Construction involving I-95/395 exits pushed back to Friday, state officials say

The second phase of the I-95/Interstate 395 traffic shift will start on Friday morning, instead of Thursday, due to inclement weather, state officials said Wednesday.

The rerouting of traffic will affect where the northbound and southbound Interstate 95 exits feed into I-395, and continue onto Biscayne Boulevard.

The project is part of the I-395/SR 836/Interstate 95 Design-Build Project.

The new pattern will allow the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and Florida Department of Transportation to begin construction of foundation for segmented bridges that will lead to the coming “signature bridge.”

The segmented bridges will raise this portion of I-395, which is so low in some parts that underpasses are fenced off from the public, and feature fewer columns than the hundreds currently in place, said Oscar Gonzalez, the project’s senior community outreach specialist.

This new breathing room will allow the city of Miami to construct new community areas.

In order for all of this to happen drivers will have to endure this two-year-long pattern.

The first phase began Tuesday morning.

Drivers getting onto eastbound I-395 from SR 836 were shifted slightly to the right from I-95 to North Miami Avenue

The second phase, beginning Friday morning, will possibly bring more congestion as it forces traffic pattern changes to northbound and southbound I-95.

Drivers coming from northbound I-95 will be shifted slightly to the left and will continue to use Exit 2B or can continue to the MacArthur Causeway.

Drivers coming from southbound I-95 will also be shifted slightly to the left and will come into their own lane, but will be crossed over and have to use Exit 2A.

If you’re driving from southbound I-95 to I-395, Exit 2B will not be available to you.

Gonzalez advises drivers coming into the pattern to leave earlier so as to prepare for the expected traffic as commuters learn the shift. He also urges commuters to go to www.i-395miami.com for updates to the project

While the learning curve should only take a week or two, the traffic pattern will stay in place for the next two years.

This story was originally published November 8, 2019 at 11:53 AM.

Devoun Cetoute

Miami Herald

305-376-2026

Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.