Traffic alert: New patterns coming to busy Miami highways. What to know about changes
The new incarnation of Interstate 395 that leads to and from South Beach is still over three years from completion. That includes portions of I-95 that also serve as pathways to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami and Miami International Airport for the nearly half a million cars that traverse the corridor.
Completion of the project, which will feature a restructuring of I-395 and a double-decking of the State Road 836 approach from the Miami Marlins’ stadium and Jackson Memorial Hospital complex, is expected in the summer of 2026.
By Thursday morning, March 2, new traffic patterns will be in place for the $840 million project. Lane closings for the latest stretch of roadwork begin Wednesday, March 1.
READ MORE: Work on a new I-395 span is totally changing downtown Miami.
What to know about the changes:
The long-term project
Signature bridge: The work is part of the I-395/Dolphin Expressway/I-95 Design-Build Project that will reconstruct the I-395 corridor from the Dolphin Expressay/I-395/I-95 (Midtown) interchange to the MacArthur Causeway Bridge. The complex new roadway includes the construction of a signature bridge over Northeast Second Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard, plus a double-deck Dolphin from west of Northwest 17th Avenue to the Midtown interchange, and the replacement of the concrete pavement on I-95 from Northwest Eighth to Northwest 29th streets.
The lane shift
Merge in the middle lane: “Drivers on eastbound I-395 using the outside lane should prepare to merge to the middle lane just before Northeast First Avenue,” said Oscar Gonzalez III, senior community outreach specialist for the I-395/SR 836/I-95 Design-Build Project.
“On westbound I-395, all travel lanes will be shifted to the north (right) side of the roadway from east of Biscayne Boulevard to west of Northeast First Avenue,” he said.
Suggestion: Allow additional travel time and drive with caution, Gonzalez said.
What you should look for?
Driver alerts: The Department of Transportation will have message boards on eastbound I-395 before the merge point to alert drivers. Signs will also be in place as well as merge pavement markings in advance of the merge, Gonzalez said. “On westbound I-395 where traffic will be shifted slightly to the north (right side of the roadway) there will also be electronic message signs advising drivers of the new traffic pattern,” he added.
How long will this shift be?
Time frame: Transport crews want to open up new areas for construction of the fifth of an eventual six arches for the signature bridge. The merge will remain in place for about three to four months until another traffic shift. In that one, road crews will move traffic onto the new eastbound and westbound bridges to the north and south of existing I-395, Gonzalez said.
Start of closings
To get the switch underway, some lanes need to be closed a day early.
Wednesday, March 1 (Thursday, March 2 is an alternate date if there are last-minute delays):
▪ One lane on mainline westbound I-395 will be closed from east of Biscayne Boulevard to Northeast First Avenue between 10 p.m. Wednesday and 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
▪ Up to two lanes on mainline eastbound I-395 will be closed from Northeast First Avenue to the MacArthur Causeway between 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
▪ The northbound I-95 ramp to eastbound I-395 will be closed between the hours of 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
What you can do during the lane closings
Drivers can:
▪ Exit at the Northwest Second Street ramp (Exit 2B).
▪ Continue north on Northwest Third Avenue, then turn right on Northwest Eighth Street.
▪ Continue east on Northwest and Northeast Eighth Street.
▪ Turn left on Biscayne Boulevard to access A1A North/Miami Beach.
New traffic pattern start
▪ Thursday morning by 5:30 a.m. (Friday morning, March 3, is an alternate date):
▪ The new traffic pattern along I-395 from just east of Biscayne Boulevard to just west of Northeast First Avenue begins.
▪ The eastbound outside travel lane will merge with the middle lane at approximately Northeast First Avenue, leaving two eastbound lanes through the area. Westbound travel lanes will shift northward. The merge and traffic shift are necessary to open additional areas for construction of the I-395 signature bridge.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 5:15 AM.
