Tolls suspended on Dolphin Expressway near FIU bridge collapse to move traffic faster

Tolls on State Road 836’s entrance and exit ramps near Florida International University are being temporarily suspended to help traffic flow after a pedestrian bridge over Southwest Eighth Street collapsed Thursday.

The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) announced the suspension Friday afternoon. Tolls at the eastbound 836 exit to Northwest 107th Avenue and westbound entrance from Northwest 107th Avenue will be suspended.

“The sheer impact of this tragedy requires the cooperation of as many Miami-Dade agency resources as can be reasonably managed,” Fano said. “We are looking to lessen the impact as commuters utilize alternate routes until the debris is completely removed.”

A 10-block stretch of Southwest Eighth Street, a major east-west thoroughfare in Miami-Dade, is closed indefinitely between Southwest 107th and 117th avenues while debris is removed, victims’ bodies are recovered and authorities investigate the cause of the collapse.

The Eighth Street entrance and exit ramps from Florida’s Turnpike are closed. MDX is encouraging drivers to use the Northwest 107th Avenue exit from the 836 as an alternate route. The suspension of this toll will remain until Eighth Street is reopened.

This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Tolls suspended on Dolphin Expressway near FIU bridge collapse to move traffic faster."