Sticker shock in Fort Lauderdale: Tunnel Top Plaza cost taxpayers close to $13 million

FORT LAUDERDALE — The artificial turf zone along Las Olas known as Tunnel Top Plaza cost taxpayers nearly $12.7 million — an extra $2 million more than expected.

City officials hoped the pricey addition would transform the area that sits atop the U.S. 1 tunnel into a trendy gathering spot. But some residents, including the mayor, are less than impressed with the current bunker-like look.

Tunnel Top Plaza, the new pedestrian plaza that sits above the Henry E. Kinney tunnel on Federal Highway, was built by the state Department of Transportation.

Last year, while the plaza and its terraced seating areas were still under construction, Mayor Dean Trantalis told state DOT officials he had concerns.

“It’s almost like it’s a compound you’re creating,” he said. “Like a defense position, like we’re going to blow up our canyons there. A bunker. Let’s be careful about that. We don’t want to create visual barriers to an area where we were trying to create an open area.”

Now that it’s finished, does he still feel that way?

“It does look like a bunker,” Trantalis said. “It doesn’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling to it. I still feel there could be more landscaping and greenery. We’re going to do our best to enhance it with outdoor artwork and not have it look so industrial.”

The South Florida Sun Sentinel requested a cost breakdown from the city in December, when city officials celebrated the opening of the plaza with a ribbon cutting.

At the time, Fort Lauderdale officials said they didn’t have those details and asked the Sun Sentinel to check back in April.

Initial estimates came in at $10.6 million.

The final tally has come to $12.67 million, said Carl Williams, director of Parks and Recreation. The city used $2.35 million in park impact fees and $10.3 million in parks bond money to fund the project.

Here’s where most of the money went:

— $4.1 million to extend the tunnel 117 feet to the north.

— About $2 million for site work on four distinct sections of the park: Tunnel Top Plaza: $625,000. Icon Plaza: $415,000. Laura Ward Plaza: $600,000. Cheesecake Factory Plaza: $410,000.

— $1 million for landscaping.

— $1.5 million to raise Las Olas Boulevard and Southeast Sixth Avenue in the plaza section of the park.

— $1 million to reconstruct the north side of a ventilation building and remove an FPL vault.

Some cost overruns were caused by the April 12 flood and other high-impact rain events, City Manager Greg Chavarria told the Sun Sentinel.

“What doesn’t cost more than budgeted?” Vice Mayor Steve Glassman said when asked whether he was surprised the project cost nearly $13 million.

Glassman, however, remains concerned about the look of the plaza.

Trees and art should help fix the plaza’s stark appearance, he said.

‘A work in progress’

Months ago, the city accepted a $5 million donation from the estate of the late James Winder Laird to fund the acquisition of public art in the vicinity of Tunnel Top Plaza.

“Folks I am hearing from are underwhelmed,” Glassman said of the current state of affairs. “While most like the openness on both the north and south side of Las Olas, there is consensus that the landscaping needs to be beefed up. I am hopeful that the significant public art pieces will be accompanied by more green to soften the streetscape.”

Trantalis urged critics to reserve judgment until the city has a chance to add its finishing touches.

“It’s a work in progress,” he said. “It’s not done yet. We created additional open space for downtown where we’re installing several objects of art from internationally-known artists. It will be an important feature of our urban landscape. And we’re proud of what we will be able to create.”

Downtown resident Stan Eichelbaum says he’s waiting to see if the city can work some magic with its new art and more shade trees.

“It’s not done yet. But we have artificial turf reducing true green space,” said Eichelbaum, who heads the group Fort Lauderdale Alliance for Good Government. “The amount of green downtown is like postage stamps. There are concerns about that.”

Not everyone is reserving judgment.

“It’s just a slab of astro turf with a few trees on the west side with cascading stairs,” said activist Ted Inserra, who plans to run for commission in the city’s November election. “I was against it from the beginning. It’s an overpriced plaza on Las Olas. And we’re not getting our money’s worth.”

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan