When the City of Miami made the momentous decision to close the famous Ocean Drive in South Beach to traffic and turn it into a pedestrian plaza MERIDIAN Rapid Defense Group was there to help. Ten blocks of the colorful and iconic street are now closed off with MERIDIAN’s Archer 1200 Barriers and Archer beam gates.
City leaders said the closure is primarily to allow restaurants with outdoor seating to create distance by extending tables into the street, something that Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis mentioned in his recent COVID-19 briefing. "You’ve had some cities where they’ve closed parts of the street so that people can have more room outdoors and that’s just based on the science that this thing is not as transmissible outdoors as it is in an enclosed environment."
The Archer barriers are placed at every street entrance to Ocean Drive and while creating an impenetrable barrier to vehicles attempting to enter, they still allow pedestrians the freedom to enter and leave.
The mobile Archer Beam Gates are placed at several locations allowing permitted vehicles and delivery trucks to still enter Ocean Drive to service the restaurants, hotels, and businesses. The Archer Beam Gates don’t require electricity or hydraulics and are deployable in one hour.
Eric Alms, MERIDIAN President said, "It has been a pleasure to work with Miami Beach PD over the years and we are delighted to be involved with one of the most remarkable street closures to allow the city to re-open to businesses and the community."
Miami is emerging from a nearly two-month COVID-19 lockdown, which crushed its hospitality-based economy and, in turn, cut into the tens of millions in resort taxes and parking fees the city receives.
MERIDIAN Rapid Defense Group is working with other cities throughout the U.S. to create similar "safe zones" for restaurants and other businesses to expand onto the streets while the COVID-19 emergency continues.
