Miami Beach’s notorious gridlock has finally gone underwater: but, this time, for a good cause. Just off the coast between 4th and 5th Streets, a convoy of 22 concrete cars now sits 20 feet below the waves, forming Concrete Coral, the first installation of The Reefline, a seven-mile underwater sculpture park designed to merge art, science and marine restoration.
The surreal scene marks the debut of the long-awaited hybrid reef, conceived by Argentine curator and cultural placemaker Ximena Caminos and realized in partnership with marine biologists, engineers and artists. Once the cars are in place, they’ll be seeded with 2,200 corals cultivated at Reefline’s Miami Native Coral Lab in Allapattah and attached using Coral Lok, a fast and sustainable coral transplantation system. The goal is to transform a symbol of pollution into a living ecosystem.
“Reefline shows how creativity can drive real solutions for a changing planet,” Caminos said in a press release. “This is the power of collaboration: When artists, scientists and communities work together, regeneration becomes possible.”
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Each one of the 14-ton vehicles was designed by Leandro Erlich, the Argentine artist behind some of the world’s most inventive optical illusions. Here, his cars are recast as coral condos.
“Once carriers of pollution and speed, they now become vessels of regeneration,” Erlich said. “What once drove us away from nature becomes a stage for its return. It’s not about transportation anymore; it’s about transformation.”
The Reefline’s master plan comes from Shohei Shigematsu of OMA, whose vision ties together marine habitats and Miami Beach’s urban fabric. Upcoming phases include Heart of Okeanos by Petroc Sesti and The Miami Reef Star by Carlos Betancourt and Alberto Latorre. The nonprofit initiative, partially funded by a $5 million Arts & Culture bond approved by voters in 2022, is supported by the Greater Miami CVB, the Knight Foundation and the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
“Healthy reefs are our natural infrastructure,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner, calling the project “a critical long-term economic safeguard” for the city.
Plans extend beyond the reef itself: Reefline’s Floating Marine Learning Center—developed with the University of Miami’s “Rescue a Reef” program—will bring residents and students face-to-face with coral restoration in the wild.
With its mix of coral, concrete and creativity, Miami’s newest traffic jam may be the only one worth diving into.