New route twists this week in massive signature bridge project

Drivers should be prepared for a new twist in the road this week in the massive downtown project that is expected to keep shifting highway driving patterns on I-95, I-395 and the Dolphin Expressway until it’s finished in what now is targeted to be 2027.

On Friday morning (12/15), drivers on southbound I-95 heading to eastbound I-395 will find a new traffic format.

Drivers southbound on I-95 will continue to use exit 2D and be diverted to the new eastbound I-395 bridges. Drivers continuing to the MacArthur Causeway can stay left onto mainline I-395, and those wanting to exit at Northeast Second Avenue or Biscayne Boulevard will now use exit 2B on the right.

Electronic message boards and other signage will be in place to alert drivers to the new pattern, according to the Florida Department of Transportation, which is handling the project.

The work is part of the $818 million I-395/SR 836/I-95 project that will reconstruct the I-395 corridor from the SR 836/I-395/I-95 Midtown Interchange to the MacArthur Causeway Bridge, including the construction of a so-called Signature Bridge over Northeast Second Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard; double-decking of the Dolphin (SR 836) from west of Northwest 17th Avenue to the Midtown Interchange, and replacing the concrete pavement on I-95 from Northwest Eighth Street to Northwest 29th Street.

A biproduct of the project is to be a 33-acre linear urban park under I-395 as pillars from the present structure are removed.

The sweeping construction work is part of a partnership of the Florida Department of Transportation and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and its contractor, the Archer Western – de Moya Group Joint Venture.

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

Work has gone on night and day as crews make major enhancements to the three major corridors within the project limits.