Construction Crews To Give I-195 A Makeover
MIAMI (CBS4) - One of the two main highways to Miami Beach is about to get a multi-million dollar makeover courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation.
One of the two main highways to Miami Beach is undergoing a multi-million dollar makeover courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation.
On Monday construction began on I-195 from Northwest 10th Avenue east to Biscayne Bay.
The $19.9 million project, which includes a number of upgrades and some new lanes, is scheduled to be completed by May 2012.
In addition to replacing the guardrail and curb along with median with a concrete barrier, crews will also widen the bridges, upgrade bridge railings and build a barrier wall along the highway.
New eastbound and west bound auxiliary lanes will be built connecting I-95 to North Miami Avenue to ease merging; the North Miami Avenue exit ramp will also be rebuilt.
Finally, new signs and traffic signals will be installed and the landscaping will be spruced up.
FDOT officials said they will try to limit lane closures to nights and weekends during the construction period.
Regardless some neighbors who live along the highway like Marcos Gomez are upset.
"How can you live with all this going on?" asked Gomez as he looked out at the construction.
Over at the busy Midtown shops, drivers were also concerned as the Miami Avenue exit to that area will be closed for six months starting in July.
"I work on the beach. So yeah I will have to take another route," said Jo Murray, a driver. "I guess some things are unavoidable so we'll just have to make do."
But the problem is compounded for many who frequent Miami Beach. Now both the Julia Tuttle Causeway and the MacArthur Causeway are both under construction. The I-395 is part of the billion dollar port of Miami tunnel project that is underway.
"That's gonna be hard to get to the beach then," said Corey Lafferty, a driver. "I would imagine it's gonna cause a lot of problems especially with Biscayne backed up all the way as it is. Yeah, I guess its gonna be a challenge for us."
The Department of Transportation admits drivers are going to need some extra patience to navigate the construction zones. But spokeswoman Monica Diaz said the department will work hard to do the bulk of the lane closures during off peak hours or overnight.
"We coordinate and we make sure that no two causeways are closed at the same time or we coordinate the closures to minimize those impacts as best as we can," said Diaz.
