This project entailed an approximately 35-year public-private partnership (P3) contract between the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Miami Access Tunnel consortium (MAT) to design, build, finance, maintain, and operate approximately three miles of tunnel and upgrade a linked causeway and feeder roads. Financial close for the project was reached on October 15, 2009. The project is intended to improve port access by diverting port traffic from city streets, thereby relieving congestion in downtown streets. Construction is expected to commence by mid-2010 and operations are expected to commence in 2014.
The tunneling is technically challenging, and one of the aims of FDOT's procurement strategy was to attract overseas contractors with the necessary technical experience.