Monroe County officials tour FDOT TMC, coordinate U.S. 1 traffic strategies

Monroe County Mayor Michelle Lincoln led a delegation to the Florida Department of Transportation District Six Transportation Management Center in Miami on March 6, 2026 to view the real-time traffic monitoring and incident-management systems used across South Florida and the Florida Keys. “This tour really highlighted how much is happening to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently along U.S. 1,” Lincoln said after the guided visit.

The county delegation included Commissioner Jim Scholl, County Attorney Bob Shillinger, Growth Management Director Emily Schemper, Public Information Officer Kristen Livengood, Executive Aide Kacey Hunt, and Leo Morin of Public Works. They met with FDOT District Six Secretary Daniel Iglesias and center staff to review the Transportation Systems Management and Operations program and how it is applied to the constrained U.S. 1 corridor.

FDOT District Six officials demonstrated the tools that underpin TSM&O: an inventory that includes 95 cameras, 37 traffic signals, dynamic messaging signs, pedestrian beacons, emergency signals, and nearly 60 roadside units supporting corridor operations. Center staff routinely monitor roadway conditions, coordinate responses to crashes and lane closures, and communicate with partner agencies including the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, and local emergency services.

County and FDOT leaders cited U.S. 1 incident and work volumes to frame the need for those tools: in 2025, officials reported 476 scheduled roadwork events on U.S. 1, 130 crashes that caused lane blockages, and 23 disabled vehicles that caused lane blockages. Officials portrayed TSM&O as a way to improve roadway performance and safety through real-time data, advanced signal coordination, and integrated communications without major roadway expansion.

Separately, FDOT District Six hosted the bi-annual Monroe County Traffic Incident Management Team meeting at the Monroe County Emergency Operations Center, a facility that opened in September 2024 and is described as a state-of-the-art, hurricane-hardened building. The TIM meeting included construction updates from the District Six Construction Office and the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, and concluded with a tour of the EOC.

Among construction items discussed was the Plantation Key Transmission Main Replacement Project, a six-mile drinking water pipeline replacement between Snake Creek at Mile Marker 85.5 and Julep Road in Tavernier at Mile Marker 92. The project is scheduled for completion in March 2026 and, officials reported, “has progressed ahead of schedule due to strong stakeholder coordination, proactive public outreach, and effective traffic management strategies.”

The Miami TMC tour and the Monroe County TIM meeting are separate but related efforts to align county officials, FDOT District Six and local agencies around traffic management on U.S. 1. County and FDOT representatives said they will continue bi-annual TIM coordination and TSM&O operations as the Plantation Key project nears its March 2026 completion and as the Keys navigate summer visitor traffic.