Work on Miami airport transit hub stopped

The Florida Department of Transportation abruptly ordered its managers to stop work on Miami-Dade's $1.4 billion regional transportation hub. The decision comes as talks between the county and state have produced no resolution to keep the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) fully funded, reported The Miami Herald. The future of the MIC, which was planned next to the airport, was in question last month when the county aviation director announced her proposal to scale back the $5.4 billion expansion of the Miami International Airport because of the Sept. 11 attacks and a weakening economy. One of her suggestions was to delay spending $400 million on a peoplemover that would connect the airport to the intermodal center. The DOT has said that the $436 million in federal loans are contingent on the peoplemover, which is only part of the MIC that the county agreed to bankroll, said the Herald.