MacArthur Causeway to be closed during October Trump-Biden debate in Miami

Miami will be hosting the second presidential debate of the 2020 elections in October, and get ready South Florida, the traffic headache is coming.

The MacArthur Causeway, which connects downtown Miami to Miami Beach, will be fully closed to eastbound and westbound traffic, including bicyclists and pedestrians, from 8 a.m. Oct. 15 through 1 a.m. Oct. 16, according to the city of Miami Beach.

The 17-hour closure has to do with the U.S. Secret Service security plan for the presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden, Miami Beach said.

Planned as a “town meeting” in which local residents will be able to ask questions of the candidates, the debate will be held Oct. 15 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., in downtown Miami. It will be televised from 9 to 10:30 p.m. EDT without commercial breaks.

Alternate routes for traffic during Miami’s Trump-Biden debate

While traffic might not be the worst gridlock Miami has ever seen since some people might still be working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, drivers should still plan for extra driving time and heavy delays in the area all day.

Officials are recommending drivers use the Julia Tuttle Causeway (Interstate 195) or the 79 Street Causeway (State Road 934) to enter and exit Miami Beach. The Venetian Causeway will also be open, but heavy traffic is expected for the area.

Those who work or live in Palm, Star and Hibiscus Islands will be able to access those areas through a checkpoint set up by Miami Beach police in the 1200 block of Fifth Street, in the westbound lanes just west of the intersection at Fifth Street and Alton Road, according to Miami Beach.

To access the checkpoint, drivers must approach from the right southbound Alton Road lane and should make sure an entry pass can be easily seen on their dashboard.

Traffic closures for Miami’s presidential debate

What: MacArthur Causeway (I-395), fully closed to eastbound and westbound traffic

When: 8 a.m. Thursday, October 15 until Friday, October 16 at 1 a.m.

This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 1:12 PM.

Michelle Marchante

Miami Herald

305-376-2708

Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.  Support my work with a digital subscription