The Brickell bridge has reopened for cars, boats and pedestrians. And just in time, too
UPDATE: The Florida Department of Transportation announced Saturday morning that the Brickell Avenue Bridge has been reopened. Drivers are free to travel across it, but pedestrians will only be allowed to use the southbound side.
Openings of the bridge for boats along the Miami River has been resumed.
This is just in time for a possible increase in downtown Miami traffic as “Hamilton” plays at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and the Miami Heat play the Cleveland Cavaliers at American Airlines Arena, where Dwyane Wade’s jersey retirement will be held during halftime Saturday night.
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ORIGINAL REPORT:
Just as rush hour is about to rear its ugly head, the Brickell Avenue Bridge is malfunctioning and has been blocked off by authorities. Expect downtown traffic to get a little more hairy.
The downtown Miami bridge encountered mechanical and electrical problems with the span locks Thursday afternoon, the Florida Department of Transportation said.
Although southbound reopened, as of Friday evening, the northbound lanes were vacillating between the up and down position as crews work on the problem. That means drivers and pedestrians will not be able to get across the Miami River if they’re heading north.
FDOT did not say when the northbound side will be fixed, however, officials say it could be as soon as Monday. The agency is advising drivers to use the South Miami Avenue Bridge or the Southwest Second Avenue Bridge as alternate routes. Police have set up detours to help drivers.
Miami Herald staff writers C. Isaiah Smalls II and Michelle Marchante contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 3:08 PM.
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