Rickenbacker Causeway ramp construction resumes months after disastrous first attempt
MIAMI - Months after a disastrous first attempt caused a traffic nightmare, work is currently underway on the Rickenbacker Causeway flyover bridge.
Last April, the road work there left drivers stranded on the causeway for hours.
"We had a complete closure in northbound and southbound in one phase," said Mario Cabrera, the Florida Department of Transportation District 6 Construction Engineer. "We had massive vehicular traffic that Sunday evening."
Cabrera says they didn't anticipate the bottleneck on April 14th when FDOT rerouted drivers coming off the Rickenbacker Causeway from heading westbound on the flyover bridge.
This time around, the FDOT is hoping it will be different. Since the April snafu, they've gone door to door in Key Biscayne advising residents of their new plan, they increased signage and did a big social media push to get the word out.
"What we've learned is we are going to construct this job in two phases," added Cabrera.
So here's what to expect.
From Monday, July 8th through July 20th the westbound flyover bridge ramp to southbound US 1 is closed.
Once completed, the northbound side of the ramp to I-95 will be shut down for repairs from July 21st through August 3rd.
Cabrera says that to help ease traffic backup, FDOT hired traffic engineers to provide optimal traffic routes during construction.
"Also going to have folks on the ground, boots on the ground at the traffic center at Miami-Dade County that will be able to adjust the signals in real-time," said Cabrera.
City of Miami police will also assist with traffic at nearby intersections.