The Underline's construction is expected to finish by December. The Miami Herald reported in October that this is years ahead of schedule, thanks to a large federal grant. The early finish also moves up the bill. Once the full trail is complete, operating costs are expected to come to about $9.5 million a year.
For anyone who starts a run at the Brickell Backyard, the change this winter has two parts. A continuous trail will run from the Miami River to Dadeland South. And from here on, every planter, court and class along it will be paid for through private sponsors and funding agreements that the cities renew one year at a time.
Seven miles open, three to go
As of the Herald's August 17 report, seven of the trail's ten miles were finished and open. That count came after a 1.17-mile segment from Dadeland to South Miami was formally opened on August 15. The section still under construction runs through Coral Gables and along the University of Miami. The Herald said it will hold some of the trail's most elaborate features. Meg Daly, the Underline's founder, has promised "a 10-mile-long party" when it opens. No date has been announced.
Heading south from Brickell, here is what is open today and what is still to come:
- Brickell Backyard. Miami-Dade County's Phase 1 page lists the River Room, the Urban Gym, the Promenade and the Oolite Room, which has four butterfly gardens. At SW 1st Avenue and SW 11th Street, the Oolite Room also holds Edny Jean Joseph's mural "The Allegory."
- Simpson Park to SW 19th Avenue. The County's Phase 2 page names the Simpson Park Playground Area, Vizcaya Station Plaza and 17th Avenue Plaza. It also notes a bike repair station at the Vizcaya Metrorail stop.
- Phase 3. This phase starts at SW 19th Avenue and runs 7.36 miles to Dadeland South. One of its first pieces in Coral Gables was the Chewy Bark Park, which opened January 31, 2026.
- The unfinished middle. The Underline's site lists Pineland Courts near Carillo Street and Stanford Drive by the University of Miami, with four pickleball courts and one regulation basketball court. Rock Ridge Plaza is listed nearby as a space for events, food vendors, classes and art activations.
- The newest southern stretch. The August segment includes the Nikki Spoelstra Play Forest, a butterfly garden, a village of birdhouses and a micro-forest. It also connects directly to a South Miami Hospital meditation garden that was built several years ago. The garden stayed locked until the trail section next to it was finished.
Rebuilding that stretch also meant replacing a bridge over a canal just north of SW 80th Street. The bridge dated to the years when the corridor carried Henry Flagler's railroad.
The names on the signs
Many of the places on that list carry a sponsor's name, and that tells you how the trail was built.
| Place | Where | Who is behind it |
|---|---|---|
| Inter Stage | 805 SW 1st Avenue, Brickell | Inter, also the sponsor of Inter Bikes |
| UYoga and UPilates classes | Urban Gym and Inter Stage, Brickell | Baptist Health, through UMove |
| Chewy Bark Park | Coral Gables | Chewy, with the City of Coral Gables |
| Nikki Spoelstra Play Forest | South Miami | A $500,000 gift from Nikki Spoelstra |
| Meditation garden | Next to South Miami Hospital | Baptist Health |
Nikki Spoelstra told the Herald, in remarks quoted in its August coverage, that she "wanted to create something that would have lasting impact". Gifts like hers paid for many of the trail's best-known features. Running the trail once it's built is a separate cost that comes back every year.
Finishing early brings the bill forward
The Herald's September 18 report described Underline leaders asking Coral Gables and Miami to cover higher operating costs. Daly told Gables commissioners that the public "will expect and deserves a clean, safe, beautiful and professionally maintained park." She said that means 24-hour security, 24-hour landscaping, graffiti removal and upkeep of the recreational spaces. "This is not a temporary project," she said. "This is civic infrastructure with shared responsibility."
By October, the numbers were set. The Herald reported that Coral Gables commissioners voted to move $500,000 from city projects to Underline operations and maintenance for fiscal year 2027. Commissioner Melissa Castro cast the only no vote, saying she wanted to give the Underline more. That is half of the $1 million that Daly, now chair of the Underline Conservancy, and Friends of the Underline CEO Eulois Cleckley had requested. The city will also give the requested $180,000 for fiscal year 2026. In return, the city gets a seat on the Conservancy board, with its appointee chosen by the City Commission. The Underline will need to come back to the commission for future funding.
The full funding plan for the corridor has several parts:
- Private money. Friends of the Underline aims to cover 60% of estimated operating costs next year through donors and sponsorships.
- Miami-Dade County. The County agreed to three years of operating funding that decreases each year: $1.8 million this year, $1.5 million in next year's budget, then $973,000. Nothing is guaranteed after that.
- The three cities. Money from Coral Gables, Miami and South Miami fills in as the County's support decreases. Daly said she hopes heavy city support will only be needed temporarily.
In September, Coral Gables officials also pushed for terms that would keep the city and other public partners from covering any shortfall if the Underline's fundraising falls short. The Brickell Backyard is inside the City of Miami, one of the cities now being asked to contribute. The upkeep of Brickell's stretch depends on the same mix as the rest of the trail: sponsors, a County share that shrinks each year, and city budget votes.
What the sponsorship model looks like on a Brickell weekday
Much of the free programming in Brickell's segment already comes from this model. Baptist Health funds the Underline's free UMove wellness series. UYoga meets every Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Urban Gym on SW 1st Avenue between SW 7th and SW 8th streets. Anny Noratto teaches it, and registration is required. On October 14, UPilates with LitPilates holds a free mat-fusion class at Inter Stage from 6 to 7 p.m. Farther south, a Thursday UYoga class meets from 7 to 8 p.m. at Vizcaya Station Plaza. On Saturdays, Inter Stage also hosts the Underline Market, run with East Coast Markets.
Getting around also runs on a sponsor's name. In its November 2025 launch notice, Inter Bikes planned for 125 pedal bikes and 10 stations at full deployment. In a September 14 update, Inter listed seven stations: Brickell Station, Hammock Playground, Vizcaya Station, Inter Grove Gallery, The Underline Plaza, South Miami Station at 5949 Sunset Drive, and Dadeland North Station at 6600 SW 80th Street. With those docks, you can pick up a bike in Brickell, ride to the South Miami segment and return it there. Once the middle section opens, the whole route will be finished trail.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado told the Herald, in its August report, that people "are so used to broken promises that they are excited to see it come to life." Under the agreement approved in October, the Underline will return to the Coral Gables City Commission to ask for funding beyond fiscal year 2027.
In Brickell, the walk to the trail is part of what a building offers. If that matters to your next purchase or sale, Cassis Burke Collection can tell you which towers have the closest access to the Underline's Brickell entrances. Request a private consultation.
