Signature Bridge closes its first gap

A massive cobweb of steel rods is being woven together by the work crews building a new highway and Signature Bridge in the heart of Miami.

The first of six towering arches that will hold and hug the new roadbed that is I-395 has been connected at the top, and a final concrete pour at the end of June will secure that last section – with five to go. Total project completion is targeted for late 2027.

The I-395/SR 836/I-95 Design-Build Project is the massive undertaking of a partnership between the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and its contractor, the Archer Western – de Moya Group Joint Venture.

In an email to Miami Today, Tish Burgher, communications manager with FDOT, said the contractor continues working day and night on the three project corridors that converge at the Midtown Interchange.

She wrote, “Work is ongoing at the I-395 Signature Bridge, with activities at all of the six arch sites and the massive center pier where all the arches will meet.

“Erection of all 48 precast arch segments has been completed at one of the arches located over NE Second Avenue just south of NE 13th Street.

“The final connection of the arch, which will be done with a concrete pour to close the gap in the center, is scheduled for the end of June,” she wrote.

Installation of precast arch segments is ongoing at two of the other arches, and the remaining three arches are in different phases, she said.

Concrete pours continue at the center pier site to complete the connection points where the arches will meet.

The $818 million project includes the Signature Bridge over Northeast Second Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard, an upper deck of traffic built over State Road 836 and the Miami River, and the addition of one lane to the northbound entrance to I-95.

The goal is to add capacity, enhance the flow of traffic and safety, and improve access along I-395, SR 836 and I-95.

Ms. Burgher said that further west, significant progress has been made in removing the old mainline I-395.

“Crews are now focusing on the foundations for the roadway segmental bridges that will connect the signature bridge to State Road (SR) 836 and I-95,” she wrote.

Her latest email offers more details on the status of the work:

The removal of steel girders is scheduled to continue for the next month over NW 14th Street from NW First Place to NW Third Avenue, with daytime closures in place for safety.

The contractor has completed concrete replacement on I-95 from NW 17th Street to NW 29th Street.

Currently, the focus is on the small sections remaining from NW 17th Street to NW Eighth Street.

Ms. Burgher said work on the new SR 836 double-decked roadway continues with the ongoing construction of foundations, columns, and bridge supports.

A massive support structure is being constructed over the eastbound SR 836 lanes west of I-95.

Construction of the support structure will take about two months and will require full closures of eastbound SR 836 at NW 17th Avenue. The closures will be in the overnight hours and extend in the mornings on Saturdays and Sundays.

The massive 488-foot gantry over NW 17th Avenue has completed installation of bridge beams over NW 17th Avenue and is now erecting bridge caps east of the avenue.

As the gantry completes erecting beams and caps between the columns, Ms. Burgher said, it will continue to move to the east until all the spans are completed to I-95.

Details: www.I-395miami.com