New ramps connect Dolphin Expressway and Florida Turnpike Extension
MIAMI - With a booming South Florida population and congestion on our roadways, there is some relief Wednesday with the opening of four new ramps between State Road 836/Dolphin Expressway and Florida Turnpike Extension.
"People want to have their business here, they want to raise their family here and that's why we're seeing over 1,200 folks move to the state of Florida and every day," said state Senator Brian Avila.
The Greater Miami Expressway Agency says the new connections will allow drivers to travel from the southbound Turnpike lanes to the westbound Dolphin Expressway lanes and from the Dolphin Expressway eastbound lanes to the Turnpike northbound lanes. There are also new ramps to the Dolphin Express at NW 121 Street, right near the Dolphin "park and ride" station.
"Here in Miami-Dade County, a lot of our residents spend about two weeks out of the year stuck in traffic and that accounts for about $5 billion in economic loss," said Avila.
As more people move to South Florida, the new roads will help ease congestion and make it easier for drivers and people who use public transportation.
"You know it's imperative for us whether at the state, local or federal level to plan for that growth," said Mariana Cancio, chair of the GMX Board. "This is going to improve commuter times which is what we're all about."
The project was funded by tolls and took about two and a half years to complete.