A makeover for a major thoroughfare begins Monday morning on South Beach as crews will be making upgrades on Alton Road.
The work began at 9 a.m. and will affect Alton road from 5th Street near the MacArthur Causeway all the way to Michigan Avenue - more than 15 blocks.
Between Michigan Avenue and Dade Boulevard, the middle lanes were closed in both directions as engineers tore up a median to replace a buried water main.
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"It's gonna be a logistical nightmare for us," resident Sharon Jacobson said.
Crews will be repaving the street, adding new lighting, traffic signals, barriers, and new sidewalks. The sidewalk expansion will also make 80 parking spaces disappear.
"That's not good, that's not good. You know parking is horrible to begin with," Jacobson said.
In a later phase, workers will also install three new pumping stations between 5th and 14th Streets to help alleviate flooding that often covers Alton Road.
"The pumping stations are really a necessity," Miami Beach resident Sylvia Moss said. "When there's a flood we're always worried that something could happen to our property."
The project is expected to last 845 days.
"It's a great place to live, I guess that's the price you have to pay," Jacobson said.
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Photo Credit: NBC6.com