After rolling nearly 40 years, downtown’s Metromover for two years has been undergoing updates and renovations to keep it gliding, inconveniencing riders in the process. Though that work was due to end next year, officials say it’s lagging and now won’t end until mid-2026. Metromover’s subsystems have “met their designed lifespans” and must be replaced for functionality, according to a statement from the county. Running since 1986, Metromover in September had over 20,000 riders on an average weekday, serving downtown along three routes. “Just for reference, the Metromover’s a little bit older than me, by some months,” said Josiel Ferrer-Diaz, new interim director of the county Department of Transportation of Public Works. “With nearly 40 years, even though there have been some improvements – vehicles, and some of the major core elements, switches – some of the operating system … dates back to 1986. So it was necessary to bring that up to the newer technologies for automatic passenger movers, and this project aims at doing that. Improving and replacing a lot of that infrastructure, making sure that infrastructure is up to date, as well as changing all the operating system behind it to make sure that we have a little bit more flexibility when it comes to operating the Metromover.” Mr. Ferrer-Diaz, who had been chief project delivery officer and deputy department director since 2022, stepped into the position in November after former director Eulois Cleckley left to become CEO of Friends of the Underline, a non-profit dedicated to renovating and landscaping the 120-acre trail under the Metrorail into a park and urban trail. “We’re changing switches, we’re changing cabling, we’re changing a lot of the cabinets,” said Mr. Ferrer-Diaz. “Some of those items that are actually on the guideway, we’re also retrofitting a lot of the vehicles in order to play well with the new technology that’s coming in. “And then on the back end,” he continued, “we’re doing a complete upgrade of the operating system, from an older operating system to a newer operating system, which also carries out even the way that we monitor. If you were to visit our Metromover area, if you look at the wall that operates that, it’s an older wall that basically works on lights. We’re going to revamp all of that to make it a digital wall.” For the better part of two years, Metromover passengers have become familiar with the renovations as stations were closed and operating openings delayed. Mr. Ferrer-Diaz said these closures are necessary for the project to function smoothly, without requiring that the system be shut down altogether in order to do the renovations. “When we talk about these switches and these sectors, we have to close certain stations because they would be isolated as we perform this work,” he said. “We cannot keep certain stations on in operation while we’re working around it. “In addition to that, in order to be able to work in that area, we have to shut off power, which would basically render that station inoperable as we move forward. That’s the need for shutdowns at stations. Those have not happened in any prolonged scenario; those have just been for performance at work,” he said. Originally slated for completion by 2025, Mr. Ferrer-Diaz confirmed that the project has been delayed, due to its complex nature. “The project is a very, very complex project, working with older infrastructure and working as well with an established system that needs to continue to operate, which is the added challenge,” he said. “Most projects of this type completely shut down the system. However, we felt that this is an asset for our community, so we established that the system needed to continue to operate. In doing so, this project has had some delays. Whereas initially the project was intended to finalize sometime in 2025, we’re projecting and finalizing a recovery schedule to finalize it sometime in the middle of 2026.” The project has a solid cost of $150 million, provided by both the People’s Transportation Plan – funded by the county’s half percent transportation sales tax – and Federal Transit Administration funds. Stepping into the role of director in the middle of construction, Mr. Ferrer-Diaz says he is dedicated to seeing the project completed as part of his commitment to the office and to his community, as a lifelong resident. “Personally, stepping into a new role is a challenge. However, commitment is unwavering because I grew up in this community, so the level of commitment and compromise to this community that I have, I cannot repay ever. I face it as a challenge, I face it with the utmost enthusiasm, and I was very familiar with a lot of these projects serving as the chief project delivery officer, so the familiarity is there. But ultimately, it comes down to the enthusiasm that we have to deliver these projects.” Related Posts:County putting Metromover in shape to expandMetromover system overhaul gains fundingBaylink transit linking Miami Beach-Miami rolling aheadCounty puts Baylink on track for 2029 Miami Beach runsSouth Dade bus rapid transit coming ‘sometime’ in 2025The post Metromover upgrade shutdowns extended into 2026 appeared first on Miami Today.