The Underline

The Underline
The Underline, near Brickell station, December 2022
Length	10 mi (16 km)
Location	Miami, Florida, U.S.
Trailheads	Miami River Greenway Dadeland South station
Use	Linear park, shared-use path
Waymark	Bike Route M
Surface	Asphalt
Right of way	Metrorail
Maintained by	Miami-Dade County
Website	theunderline.org

The Underline is a 10-mile-long (16 km) linear park under development in Miami-Dade County, Florida. When completed, it will run beneath the county's elevated Metrorail system between the Brickell neighborhood of Downtown Miami and Dadeland South station in Kendall. The project converts a pre-existing bicycle and pedestrian path known as the MetroPath or M-Path. At Dadeland South, the Underline connects with the South Dade Trail forming a continuous corridor extending south to Florida City.

The first phase of The Underline, located in the Brickell area, was completed on February 26, 2021. The second phase, extending from Brickell to just south of Vizcaya station, opened on April 24, 2024. The third and final phase is scheduled for completion in 2026.

Route

Brickell station exercise park and MetroPath sign opened in 2016

The Underline begins at the Miami River in the Brickell neighborhood of Downtown Miami, where it connects with the Miami River Greenway. From there, it runs south beneath the Metrorail through Brickell, Coral Gables, and Kendall, terminating at Dadeland South station.^[1]

At Dadeland South, the Underline is planned to connect with the proposed Ludlam Trail linear park.^[2] It also connects with the 22-mile-long (35 km) South Dade Trail, which follows the former Florida East Coast Railway right-of-way along the South Dade TransitWay to Florida City.^[3] Together, the two paths form a continuous 32-mile-long (51 km) off-road corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.^[4] The routes are included within the East Coast Greenway project to create a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) trail network connecting Maine to Florida.^[5]

Brickell Backyard

The first phase consists of the north end of the line, which is called the Brickell Backyard. The Brickell Backyard is an urban park along The Underline that includes the Typoe Sculpture Garden, a sound stage plaza, Urban Gym with basketball court, workout stations, and a running track, as well as butterfly gardens with native plants that surround gathering spaces.^[1]

Hammock Trail

The second phase consists of a linear trail between the Brickell Backyard and SW 19th Ave. This part of The Underline rehabilitates over 100,000 native plants and trees. It includes the Hammock Playground, Vizcaya Station Plaza, and the Rain Garden.^[1] It is also adjacent to Simpson Park Hammock, one of the few remaining pieces of the area's native tropical hardwood hammock along the Miami Rock Ridge.

History

The MetroPath bridge over the entrance to the Snapper Creek Expressway opened in 2011.

The Underline developed from the MetroPath (M-Path), a bicycle and pedestrian path constructed largely alongside the opening of the Metrorail in 1984. The M-Path was originally built as a service road for the Metrorail.^[4] The corridor follows the former right-of-way of the Florida East Coast Railway's main line between Miami and Kendall, which was abandoned in 1972 and purchased by Miami-Dade County in 1979.^[6]

In late 2011, the M-Path was extended with the addition of a 200-foot (61 m) bridge over the entrance to the Snapper Creek Expressway (State Road 878) near Dadeland North station, completing a continuous route with the exception of several interruptions at major road crossings, including near Coral Way and Douglas Road.^[7]

In 2014, proposals were introduced to redevelop the M-Path as a linear park. The concept was advanced by the nonprofit group Friends of the GreenLink, with planning support from the University of Miami.^[8][9] By 2015, the project was formally named The Underline, with design work led by James Corner and recognition by Miami-Dade County.^[10]

The first phase of The Underline, called the Brickell Backyard runs a half-mile from the Miami River to SW 13th Street in the Brickell area, opened on February 26, 2021. The second phase, extending the Underline 2.14 miles from SW 13th Street through historic Roads, Shenandoah, and Silver Bluff neighborhoods in the City of Miami to SW 19th Avenue just south of Vizcaya station, opened on April 24, 2024.^[11] The third and final phase is a 7.36-mile segment from SW 19th Avenue to Dadeland South station is scheduled for completion in 2026.^[1][12]

References

1. "Phases". The Underline. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
2. "Ludlam Trail". Miami-Dade County. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
3. "South Dade Trail". TrailLink.com. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
4. Garcia, Tony (January 4, 2012). "Cyclists to celebrate closing M-Path's Dadeland Gap". Transit Miami. Archived from the original on January 17, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
5. "Florida". East Coast Greenway. Retrieved September 17, 2025. Designated Trails in Florida ... M Path / South Dade Greenway, Miami-Dade County; 30 mi.
6. "FEC Historical Timeline". Florida East Coast Railway Society. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
7. "M-Path Extension Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail". Florida Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
8. Robbins, John Charles (June 18, 2014). "Will Miami's Metrorail shade a linear park?". Miami Today. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
9. Robbins, John Charles (September 10, 2014). "10-mile linear park gets new look". Miami Today. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
10. "The Underline". Miami-Dade County. November 10, 2015. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
11. Duran, Jose D. (April 24, 2024). "Phase 2 Of Miami's Linear Park And Trail, The Underline, Just Opened". Miami New Times. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
12. "Phase 3, The Underline". Miami-Dade County. Retrieved April 25, 2024.

External links

• The Underline
• Car Free America - The Underline is Great. Here's How We Make It Better.