Only In Miami: Marlins Want Drawbridge Closed For Home Games
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Should boats wait while traffic heads to and from the new Marlins ballpark on game days? The Marlins say yes, but the people who use the river like their own highway are crying foul. The team is trying to get the US Coast Guard to approve a compromise.
The issue is 2 drawbridges near the ballpark, on the Miami River at 12th and 17th Avenues. Worried that raising the bridges before and after games could snarl traffic, the Marlins first asked that they be locked down an hour before and after weekday games.
CBS news partner The Miami Herald reported that plan was rejected by the Coast Guard, which controls navigation on the river, after groups like the Miami River Marine Group and the Marine Council of Greater Miami complained.
So the Fish have come back with an alternative; lock a single bridge at 12th Avenue down for less than 45 minutes, and only before the start of weeknight games.
The team wrote the Coast Guard advising them of the limited request.
Michael Lieberum, operations chief for the bridge branch of the local Coast Guard district, replied, "We have no plans on moving forward with any proposal for any type of change to the bridge schedule at this time."
However, the Coast Guard is considering a 90-day trial, a plan that will go to the The Miami River Commission in January. A decision will be made after different groups have a chance to comment on the bridge closing plan.
