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.
CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench spoke with people who had stopped at a beach off the Rickenbacker Causeway in Miami. They said they would be challenged by the detours they would have to take.
Les Woods of Miami said, "It's very difficult for all of us getting out and getting back in. This is just going to make chaos for everyone.
"But there is not much that can be done," said Woods. "We just have to figure it out. It is going to take time. You have to be patient."
"That is inconvenient for the locals here," said Daphene D'Auvergne of Kendall. "That's going to affect a lot of people commuting and going home. I am going to have to figure out a way to reroute."
Jasmin Richards of Kendall said, "This is kind of an inconvenience for that long a period of time."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation said the construction work on the aging causeway has to be done.
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.
