|
THE WEST DADE CONNECTION is a route that had been promised for years, and it finally got going on Sunday April 30th. It started slowly but now there are actual BUSLOADS going up into International Mall, and vice-versa. The route takes 107th Avenue to Flagler, then west to Flagler Street's end at 118th Avenue (The enterance of Paul Bell Middle School). It heads north into the Imperial Lakes / Shoma Homes area via NW 118th Ave., 6th Street, 132nd Avenue , and then west on SW 8 St. to 137th Avenue. From there, it's straight down 137th to 160th street, going through Bent Tree, Kendall Lakes, the Tamiami Airport, and Country Walk. Then it veers off 137th into the Area South Of Country Walk (I think it's called South Groves or something.) via 160th Street, 142nd avenue, 168th Street and 147th avenue. At SW 180TH Street it goes back east, into Serena Lakes. There's a horseshoe loop that is: 142nd avenue north, 171 street east, and 139 avenue south to 180th. The bus returns to 137th briefly to go down to 184th Street. Between 184th and 200th 137th avenue is too rural and narrow. It runs east on 184th to 122nd avenue, entering South Miami Heights. It runs south on 122nd to 200 street, east to 117th avenue, south on 177th as it curves into 211 street eastbound and into the mall. Now anybody, like myself, who lives in The Heights, knows that between SW 192 St. and SW 208 St. there are actually TWO 117th avenue, on either side of Roberta Hunter Park (Named for a now-deceased Southridge HS teacher.) , and both are two lane, two way streets, which are narrowish. The south bound bus will go on the 117th that is on the west side of the park, while northbound buses take the busier 117th on the east side. The park, prior to 1996, was a rock, dusty median strip that was some 50 feet wide. Cars used to cut across it a lot, I suspect that a spur of the old FEC railroad went up there, similar to the way SW 72 avenue is just north of Coral Way Division , where the tracks go right down the middle of the street. Or maybe an old RR yard was there, since it's very wide. Hmm.
The destination sign setup above works only if the bus' headsign is equipped with a CONNECTION on the curtain. Otherwise paper and placards are used. Some don't even have hedsigns anymore thus the need for paper signs. |
|
