Road Warning: Nightly Closures To Cause Weekend Delays
MIAMI(CBS4) – If you don't want to get caught in a traffic headache this weekend, you might just want to stay home and avoid the roads altogether. As part of the construction activities for the SR 826/Palmetto Expressway and SR836/Dolphin Expressway Interchange Reconstruction Project, portions of these normally busy highways will experience nightly closures.
Currently, the Milam Dairy Road Bridge over SR 836 between NW 12th and 7th Streets has been permanently closed. Now, contractors have to remove the bridge and that means nightly road closures over the weekend.
Between 11:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. all westbound lanes on SR 836/Dolphin Expressway will be closed at the NW 72 Avenue exit ramp through July 31st. Double lane closures will begin at 10:00 p.m. Westbound drivers on SR 836 will be guided to the NW 72 Avenue exit ramp where they will go north to NW 12 Street and then proceed west to NW 87 Avenue to access westbound SR 836.
Drivers say road closures like these make it tough to get around. Rommel Fuentes just got a job which requires him to travel the 836 at night.
"I didn't know it was going to be closed do now that's going to be an issue for me," said Fuentes.
The Department of Transportation says it will have officers direct drivers.
"We'll have officers at the bottom of the ramp overriding signals allowing for a freer flow of traffic," Oscar Gonzalez with FDOT said.
• Westbound drivers on SR 836 wanting to access northbound or southbound SR 826 will be guided to the NW 72 Avenue exit ramp, head north to NW 12 Street, go west and turn north on Milam Dairy Road to NW 25 Street where they can head west to access the SR 826 entrance ramps.
• Drivers on NW 72 Avenue wanting to go west on SR 836 will need to go to NW 12 Street and then proceed west to NW 87 Avenue to access westbound SR 836. The NW 72 Avenue ramp to westbound SR 836 will close at 10 p.m.
These closures are scheduled to be suspended on Monday, July 25th and then resume on Tuesday, July 26th at 11:00 p.m.
For more information about the S.R. 826/S.R. 836 Interchange Reconstruction Project, go to www.826-836.com.
Travelers on State Road826/Palmetto Expressway will also experience construction delays starting Friday night. Eastbound and westbound lanes will be closed through Saturday, July 23rd to work on the overhead I-95 bridge in the Golden Glades area.
Closures will occur from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. There will be signs posted on the road to direct drivers through detours.
Drivers going eastbound on SR 826 heading to northbound Florida's Turnpike will have to:
• Exit SR 826 at northbound I-95/US 441
• Turn north on US 441 and travel through the Park-n-Ride lot
• Take the ramp to northbound I-95
• Travel north on I-95
• Exit I-95 on SR 860/Miami Gardens Drive/NW 186 Street
• Turn west onto Miami Gardens Drive
• Turn south on SR 7
• Connect with the northbound Florida's Turnpike entrance ramp
Drivers who want to continue eastbound on SR 826 will have to:
• Exit SR 826 at northbound I-95/US 441
• Turn north on US 441 and travel through the Park-n-Ride lot
• Stay right to access the ramp to NW 163 Street
• Connect with eastbound SR 826 via the NW 163 Street entrance ramp
Drivers coming from NW 7 Avenue who want to travel westbound on SR 826 will have to:
• Continue north on NW 7 Avenue
• Turn west on Miami Gardens Drive
• Turn south on NW 27 Avenue
• Connect with westbound SR 826
Drivers coming from NW 167 Street who want to travel westbound on SR 826 will have to:
• Travel north on Florida's Turnpike
• Exit Florida's Turnpike on NW 199 Street
• Turn west on NW 199 Street
• Turn south on NW 27 Avenue
• Connect with westbound SR 826
For more information about this closure, contact the Florida Department of Transportation's (FDOT) Public Information Office at (305) 470-5349, or visit the FDOT District Six website at www.fdotmiamidade.com.
Drivers are encouraged to call 511 before they drive or log on to www.fl511.com to get real-time traffic and lane closure information.
