Miami bridge project is now 8 years behind schedule. Here’s what to know
Miami’s massive I-395 highway reconstruction project — which was originally supposed to be completed in 2021 — has been quietly delayed again to late 2029, with the Florida Department of Transportation offering no public explanation. But lawsuits between the contractors and engineers and their insurers reveal some of the design errors and other problems behind the delays.
FULL STORY: Miami’s downtown bridge project is delayed — again. Why is it taking so long?
Here are key takeaways:
• Latest delay: FDOT pushed the completion date to late 2029 by simply changing the date on the project webpage — with no statement or explanation. The project cost has risen from $802 million to $866 million.
• Design errors: Lawsuits filed by lead contractor Archer Western allege that its engineering partner HDR failed to properly account for wind loads, including hurricane winds, in an initial design for the signature bridge arches. The error wasn’t discovered until four months after the bid was awarded and caused an 18-month delay requiring a redesign, according to Archer Western.
• Defective concrete: In 2020, a plant on the construction site produced defective concrete that was used for three months before anyone noticed, according to another lawsuit. Sections had to be torn out and redone, costing $3.6 million, according to WTVJ-NBC 6.
• Human cost: Two serious construction accidents have occurred this year, including one involving a worker who fell to his death on Biscayne Boulevard last month.
• No transparency: FDOT declined an interview with the Miami Herald and did not respond to written questions. The agency has previously blamed delays on bad weather, COVID-19 supply-chain issues and even holidays.
• Transit critics: Transit Alliance executive director Cathy Dos Santos called the project “misconceived from the start,” saying highway widening and double-decking SR 836 “only ballooned the price tag and stacked on delays.”
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.