Driving around Miami during the holiday stretch? Watch out for these highway detours

If you’re driving in South Florida ahead of Christmas, be prepared for road detours.

Construction projects will continue this week up until the holidays. That means school traffic, work traffic and lots of visitors and desperate shoppers could face delays around town.

And they won’t be alone on the road.

AAA expects 6.3 million Floridians will travel 50 miles or more from home, with most travelers getting around by car. About 5.8 million Floridians will hit the road, a 3% increase from last year.

But there’s some good news if you’re traveling closer to Christmas.

Construction and maintenance closures will be suspended on Florida’s Turnpike for the holidays — from 6 a.m. Friday to 10 p.m. Jan. 3.

READ MORE: Hitting the road for the holiday? What you can expect to see at Florida gas stations

Here are some scheduled road closures to expect in South Florida ahead of Christmas.

Florida’s Turnpike

▪ The ramps in both directions on Florida’s Turnpike to Northwest 74th Street will close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday.

▪ Lanes in both directions on Northwest 12th Street between Telemundo Way and Northwest 114th Avenue will close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday. Single lanes will close starting 8:30 p.m.

▪ Single lanes in both directions on Northwest 41st Street under Florida’s Turnpike will close from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Thursday. Full roads will close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

▪ Roads on Florida’s Turnpike southbound between I-75 and Okeechobee Road will close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Wednesday.

▪ Entrance and exit ramps on Florida’s Turnpike northbound to and from Flagler Station Boulevard will close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday.

▪ Frontage Road will close in both directions between Northwest 138th Street and Northwest 107th Avenue from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday.

▪ The exit ramp from Florida’s Turnpike northbound (SR 821) to Florida’s Turnpike (SR 91) in both directions will close from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. through Thursday.

▪ The entrance ramp to Florida’s Turnpike in both directions from Sample Road will close from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday. The southbound exit ramp will also close from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday.

Dolphin Expressway (State Road 836)

▪ Single lanes in both directions on the Dolphin Expressway under Florida’s Turnpike will close from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. through Thursday.

▪ The eastbound entrance ramp on the Dolphin Expressway from Northwest 137th Street will close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday.

▪ Roads on the Dolphin Expressway westbound at Northwest 107th Avenue northbound will close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday.

▪ Lanes on the Dolphin Expressway eastbound from Northwest 17th Avenue to I-95 will close from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. through Thursday.

▪ The ramp from the Dolphin Expressway eastbound to I-95 northbound will close from 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. through Thursday.

▪ The ramp from Northwest 12th Avenue northbound to the eastbound Dolphin Expressway will close from 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. through Wednesday.

Airport Expressway (State Road 112)

▪ The exit ramp from the Airport Expressway to Northwest 22nd Avenue will close from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. through Friday.

▪ The exit ramp from Airport Expressway to Northwest 17th Avenue will close from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. until Friday.

This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 6:56 AM.

Grethel Aguila

Miami Herald

Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.