiful for everyone!

The Underline Phase 2 project consists of approximately 2.14 miles of improvements running parallel or below the Metrorail that extends from SW 19th Avenue to SW 13th Street. 

For more information about The Underline phases click here.

The Underline Phase 2 construction will begin Monday, August 30th, 2021, and will be completed March 2024.

For more information about The Underline’s phases click here.

Yes, to do this work safely, it will be necessary to perform lanes closures along US1 from Vizcaya Station to SW 19th Avenue, and detour pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the current M-Path into the City’s local streets. All efforts are being made to minimize the impact from the construction activities to area residents, pedestrians, bicyclists, Metrorail and Metrobus patrons, businesses, and motorists.

For more information on specific US1 Lane Closures and M-Path Detour click here.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) by email at: TheUnderline@miamidade.gov

The project is aimed at enhancing communities and improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Enhancements include new dedicated pedestrian and bicycle trails, landscape, and lighting. The amenities will include native vegetation landscaping; way finding signage; lighting; plaza & recreational areas located adjacent to Simpson Park, Vizcaya Metrorail Station and between SW 17th and SW 16th Avenue.

For more information about The Underline’s phases click here.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) by email at: TheUnderline@miamidade.gov

You can also review The Underline Phase 2 Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) Construction Fact Sheet & Detours here.

When completed this phase will have over 800 new native trees to support nature, climate and The Underline visitor experience.  

Phase 2 is a 2.14-mile segment of the 10-mile Underline and is built on three key drivers:  safe multi-modal transportation, nature and community.  After hundreds of presentations, public meetings, surveys and listening sessions over 6 years, residents said they wanted: both biking and walking paths (widening the paths to over 18 feet total); and from the Pine Rockland and Hardwood Hammock ecosystems, native trees, grasses and shrubs and plants to attract and support butterflies, birds and bees.  

To prepare for adding over 100,000 new plants and trees, and to have enough width for the new paths and park spaces, existing trees and plants were evaluated for their health, potential liabilities, bike and pedestrian conflicts, required clearances from the Metrorail, and their location within the park.  

Once construction is complete, Phase 2 will add over 1,000 native trees.  Because the soil must be remediated, existing planting is addressed first.  Of the existing trees, 151 will be removed because they are in poor condition or are too close to the Metrorail train tracks and the future paths.  A certified arborist will oversee tree pruning and the relocation of 226 trees.  Any lost tree canopy will be mitigated through a contribution to the tree trust fund.  

Phase 2 will also feature the project’s first of many bioswales, green infrastructure that will help with stormwater flooding and runoff. 

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Miami Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) who is leading construction by email at: TheUnderline@miamidade.gov

For every tree removed, The Underline is adding 5 new trees. Here are the details for this area:

Near Vizcaya station, the trees are being removed to allow more lighting to be installed to ensure the safety of all of The Underline’s users and nearby residents. The removed trees will be replaced with Gumbo Limbo and Dade County Pine- species native to South Florida. Along US I, the project will install a natural barrier of native shrubs and grasses to comply with police visibility and safety standards.

All of the new trees are a minimum 12’ tall. It’s difficult to say how long before they reach maturity but our landscape team expects new trees to double in height in 5-10 years (the existing Mahoganies are 30′ tall). New Sabal Palms planted are much taller but will grow more slowly

The existing shade trees that are being removed were evaluated by a certified arborist. Over the years they have not been pruned properly and are now poorly formed, one-sided, have exposed roots and codominant branching. However, these existing remaining trees are 30’ tall with a 40’-50’ spread. They provide shade for both the motorist and the cyclists and pedestrians on the path. That is why we are trying to keep as many of them as we can while also addressing safety issues like CPTED, lighting, bike and pedestrian conflicts, etc.

Please contact Nick Howard at (239) 994-7770 at Florida Power & Light for concerns regarding the undergrounding of transmission lines along The Underline.

We are proud to say, “yes”! The Underline has won

• 2021 Monicle Magazine Urban Design Intervention Award
• 2022 ASLA NY Merit Award
• 2022 Architizer A+: Architecture + Urban Transformation Award
• 2022 AIANY + ASLANY Transportation + Infrastructure Design Excellence Honor Award
• 2022 Best Public Art: The Allegory by Edny Jean Joseph
• 2022 Honorable Mention: The Architect’s Newspaper Best of Design Awards for Urban Design & Master Plan design
• 2023 Rethinking The Future Awards

For more information on how to bring The Underline to your neighborhood, please contact the Miami Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works by email at theunderline@miamidade.gov.

The mailing address for The Underline office is
1172 South Dixie Hwy #174
Coral Gables, FL 33146

The Rain Gardens and other sections along The Underline will include Micro-forests, an innovative reforestation approach pioneered by Akira Miyawaki. These compactly planted micro-forests consist of a wide array of native South Florida plant species working together to form a rich, multi-layered forest environment. Through the Miyawaki reforestation method, trees grow ten times faster, resulting in a forest that is twenty times more biodiverse and thirty times denser compared to conventional reforestation methods. The Underline initiative is leading the way in introducing this planting technique to South Florida.

Parking will not be negatively impacted at any Metrorail station. University Station will have the same amount of parking spaces reconfigured for closer access to the Metrorail station. We are creating more green space without reducing the number of parking spaces.