A new stretch of The Underline is open between Dadeland South and South Miami, giving walkers and cyclists another completed piece of Miami-Dade's 10-mile park-and-trail corridor beneath Metrorail.

The latest opening covers 1.2 miles from the Dadeland South Metrorail station to Southwest 80th Street in South Miami, according to a Florida Trend summary of Miami Herald reporting. The segment brings the project to its southernmost point and adds a butterfly garden and micro-forest plantings.

The practical change is simple: people near Dadeland South, downtown South Miami and the US 1 corridor now have more completed off-street space for short walking, biking and Metrorail-linked trips instead of waiting for the full Phase 3 ribbon-cutting.

What opened

The new section is part of Phase 3, the final 7.36-mile piece of The Underline. Miami-Dade County says Phase 3 connects Southwest 19th Avenue near Vizcaya Metrorail station to Dadeland South and links the City of Miami, Coral Gables, South Miami and unincorporated Miami-Dade.

County project pages describe Phase 3 as a transportation, nature and community project. Planned or delivered features include safer walking and biking paths, lighting, improved crosswalks, resting areas, hydration stations, bike racks, repair stations, trash and recycling receptacles, free Wi-Fi, public art and programmable event areas.

That makes the newly opened stretch more than a recreational amenity. It is another piece of a north-south route that can help residents combine short bike or walking trips with Metrorail, especially around stations where US 1 traffic and disconnected sidewalks can make the last mile feel longer than it looks on a map.

Why Miami riders should care

The opening matters because The Underline is not just a park. It is meant to make Metrorail stations easier to reach without a car and to turn the land beneath the guideway into a usable corridor. Miami-Dade says the completed project is expected to improve access to eight Metrorail stations and nearby neighborhoods.

The county also says Phase 3 includes 1,800 new trees and palms and 350,000 native plants, including shrubs, small palms, grasses and perennials. Along the US 1 corridor, the project is also tied to improvements at 25 intersections.

For South Miami, the local consequence is immediate: a larger finished trail section gives residents, commuters and nearby businesses a more visible public-space connection between the rail line, neighborhood streets and future programming areas. It also gives the county another real-world test of how people use the corridor before final Phase 3 work is complete.

What happens next

Miami-Dade still lists Phase 3 completion for 2026. Once all three phases are complete, the county says The Underline will become its first full mobility corridor uniting walking, biking, transit access and public space along the Metrorail line.

For now, the key local takeaway is narrower: South Miami and Dadeland users have another finished section to test before the entire corridor is done. Anyone planning a trip should still check current access points, construction advisories and Metrorail connections before relying on the full route.