Florida

Concrete Barriers Going Up on Miami Beach's Lincoln Road

Renowned for shopping and dining, Miami Beach's Lincoln Road is about to take a step toward safety as the eight-block promenade will soon be book-ended by concrete barriers to prevent a terror attack like the one that unfolded in Barcelona last week.

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine alerted residents on Tuesday of plans to install 13 to 14 concrete barriers at the main entrances to Lincoln Road, Alton Road to the west and Washington Avenue to the east to protect citizens and tourists.

City manager Jimmy Morales said the barriers should be in place by Friday.

"We have major events on Lincoln Road like Halloween, New Year's Eve, I think folks will feel more comfortable," Morales said Tuesday. "The world is changing and we need to be prepared."

Levine also wrote a letter to Florida Gov. Rick Scott suggesting the state identify high-traffic pedestrian walking areas in cities that could potentially be targeted, partially fund the purchase of barriers to prevent entry by vehicles and develop security expertise for local police forces to be prepared in the event of an attack.

The city said the barriers would likely be in place for two to three years until a more visually pleasing option is budgeted, as part of a major capital renovation project on Lincoln Road.

"Once we put them in place we'll figure out ways in the short term to make them not look so bad, we'll do what we can but in the short term we'll prioritize safety over aesthetics," Morales said.

But the idea isn't sitting well with some locals and visitors.

"Why do that? It's not going to prevent people from doing that sort of terrorism, they'll find another way of doing it. I think people are just scared and maybe the mayor is reacting to the fear," said Pardip Sandhar, a tourist from England.

"I think there's other ways you can create safety precautions for people outside of building a wall," Miami Beach resident Amyr Gorge said.

The city is also looking at what can be done in other parts of the city, along Ocean Drive for example, to increase pedestrian safety there.

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