Big Miami Highways Project Under Way
The $802 million I-395/SR 836/ I-95 Design-Build Project involves three projects that will be constructed concurrently to minimize impacts to the public.
District Six of the Florida Department of Transportation and its partner, the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, have started work on the $802 million I-395/SR 836/ I-95 Design-Build Project. It involves three projects that will be constructed concurrently by the AW-dMG Joint Venture to minimize impacts to the public.
The three projects include I-395 improvements from the SR 836 / I-95 / I-395 (Midtown) Interchange to the MacArthur Causeway, approximately 1.4 miles long. The project will completely reconstruct the existing interstate and create a signature bridge that will span 1,025 feet over NE 2 Avenue and State Road 5/Biscayne Boulevard, which the state agency reports will redefine the Miami skyline with its "six sweeping arches." It says this signature bridge with its high vertical clearance will transform the area beneath I-395 into 30 acres of vibrant open communal spaces for the enjoyment of Overtown residents, nearby communities, and visitors.
The project will add additional capacity to I-395 with a total of three through lanes in each direction and provide separate connector ramps for traffic to and from I-95. The existing I-395 eastbound off-ramps at NE 2 Avenue will be moved west to North Miami Avenue, and the westbound on-ramps at NE 1 Avenue will be shifted to the west to North Miami Avenue. NW 2 Avenue will also be reconnected under I-395, giving residents greater access.
On SR 836, improvements will be made from NW 17 Avenue to the Midtown Interchange. This project, a continuation of MDX's work program to modernize the SR 836 corridor, includes double-decking of SR 836 beginning just east of the toll gantry at NW 17 Avenue, rising over the center of SR 836, allowing drivers to bypass the I-95 Interchange and touch down at I-395 east of I-95. The double-decked section will have two lanes in each direction and will allow drivers continuing east to Watson Island, PortMiami, and Miami Beach to entirely bypass the Midtown interchange and its ramps. The existing SR 836 roadway and bridges will serve as a collector distributor system to allow drivers to enter and exit from the existing local roads and I-95.
Concrete replacement on I-95 will be done from NW 8 Street to NW 29 Street, replacing the concrete pavement for both northbound and southbound travel lanes. An auxiliary lane will be added along northbound I-95 from north of NW 17 Street to NW 29 Street to receive the additional traffic from the eastbound SR 836 ramp to northbound I-95 and enhance the flow of traffic through the Midtown Interchange.