State Road 989 (Florida)
Encyclopedia
Locally known as Allapattah Road and South 112th Avenue, State Road 989 is a north–south four lane undivided highway in southern Miami-Dade County, Florida
between Homestead Air Reserve Base and Cutler Bay
. SR 989 begins at an interchange with the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike
(SR 821) and ends at an intersection with South Dixie Highway (US 1).
While the northern end of SR 989 passes by a major shopping center (Southland Mall
, formerly known as Cutler Ridge Mall) and the northern two miles (3 km) feature suburban housing, the majority of the road passes through a large rural area that is slowly losing its foliage plant nurseries, taro
(elephant ear) farms, corn
fields, and tomato
farms.
(the base was deeded over to Dade County for eight years; the United States Department of Defense
resumed control of the base in 1953 and started to rebuild it).
By the late 1960s, the State Road was realigned to Moody Drive to provide increased access to the base's two northern entrance gates as the increasing intensity of the Cold War
and the rise to power of Fidel Castro
in nearby Cuba
amplified the importance of Homestead Air Force Base to the national security
of the United States. The eastern gate was closed and removed. At some point between the realignment and the mid 1970s the road was redesignated SR 989 (the old number was subsequently applied to West Dixie Highway
in North Miami
in 1983).
Since Hurricane Andrew
and subsequent closure of Homestead Air Force Base, SR 989 was truncated to the corner of Allapattah Road and Moody Drive (a handful of SR 989 signs remained on Moody Drive as late as 2002); afterwards, there was another truncation to the Turnpike.
In 1999, the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners accepted a proposal for extending a four-lane Allapattah Road southward to intersect with an extended four-lane Biscayne Drive (South 288th Street), itself a former State Road. While the latter has since been resurfaced, there has been no further action on this matter as the developer of the area, Homestead Air Base Developers, Inc. (HABDI), was embroiled in a controversy that effectively killed the plan.
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
between Homestead Air Reserve Base and Cutler Bay
Cutler Bay, Florida
Cutler Bay, historically called Cutler Ridge, is an incorporated town in Miami-Dade County, Florida from SW 184th Street east of US-1 to the coast, and north of Black Point Marina, at...
. SR 989 begins at an interchange with the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike
Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike
Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike , designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, and originally known as the West Dade Expressway is a north–south free-flow toll road southern extension of the tolled Florida's Turnpike...
(SR 821) and ends at an intersection with South Dixie Highway (US 1).
While the northern end of SR 989 passes by a major shopping center (Southland Mall
Southland Mall (Miami, Florida)
Southland Mall, originally known as Cutler Ridge Mall, is a shopping mall in Cutler Bay , Florida. It opened in 1978 as an extension of the Cutler Ridge Shopping Center, which itself was opened in 1960...
, formerly known as Cutler Ridge Mall) and the northern two miles (3 km) feature suburban housing, the majority of the road passes through a large rural area that is slowly losing its foliage plant nurseries, taro
Taro
Taro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...
(elephant ear) farms, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
fields, and tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
farms.
History
Since its initial designation (as SR 909) in 1945, the configuration and importance of the State Road reflected the importance of Homestead Air Force Base. The original route extended southward to an intersection with Waldin Drive (South 280th Street) to provide an eastern entrance to the base housing area as the base was being reconstructed after being seriously damaged by a 1945 hurricane1945 Southeast Florida hurricane
The 1945 Southeast Florida hurricane was the most intense tropical cyclone of the 1945 Atlantic hurricane season. It made landfall on Homestead, Florida with estimated sustained winds of 140 mph . The ninth tropical storm, third Atlantic hurricane, and third major hurricane of the season, it...
(the base was deeded over to Dade County for eight years; the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
resumed control of the base in 1953 and started to rebuild it).
By the late 1960s, the State Road was realigned to Moody Drive to provide increased access to the base's two northern entrance gates as the increasing intensity of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the rise to power of Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
in nearby Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
amplified the importance of Homestead Air Force Base to the national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
of the United States. The eastern gate was closed and removed. At some point between the realignment and the mid 1970s the road was redesignated SR 989 (the old number was subsequently applied to West Dixie Highway
State Road 909 (Florida)
State Road 909 is a 3.77-mile state highway in northern Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It runs along West Dixie Highway, the original alignment of the Dixie Highway, from the east end of Gratigny Drive in North Miami northeast to North Miami Beach Boulevard in North Miami Beach, just...
in North Miami
North Miami, Florida
North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, and the North Miami campus of Johnson & Wales University...
in 1983).
Since Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the third Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Andrew was the first named storm and only major hurricane of the otherwise inactive 1992 Atlantic hurricane season...
and subsequent closure of Homestead Air Force Base, SR 989 was truncated to the corner of Allapattah Road and Moody Drive (a handful of SR 989 signs remained on Moody Drive as late as 2002); afterwards, there was another truncation to the Turnpike.
In 1999, the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners accepted a proposal for extending a four-lane Allapattah Road southward to intersect with an extended four-lane Biscayne Drive (South 288th Street), itself a former State Road. While the latter has since been resurfaced, there has been no further action on this matter as the developer of the area, Homestead Air Base Developers, Inc. (HABDI), was embroiled in a controversy that effectively killed the plan.