PortMiami Tunnel

Eighty-foot-high portals stand like ancient monoliths midway down the causeway that connects downtown Miami to Miami Beach. The soaring portals are not mere architectural follies, however. They were designed to contain and conceal a set of mechanized floodgates that can be lowered during a hurricane emergency to block the entries to the two 4,200-foot-long tunnels. A graphic treatment of bas-relief lettering breaks up the monotony of the cast-concrete facades with variations of the Latin word for “navigate” — navigo, navigas, and navigatis — and this further underscores the maritime nature of the project. The letters are deeply set into the concrete surface and catch sunlight within their chiseled cavities. The narrow sides of the portals are open to reveal bands of orange metal mesh and are back lit to create the impression of volcanic action splitting the portals from within. At night, the openings cast an enigmatic orange glow across the concrete facades.