Judge Rules Florida Department of Transportation Can Proceed With "The Fountain" Signature Bridge

A judge has ruled to allow the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to proceed with the winning design for Downtown Miami's proposed $802 million Signature Bridge. The winning design is known as "The Fountain" designed by Archer Western and The de Moya Group. In an April hearing, the State of Florida Division of Administration Hearing ruled in favor of FDOT after bridge advocate and former Miami City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff filed a lawsuit alleging that FDOT violated their 2013 settlement agreement via their handling of bids to design and build the bridge by manipulating scoring to allow the Archer Western and The de Moya Group's proposal to win. Another design by contractors Fluor, Astaldi and MCM, which finished in second, was allegedly the favorite design by community representatives. The court ruled that Fluor-Astaldi-MCM failed to prove that "The Fountain" was chosen due to corruption. The legal action delayed the groundbreaking which was supposed to commence in 2017 and be completed in 2022. The Signature Bridge is expected to cost $802 million with $626 million in funds provided via the State of Florida including state motor fuels tax, vehicle license fee, and documentary stamp collections; and $186 million being funded via MDX toll revenue bond proceeds.