The Port of Miami Tunnel is one of the first public-private partnership (PPP, generally referred to as P3 in North America) projects in the State of Florida. The Port of Miami had only one access point through the city of Miami and was the cause of major traffic congestions in the city. A solution was needed to divert the incoming traffic away from the city centre. The solution was to connect the interstate network with the port through a tunnel. This would divert incoming traffic from the network away from the city.
Being one of the early PPP projects in the State of Florida, the Procuring Authority, the Florida Department of Transport, did not have significant experience in managing PPP contracts.
In addition, the state and city could not provide the financial contribution necessary for the project. The support needed for the realisation and success of the project was provided by the federal government. The Florida Department of Transport provided all the technical, legal and financial expertise needed to manage and deliver the project. The Federal Highway Administration provided a loan of over USD $340 million out of its Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) credit assistance programme.
As a result, the significant federal support in combination with the state, county, and city local knowledge ensured the success of the project. Despite challenges faced in unforeseen ground conditions leading to a dispute, the project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.