Drivers traveling through Miami this Saturday and Sunday should anticipate significant disruptions on two of the busiest roads in the county, according to a report by Local10/WPLG.
The closures are due to the installation of a steel reinforcement structure for the support of a bridge over the Dolphin Expressway (State Road 836), an operation that was rescheduled from the previous weekend due to operational conditions and will take place between Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting.
The works are part of the mega project Connecting Miami (I-395/SR 836/I-95), one of the most expensive road infrastructure projects in the city's history, reconstructing approximately 1.4 miles of the corridor between the I-395/SR 836/I-95 interchange and the MacArthur Causeway. It includes the construction of the so-called Signature Bridge, a six-arch cable-stayed bridge over Biscayne Boulevard, with its main arch reaching about 330 feet in height.
Closure of Dolphin Highway heading east
On Saturday at 10:00 p.m., two lanes heading east between Northwest 17th Avenue and Interstate 95 will be closed.
An hour later, at 11:00 p.m., the closure will extend to all lanes heading east at Northwest 17th Avenue.
The reopening is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Drivers heading east on SR 836 must exit at Northwest 17th Avenue, continue south crossing Northwest Seventh Street, turn left onto Southwest First Street, and then right onto South Miami Avenue to access the I-95 ramps heading north or south.
Those heading to Biscayne Boulevard or MacArthur Causeway can continue east on Southwest First Street, turn left onto Biscayne Boulevard, and access MacArthur Causeway via Northeast 11th Terrace.
Closure of I-395 westbound
All westbound lanes of the I-395 connecting to SR 836 will be closed at I-95 from 11:59 p.m. on Saturday until 7:00 a.m. on Sunday.
The ramps connecting I-395 to I-95 northbound and southbound will remain open during this period.
The recommended detour for those needing to reach SR 836 westbound is to take I-95 south, exit at Southwest Seventh Street/Brickell Avenue (exit 1B), turn left onto Southwest Eighth Street, enter I-95 north, and take the exit for SR 836 west.
Changes to the drawbridges of the Miami River
The construction will also temporarily affect the drawbridges on Southwest First Street and West Flagler Street over the Miami River.
On Sunday, between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., both bridges can only be opened at the top of the hour and half past the hour.
Exceptions will be made for public vessels from the United States, tugboats, and vessels in distress, which will be allowed to pass at any time. The Coast Guard will notify mariners about these changes.
A project with years of delays and cost overruns
The contractor for the project is the Archer Western–De Moya Group Joint Venture. Started in January 2019 with an original budget of 802 million dollars, the project has escalated to over 866 million dollars due to changes, supply issues, and several lawsuits that reveal alleged structural and design flaws.
The completion date, originally set for 2021, has been postponed several times to 2029.
In January of this year, six workers were seriously injured after falling about 30 feet when a formwork beam gave way during a night operation near Northwest 3rd Avenue.
As of the end of September, four of the six arches of the Signature Bridge —arches 1, 2, 4, and 5— were already closed, indicating the progress of a project that, despite delays, continues to reshape the skyline of downtown Miami.
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