Traffic alert: Are you heading to downtown Miami? Note the shutdowns, detours
Driving in downtown Miami this weekend could be a challenge. Expect delays, detours and shutdowns.
The Ultra Music Festival, which started Friday night, continues Saturday and Sunday at Bayfront Park off Biscayne Boulevard. So if you’re heading downtown to shop or eat this weekend, expect some company.
And the nearby arena and performing arts theater also have events.
The Miami Heat is on the road, but Latin rockers Maná play the Kaseya Center at 8 p.m. Saturday. And the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts is down the block, where “Merrily We Roll Along,” a revived 1981 Sondheim musical is playing this weekend.
MORE: Take an inside look at Ultra Music Festival’s massive Miami kickoff
If you are attending the electronic dance music festival or other events, expect traffic and altered street plans.
Here are details on how to navigate the area:
When is Ultra?
Ultra runs through Sunday, March 29. Here are the hours:
- Saturday: noon-midnight.
- Sunday: noon-10 p.m.
MORE: Remember what happened in Miami’s Bayfront Park decades ago? Take a look
Road closings and detours
Road closings and detours remain in effect through the weekend and until 7 a.m. Monday:
- Biscayne Boulevard northbound traffic re-routes to the southbound lanes at Southeast First Street, returning to normal traffic flow at Northeast Fourth Street.
- Biscayne Boulevard southbound traffic will be re‑routed westbound at Northeast Sixth Street, with the option to continue southbound via Northeast Second Avenue and/or North Miami Avenue.
- No southbound traffic on Biscayne Boulevard from Northeast Sixth Street.
- PortMiami access remains available via Northeast Fifth Street. Police recommend using the PortMiami Tunnel, accessible from I‑395, to avoid congestion.
Public transportation
Miami-Dade Transit has several options to whisk fans to Ultra:
- Metrorail and Metromover: Service starts at 5 a.m. Friday March 27, and runs through 2 a.m. the following morning on Saturday, March 28. On Sunday, March 29, service ends at midnight.
- Parking at any Metrorail garage or surface lot is $4.50 for the day and remains open into the following day given the long hours of Ultra.
- Cost and where to disembark: Metrorail is $2.25 for a one-way trip or $5.65 for a one-day pass to the Government Center station. From there, transfer to Metromover’s Inner Loop (free) and disembark at the College/Bayside, First Street or Bayfront Park Metromover station. When leaving the festival, board the Metromover Inner Loop or Brickell Loop at First Street, College/Bayside or Bayfront Park. Return to Government Center for Metrorail connections. Downloading the GO Miami-Dade Transit Mobile app may save you time at the turnstiles.
- Tri-Rail: Tri-Rail has 19 stations across South Florida. Drop-off for Ultra is the MiamiCentral Station, about a half-mile walk from Bayfront Park. Special late-night trains depart about an hour after each show on each day of the music festival.
- Brightline: Final late-night trains depart MiamiCentral Station after Friday and Saturday’s Ultra at 12:45 a.m. and 1 a.m.(That’s technically early Saturday and Sunday morning.) After Ultra’s last set Sunday, the last Brightline train leaves MiamiCentral at 12:45 a.m. (Technically early Monday morning.)
- Uber and Lyft: The rideshare companies haven’t released information about Ultra. But there is no set drop-off point. Rideshare users’ advice on several social media sites, including Reddit, is to set your drop-off point at least a block or two away from the main entrance — perhaps near the Frost Museum or Arsht Center — and that can help drivers get to you. Remember, Biscayne Boulevard will be closed or re-routed during the festival. When you leave, it’s also recommended that you walk several blocks west toward Second Avenue or Miami Avenue or take the free Metromover a few stops away from the venue before calling your ride. This could help you bypass the most congested areas and maybe even reduce surge costs.
- Waymo: If you managed to get off the waitlist and are a Waymo user, you know that downtown Miami is one of the driverless service regions. But as with traditional rideshares, several streets are closed or re-routed, so autonomous cars aren’t going to be able to drop you off at the entrance. If you are so inclined, set your drop-off point farther away, perhaps a Metromover station. Also keep in mind the longer ride times because Waymo currently doesn’t take expressways and sticks to surface roads.
Parking
Ultra and Miami officials recommend public transportation because lots tend to fill. And you’d have to navigate to get to them. They are also more expensive than taking Metrorail — at least $30 flat rate all day, no in and out. Still insist on driving yourself? Miami Parking Authority garages will be open 24/7 and include:
- The College Station garage at 190 NE Third St. About 600 spaces.
- Knight Center Garage: 100 SE Second St. About 800 spaces.
This story was originally published March 28, 2026 at 8:09 AM.
