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Traffic School and Florida Highway News

Provided by the Florida Department of Transportation

Florida roads are constantly under constuction. Check back here weekly for updates on major road projects taht will effect traffic throughout the state of Florida.

In addition to making your drive to work easier, traffic news may save you from a speeding ticket or other moving violation and keep you out of traffic school.

South River Drive to be closed - Miami-Dade County

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is closing down South River Drive between NW 67 Avenue and Hialeah’s West 12 Avenue through 6:00 a.m. on Monday, November 22, 2004 for the demolition of parts of the bridge on NW 74th Street over Okeechobee Road/Miami River Canal/NW South River Drive.

The partial demolition is necessary for the reconstruction of the bridge. Drivers are advised to avoid the area or follow detour signs.

Hillsborough County, Florida.

The Florida Department of Transportation is in the process of rehabilitating the concrete travel lanes and ramps of Interstate 75 from south of Interstate 4 to south of Fowler Avenue in Hillsborough County, Florida. This includes replacement of the I-75/I-4 concrete ramps with asphalt pavement and upgrades to the I-75 mainline bridges.

The bridge deck replacement work will require the three through lanes through the I-4/I-75 interchange to be reduced to two lanes (using barrier wall). The northbound direction on I-75 is complete and all lanes are open.

Starting Friday night, October 8, at 8 p.m., the southbound direction on I-75 through the I-4/I-75 interchange will be reduced to two lanes for approximately 70 days.

Most of the work will be done during night operations to minimize impacts to the motoring public. However, reconstruction of the ramps at the I-4 interchange will require extended closures of each ramp. Alternate routes will be provided whenever one of these ramps is closed.

Lane closures will be restricted to the hours of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as needed except for extended ramp closures as described above.

Existing Facility

The existing roadway is a six-lane limited access facility with concrete pavement and an interchange at I-4.

Project Length: 4.9 miles
Estimated Construction Cost: $12.75 million
Contractor: Phoenix Construction Services
Estimated Completion: Fall 2005

Please call the Public Information Office at (813) 975-6060 with any questions.

FORT LAUDERDALE

Construction work begins Monday, October 4, to repair the 45th Street - (MP 104) and PGA Boulevard (MP 109) bridges in Palm Beach County.

Next week, work crews will begin repairs on the 45th Street bridge requiring one of two southbound lanes to close on Florida's Turnpike at milepost 103.4 — six miles south of the PGA Boulevard interchange — Sunday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

In August, a crane hit the PGA Boulevard and 45th Street bridges over the Turnpike. It is anticipated that construction to repair the two bridges will continue through January 2005.

Road Status by County – Roads Closed


Gilchrist

SR 47 in Gilchrist County from Trenton to CR 232 is closed due to flooding. It has been closed since early September when Hurricane Frances came through.

Walton

SR 20 Basin Bayou Bridge over the Choctaw Bay in Villa Tasso roadway damage: Open to two lanes – construction continues in the area.

Martin

Jensen Beach Causeway to Hutchinson Island is closed, the west side approach slab is gone. The old bridge and Causeway is so substantially damaged that repair is not proposed. New Jensen Beach Causeway Bridge is currently under construction and can be used by emergency vehicles. Schedule to put traffic on new Jensen Beach Causeway Bridge within four weeks.

McArthur Boulevard on the south end of Hutchinson Island is now open to local traffic during daylight hours. Night reconstruction will close the road through December 23. This is the only access to the community of Sailfish Point and the Department is providing emergency ferry service.

Indian River

Ocean Drive from Avenida to Mango in Vero Beach is closed for about 2000 feet due to heavy washouts that have destroyed parking and one lane. This is a local road that strictly provides beach recreational access.

Miami-Dade

Nightly 18-Mile Stretch Closure Continues October 11 and 12. The 18-mile Stretch of US 1 between Florida City and Key Largo will be closed nightly (9 PM to 5:30 AM) Monday, October 11 and Tuesday, October 12 while workers complete installing Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) -related equipment including poles, cameras, antennas, etc. Traffic will be detoured along Card Sound Road and all tolls on Card Sound Road will be suspended while the detour is in place. While this detour is in place, US 1 will remain open for local traffic. Access to area businesses and residences will remain open at all times. Flagmen will direct local traffic around the work. US 1 will reopen during daytime hours (5:30 AM to 9 PM).

State Road 938 – During weekends in October, the intersection of NE 2nd Avenue and NE 103rd Street will be closed to all traffic from 9 PM Friday Night to 6 AM Monday morning while workers install a new water main across the intersection of 2nd Avenue and 103 Street and perform other project-related work in this area. Access to local residences will remain open. However, traffic will not be allowed through the intersection.

State Road 968 (West Flagler Street/SE/SW 1 Street) The West Flagler Bridge will remain closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic until early October, while workers complete improvements to the bridge and its fender system.

Update - Miami Gardens Dr Nightly Closure at NW 16 Ave - Miami-Dade County

Miami Gardens Drive will be closed at NW 16th Avenue nightly, from 9 PM to 5:30 AM, September 29 - 31, while workers install a new sanitary sewer line across the intersection. Eastbound traffic will be detoured at NW 17th Avenue and westbound traffic will be detoured at NW 14th Avenue. Bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances could impact this schedule.

For more information, please contact Tish Burgher at (305) 499-2391.

Miami Gardens

Beginning on or around April 21, the contractor for the Miami Gardens Drive Reconstruction Project will begin the removal and replacement of the southbound Florida Turnpike Bridge over Miami Gardens Drive. In order to perform this work safely, the contractor will close one lane in each direction daily for the duration of this work and set up nightly detours as necessary to perform project-related work.

Miami Gardens Drive will remain open during daytime hours and will be open nightly to local traffic on either side of the Turnpike overpass. Access to local residences will be maintained at all times; however, traffic will not be able to pass under the Turnpike or enter the area immediately adjacent to the bridge during nighttime closures. During nighttime closures, non-local traffic will be detoured as follows: Westbound motorists will be detoured north on NW 12th Avenue to NW 199th Street, where they can continue westbound to NW 27th Avenue and head south to return to Miami Gardens Drive. Eastbound motorists will be detoured north to NW 199th Street via NW 27th Avenue where they can proceed east to NW 12th Avenue, turn south and return to Miami Gardens Drive.

Once the southbound bridge is completed, removal and replacement of the northbound bridge will commence. This work is being performed in conjunction with the Miami Gardens Drive Reconstruction Projects and is expected to last the next several months. For more information about the detours or the project, please contact the Public Information Manager, Tish Burgher at (305) 499-2391.

TRAFFIC PATTERNS WILL CHANGE AT I-295/I-95 INTERCHANGE

Significant traffic pattern changes will occur on Tuesday night, April 13 at the I-295/I-95 interchange near the Duval/St. Johns county line.

A new ramp will open taking I-95 northbound traffic to I-295 eastbound. The new ramp will take eastbound traffic to a new I-295 overpass over U.S. 1 immediately north of Greenland Road. Traffic will be able to exit at U.S. 1 in both directions or continue on S.R. 9A toward Baymeadows Road and J. Turner Butler Boulevard.

At the same time, the ramp from I-95 northbound to I-295 northbound toward the Buckman Bridge and Orange Park will be totally closed for nearly the duration of the project. This closing is necessary to build new ramps which will be part of the interchange reconfiguration project which will connect I-295 and S.R. 9A. Traffic will be detoured northbound on I-95 to the U.S.1 off ramp (exit number 339), underneath the overpass to the U.S. 1 on ramp to I-95 southbound and back to I-295 northbound (exit number 337).

While the ramp is closed, three new flyover ramps will be completed for the new, reconfigured interchange. They are the ramp from I-95 northbound to I-295 northbound, the ramp from I-295 eastbound to I-95 northbound (toward the downtown Jacksonville) and the ramp from I-95 southbound to I-295 eastbound toward U.S.1 and the existing portion of S.R. 9A. Demolition of existing ramps will also be occurring including ramps from I-95 northbound to I-295 northbound toward the Buckman Bridge and Orange Park and from I-295 to I-95 northbound. The old ramps directly conflict with the paths of the new ones.

The new portion of I-295 between I-95 and U.S. 1 will not open until the completion of the project. Two-way sections of that new section of I-295 and the connection points with the new flyover ramps are not yet completed.

The entire $105 million project should be finished by the Spring 2006.