Bicentennial Park (Metromover station)
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Bicentennial Park is an unused Metromover Station located on the southeast corner of Biscayne Boulevard and I-395 in Miami, Florida. It occupies the northwest corner of Bicentennial Park. The station is along the Metromover's Omni Loop and is in between Omni and Eleventh Street stations. The station opened on May 26, 1994 when the Mover's Omni and Brickell extensions were inaugurated.
The station was beautifully designed with long winding walk paths on the ground level. However the station was underused and subsequently fell prone to chronic vandalism by people who would steal, among other things, the metal edges of the concrete steps that lead to the platform. The Metro-Dade Transit Agency kept replacing the stolen fixtures only for them to be swiped again. With the station being used very little, if at all, (except during the Grand Prix of Miami) MDTA elected to close it effective October 28, 1996.
After the station's closing, the elevator was removed and the shaft closed, and the escalator's steps were removed and the rest of the unit encased in wood. The station's digital "NEXT TRAIN" platform sign was turned off, and the illuminated information sign below it detailing local landmarks and the stations that serve them was covered up with 2 outdated fiberglass signs from First Street and College/Bayside stations. All trains run through the station without stopping.
The station's informational signage on the lower level is still there, however, and stands as a curious throwback to 1996. It refers to "Metro-Dade Transit" (Now Miami-Dade Transit), and lists the Metromover fare as being 25 cents (Metromover became a free system in November 2002). It also lists bus and Metrorail fare as being $1.25 (it was raised to $1.50 in April 2005). It also lists the Transit Agency's customer service number as simply 638-6700, which changed to 305-770-3131 in July 1998, about the same time that Southern Bell (now AT&T) began requiring 10-digit dialing in the Miami area.
Although the station is closed and not expected to reopen in the near future, it is still an active sub-station for track power, and is visited by technicians working on the station's breakers or other equipment. There is also a track crossover just west of the station, consisting of 2 switches that are inspected regularly.
The current boom of development in Miami may some day lead to this station's reopening, with the new Performing Arts Center on the opposite side of I-395, and new 60+ story condos going up across Biscayne Boulevard.
