An Award-Winning Response to Rising Sea Levels

In January of 2015, the Miami Herald reported that Miami Beach city officials wanted to raise West Avenue 1.5 to 2 feet in an effort to prepare the city’s lowest lying points for the anticipated sea level rise.  That same year, the New York Times reported that researchers at the University of Miami had found that sea levels at Virginia Key, just south of Miami Beach, had risen almost four inches over nearly two decades. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration added that as much as 6 feet of sea level rise was possible by century’s end.

Sea level rise only exacerbated an existing problem – flooding of low-lying streets during rain and high tides.

In response, Bergeron Land Development and the City of Miami Beach undertook numerous aggressive design-build projects including a multi-million-dollar project to install pump stations along the highly traveled South Miami Beach thoroughfare Alton Road at 6th, 10th, 14^th, and 17th Streets. When activated, the four pump stations are capable of pumping more than 80 million gallons of water per day. In an area that is three feet below sea level in places, standing water from heavy rains would take days to clear but now, the roadways are clear in 15 minutes.

Additionally, the roadway construction project involved a new drainage system, two bridge modifications, 1.3 miles of complete roadway reconstruction, 220 drainage structures and more than 13,000 feet of pipe.

Bergeron Land Development also reconstructed the seawall at 10th, 14th, 17th streets and Alton Court at the new City of Miami Beach elevations of 5.7 NAVD88. Additionally, Bergeron Land Development reconstructed all underground utilities and raised the streets approximately two feet along West Ave. from 5th St. to 6th Street, 6th St. from Alton Rd. to West Ave., 10th St. from Alton Rd. to Biscayne Bay, 14th St. from Alton Rd. to Biscayne Bay, 17th St. from Alton Rd. to Collins Canal, West Ave. from Lincoln Rd. to 17th St. and Alton Ct. from 17th St. to Collins Canal.

In March 2016, the Cuban-American Association of Civil Engineers awarded Bergeron Land Development with the Project of the Year (Cat. III) for enhancing the image of the profession while advancing the quality of life in our community. Read more about the award.

In August 2016, Bergeron Land Development’s Miami Beach Pump Station project was named a semi-finalist in the annual I Build America Construction Impact Awards.

In September of 2016, Bergeron’s work on the Miami Beach Pump Stations and West Avenue Neighborhood Improvements won the 2016 Best Water/Environment Project by ENR Southeast.