The Florida Dept. of Transportation breathed life into its plans for a $1-billion Port of Miami Tunnel, agreeing after days of intense negotiations with local officials and the South Florida legislative delegation to attempt to reach an agreement with its original concessionaire Miami Access Tunnel, even though MAT’s equity partner Babcock & Brown of Australia bailed out of the deal late last year.
FDOT Secretary Stephanie C. Kopelousos stated in a letter to Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez that the agency would make its technical team available to participate in a working group with county staff, who hope to use the exisiting procurement, even though FDOT believes reprocuring would save time and avoid risks associated with continuing on the current path with MAT.