Signature Bridge On Track For Completion In Late 2027

Florida’s Department of Transportation says it is still targeting a late 2027 completion for Downtown Miami’s Signature Bridge, according to Local10.

The total project cost, including a major interchange rebuild, is also still estimated at $840 million.

The construction contract for the project initially began in October 2018, with a four-year deadline to the contractor for completion and a budget of $802 million.

Extension of the deadline was permitted under certain circumstances, including weather and major events.

Contractors have already completed one of the bridge’s six arches, with a second to be closed in the next few weeks.

Improvements will include a public park space (formerly known as the Underdeck) underneath the bridge. The bridges will be raised higher than the old bridges to allow more light, while the number of columns will be reduced from 800 previously to under 100.

The roads will also be wider and straighter, allowing more capacity and reducing weaving.

An entirely new I395-I95 interchange connected to a double deck highway along the Dolphin Expressway is also being built.

 

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titanic
23 days ago

it’s been 84 years

Anonymous
23 days ago

Better late than never

Bombomatic
11 days ago

It’s getting closer to never buddy

CBA
19 days ago

okay Rose Dawson… hint: Titanic….

Anonymous
23 days ago

The impact that this project will ultimately have in terms of connectivity between the A&E district, Overtown & Worldcenter is underestimated imo. And streamlining traffic flows from the airport directly to the beach with a signature bridge that’ll be unique and recognizable globally are all steps in the right direction to grow Miami into a world-class city. Public transportation and infrastructure continue to be critical challenges, however…

Yan Jammer
23 days ago

Just don’t streamline transit from the airport directly to the beach though, god forbid.

Ignatius J. Reilly
22 days ago

The 400 Metrobuses a day are also able to enjoy the roads and bridges.

Anon
23 days ago

A monument to Miami’s car dependency

Anonymous
23 days ago

so well said lol

Anonymous
23 days ago

Also, Metromoober and its cheerleaders are a monument to Miami’s pathetic transit solutions.

Bob art guy
22 days ago

A “Beautiful” monument

Ignatius J. Reilly
22 days ago

When I drive, I drive an SUV. Not dependent on it. It is the perfect vehicle for my family and my business. I don’t force anyone else to drive one, or ask that anyone pay for mine.

I eat a lot of rib eye steaks. Not dependent on them. Just love them.
I don’t force you to eat them, or post around every blog, everyday about them.

The notion that “Miami is car dependent” is an idea so stupid that it had to have been cooked up in a University.

Looking at the proposal for the NW 27th Extension at over $1b per mile for ONLY the planning/construction costs PLUS whatever the cars and operating costs are every year clearly makes no sense. EXCEPT for the University Professor who is also a “Transit Consultant” advocating for the stupid idea.

Individuals vote with their dollars, and they overwhelming chose to ride in cars over government trains.

It is unAmercian to take away property or choices by force.

Anon
22 days ago

1. You must have missed the vote where a majority of Miami Dade residents voted to expand transit
2. You must be unaware that this very government tore out miles of track and FORCED a car-only system down our throats in the 1950’s – the very thing you are pretending to be against.

anon
22 days ago

1) They were lied to about its real costs
2) Nothing got forced down anyone’s throat. Well, maybe yours, but not most. Most loved the independence cars gave them, far more than some antiquated trolley stuck on tracks.

Fred Hyek
22 days ago

#1. Wrong. See above. NOT majority of Miami-Dade Residents. Not all residents are registered voters. Of the registered voters, 72% showed up to vote. Of those, 80% voted yes to a NON BINDING Straw ballot.
You probably do not know that Straw Ballots are not intended to be actionable initiatives.
#2. Not true. I know that the failed train between Miami Beach and Miami was a private enterprise that went bankrupt. The Miami Dade County government did not “tore out the tracks”.

No one is “forcing you to drive a car”. You can walk, there are hundreds of buses too.
NEVER has the anyone in government EVER forced me to drive a car.

However, I have been forced to pay an extra Miami Dade County 1/2 penny sales tax on the SUVs I’ve bought to pay for “Mass Transit”. Ironic, huh?

With all that money, government has been failing at mass transit since at least 1984.

Balthazar Bratt
12 days ago

Don’t forget that every single gallon of gas you ever buy is taxed and allocated not only for road construction and maintenance, but also to pay for public transit.

The delivery people and people who pay the most for their transportation pay for the very ungrateful minority who just can’t get enough of the Metromover as long as the ticket is free, and someone else pays to build and maintain it.

Anonymous
12 days ago

^Balthazar dreams of a day where every single road in the state of Florida is a SunPass toll road, and that maybe his tiny micro d can grow another centimetre

Ltsi
21 days ago

Is more unAmerican to keep destroying its land and its peoplecwith pollution. The comunity is a group of people .if what you do affect others in a negative way, it isnt fair nor noble to think of just you. When you start getting cancer for eating so much of steak perhaps youll start growing a conscience. Miami is sinking and the over construction and pollution isnt helping .we are all paying the price for other selfiness. And so you know Miami and its bridges look horrible. It is becoming more and more like concrete jungle with poorly built infrastructures.

anon
20 days ago

^^Just cut to the chase and say “I can’t afford steak or a Brickell condo” and “I am jealous of people driving Cayenne’s and G-Wagons”.

Ignatius J. Reilly
20 days ago

What? Replacing failed infrastructure with great infrastructure is not “destroying land”.
Safe and efficient roads are a public benefit to ANYONE and EVERYONE who relies on food delivery to grocery stores. It is a public benefit to ANYONE and EVERYONE who requires the life safety services of Ambulances, Law Enforcement, and Fire Safety and Florida Power Light etc.

Metromovers and Metrorails are select government trains used only for commuters who are not willing to walk, ride a bike, drive a car, or take the bus.

Hubert
19 days ago

Cough cough – Eminent domain – cough

Truth Matters
22 days ago

It’s not only Miami. The only “real” city in the U.S. is NYC. The rest are made for the automobile. Even Chicago which was 2nd city is car dependent unless you are situated in the very core of the city and if you work in the same.

anon
22 days ago

The very people who buy all the high end condos championed in this blog love their G Wagons, not beercan Metromooer.

calivalle
22 days ago

LOL an iconic monument for the next 100 years..

Anon
23 days ago

Yes, because the true hallmark of a world class city is a highway interchange

Anonymous
23 days ago

It is the biggest luxury in Miami, easy access to an I95 stop. While being in a walkable neighborhood

anon
22 days ago

^^the biggest luxury in Miami is waterfront, not interstate access. jesucristo mang

Ignatius J. Reilly
22 days ago

Not underestimated by me.
There are a very vocal number of people who still do not understand that all those bridges from the health district had damaged infrastructure which NEEDED repair because they unsafe.
The construction was happening anyway. While there, why not transform all those piles of dirt supporting the deck to places with natural light?
While they are there anyway, why not transform the support to a suspension bridge instead of the barricade separating neighborhoods?

There were a LOT of great decisions. Taking the public space design away from FDOT road engineers was another great one. Unfortunately, the City of Miami has taken control and will likely idiocritize the public space part. They have already screwed up the naming part, and it seems to be on the same path of Maurice Frere Park. Open space with weak programing.

Anonymous
23 days ago

This project which was to take 4 years was started 5 years ago. They now say that it will now take 3 more years. I bet that it will take a lot longer than currently anticipated.

sadly
23 days ago

Just like Metrorail cost complaints this is x hundred million per mile, too.

Ignatius J. Reilly
22 days ago

Yes, but unlike the MetroRail, the roads can facilitate Ambulances, Fire Rescue, school busses, and cargo trucks loaded with food deliveries.

The community NEEDS things like public safety and food. A VERY small segment of the community WANTS more Metromover.

Anon
22 days ago

The county voted by a vast majority to invest in expanding transit

anon
22 days ago

they didn’t realize its true cost

Fred Hyek
22 days ago

If you were telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, you would have to admit that the 2024 vote was a Non-Binding Straw Ballot where 72% of Registered voters turned out, and of those 72%, 80% of those said “Yes” to a Non-binding Straw Ballot question of whether Miami-Dade County needs to expand Rapid Mass Transit.

If it were a real ballot initiative, they would have to put the cost in.

My guess is that once people know that it costs $2.2 Billion for 10 miles, just to build, not operate, there would be less enthusiasm for that investment.

About $1,000 for every man, woman, and child in Miami Dade County is a steep price to pay.

Balthazar Bratt
12 days ago

If little girls could vote, the “vast majority” would vote for their daddy to buy them a pony.

When the adults do the math, and perform a cost/benefit analysis, it becomes very clear that safe highways are far more important than Metro-movers to island cities.

Anon
22 days ago

@ Ignatius you do know the road EXISTED before this bridge right this is an aesthetic project more than anything. Currently there is NO metro rail and mass transit in many parts of dade county

Fred Hyek
21 days ago

Wrong.
When FDOT submitted the safety ratings for the Infrastructure and bridges supporting I-395 over 10 years ago, they reported Critically Unsafe ratings from a structural standpoint. All the bridges west of the Biscayne Bay were crumbling, and needed immediate repair.

Furthermore, the winding highway with entrance AND exit ramps on the left and on the right are unsafe from a traffic flow stand point. Cars entering westbound I-395 from Biscayne Blvd, hoping to travel southbound on I-95 must accelerate VERY rapidly on the north side of I-395 and immediately cross over ALL lanes to the left to get the southbound ramp. Given the number of cargo trucks leaving the PortMIami tunnel, this area is prone to accidents more than any other area of I-395.

Anyone who thinks that this massive highway projects main component is the Signature Bridge after these years is woefully uninformed.

Ignatius J. Reilly
21 days ago

Sentence number 1 makes two claims.
1. Yes. I know that there was a road before the latest construction project. In fact, the first time I ever was on it was around 1988 when the bridge connecting Miami to Watson Island was a drawbridge. Imagine, traffic backed up on Friday night, because the drawbridge was up. That bridge was upgraded, but the bridges to the west of the Biscayne Bay were not. They have needed an upgrade for years.
2. “it is aesthetic more than anything” No. that is 100% wrong. Not slightly wrong. Not a simple misunderstanding. You are totally wrong.
What happened first was that the infrastructure is dangerously decayed. FDOT put an emergency order to repair it all. WISELY, the City of Miami and Miami Dade County, took this opportunity to make it safer, and make the project enhance the quality of life for it’s citizens.

Ignatius J. Reilly
20 days ago

Of course the road was there before the current re-construction.
That road and the bridges were deemed to be crumbling and dangerous.

Opposite of “aesthetic project more than anything”, this project fixes the broken infrastructure, realigns on and off ramps, and realigns travel lanes for maximum safety and efficiency.

Bob art guy
19 days ago

Bean counter mentality passes over the “ aesthetic “ value of the bridge. Miami is a city with an image and this bridge enhances her cool vibe . Make Miami cool, beautiful and more people will flock here. There is a lot of work to be done. This is a start

Balthazar Bratt
12 days ago

True.
The infrastructure had to be replaced. Why not replace it with something interesting and spectacular?

For the size of Miami, there is a very robust Art in Public Places program, and it is refreshing that the people who care got off their arses to get engaged. Otherwise, Florida Department of Transportation would have designed their idea of a bridge.

Citizens who do not get off their arses to do anything owe a debt of gratitude to those individuals who advocated for a design competition for a suspension bridge.

Analyst
23 days ago

And with cost overruns..

Nobody
21 days ago

They’ll probably run out of money too.

Downtown Miami Winning
23 days ago

If by 2027, this bridge, Waldorf, and Okan are built, downtown Miami is going to look very different! Hopefully A&E district goes up next!

Anonymous
22 days ago

Umm not just those towers but about 20 more are in the pipeline to go HUGE. I simply have NO IDEA why this needed some silly signature bridge concept? Why not simply repair and replace? Maybe in 5 years it will be something “special” but, really!? Like that finger game thing being built at entry to MB at 5th Street? Who designed that?! To me, IMO and of course we ALL have opinions…. both are rather silly. Nothing that will make history as a Calatrava Bridge.

Fetisha
21 days ago

It took the Romans less time to build the Colosseum 2000 years ago!

sadly
20 days ago

They had slaves and less safety considerations for their death stadium, and less weather delays.

Anonymous Me
12 days ago

And let’s not forget COVID and its associated global supply chain and labor-related delays. Yes, things have been delayed. But I appreciate that such a complex project continues to move forward, despite all. I’d much rather it be completed correctly and at the highest quality than be rushed for the sake of meeting a deadline that no longer makes sense, based on unforeseen complications. All that would do is produce further problems well into the future.

Yan Jammer
23 days ago

Hopefully this comes out better than the renders which look bland and even sort of low res.

Anonymous
23 days ago

Can we get similar improvements under the main Miami River bridge? José Marti Park is in disrepair, with trash scattered everywhere.

Anon
23 days ago

That space is reserved for beautiful parking lots

Anonymous
23 days ago

It looks like major renovations are on the way. Praying the garbage is just temporary bc of the construction.

???
22 days ago

Why don’t you go and volunteer to pick up the trash?

Ignatius J. Reilly
22 days ago

Catch up.
This will be done as the Riverside project continues it’s construction.

Anonymous
12 days ago

What weather events have caused a 4 year delay??!!

Bombomatic
11 days ago

It’s been 85 years actually. This site will celebrate anything I guess.

EjMiami
21 days ago

I heard from a project manager that the first designs weren’t wind load tested which required a complete redesign to meet the Hurricane force winds. Thus the massive delays……

Yan Jammer
18 days ago

Nothing critical on the Florida coast from cape canaveral to down around the keys and the entire gulf coast should be weaker than 200 mph wind gust capable, including flying debris in some cases. “hurricane force” 75 wind is slower than highway traffic.

anon
16 days ago

there’s no way the due diligence of these engineers actually made such a massive mistake to common building practice in fl

Confused local
16 days ago

Can someone explain what the purpose of this bridge is? It’s not over water, why do you need a bridge instead of an elevated highway?

Balthazar Bratt
12 days ago

When you walk along I-395 from the bayfront west, it will be very obvious how the big piles of dirt act as a barricade to separate pedestrians from the 1/2 Billion dollar Performing Arts Center by Cesar Pelli and the Perez Art Museum Miami (Herzog & de Meuron), Frost Science Museum (Grimshaw Architects).
Pedestrians have to navigate crossings at on ramps, off ramps, and the dark underbelly of the overpasses resting on the dirt.
Anyone remember when the guy ate the face off of another homeless guy? That was right where those piles of dirt provided some a private dining experience.

An elevated bridge is not a NEED, it is a WANT. But as far as wish list items are concerned, a suspension bridge and a linear public space extending from the Biscayne Bay for a couple miles is a very good use of resources.

Cover the Podiums
23 days ago

I’m still very doubtful of the underdeck park. The bridge will be so wide that there won’t be any sunlight

Anonymous
23 days ago

Look into what FDOT pulled in Downtown Orlando after the I-4 Ultimate project. They also promised an under highway park and now it’s just a parking lot and it became up to the city and county to fund the park space which is now back to the drawing board. So Miami beware of what FDOT promises with the Underdeck.

Cover the Podiums
23 days ago

This is what Im thinking its going to happen. Too much homelessness and crime, that they are going to fence it in and turn into a city parking lot

Anon
23 days ago

it’s also being designed and built by the FDOT so….

Ignatius J. Reilly
22 days ago

Wrong. wrong. wrong…..

The Friends of the Underdeck has been fighting for nearly 5 years to wrestle the PUBLIC SPACE design responsibility away from the FDOT HIGHWAY ENGINEERS, and they won that battle.

Next was to have this fearless group of community leaders which includes, the world renowned designers, architects, and planners featured here:
https://friendsoftheunderdeck.org/
to handle the design, construction, programing, management, etc.

This battle is ongoing. After 4 years, the City of Miami showed up. Whether they do anything right remains to be seen.

anonymous
20 days ago

Just read the 6 core principles, I see a lot of “DEI” slang in there.

Cover the Podiums
19 days ago

Please go research highway removal projects/highway burying projects. World class cities like Paris, Barcelona, Boston, etc have all moved their highways underground or rerouted them. Why? because you simply cannot have a 14 lane highway splitting the downtown area like that. The park should always be above the highway, not the other way around. I don’t care if the pillars are 50 feet high, when you have 14 lanes on a bridge, it will get dark and its going to be uninviting. No city has ever been able to make a park underneath a bridge that big and make it welcoming.

No Drama
18 days ago

currently NOW (2024-2025) Biscayne Blvd becomes unpassable with heavy rain due to flooding! Do you really think going underground is a good idea? m sure you have this all figured out

Ignatius J. Reilly
22 days ago

Why not watch the video supplied to you a dozen times, or attend any one of the meetings where can actually speak to the engineers like I did?

Once you get educated, your doubts will dissipate.

anon
22 days ago

^^too busy listening to Tony Robbins audio tapes to get my swerve on

F Herrick Herrick
22 days ago

It’s Miami. Shade is a commodity.

Anonymous
22 days ago

my miami: all flash and NO CASH

Cover the Podiums
19 days ago

I could see that. But people pretending like its going to some sort of central park are delusional

Sleatus
19 days ago

You are misusing your imagination if you think that anyone has suggested that the public space below I-395 is comparable to Central Park.
You are also not using you head if you cant see how a deck suspended in the air will allow for more natural light than what exists there now.

Anyone who walks from the Bayfront along side I-395 will be amazing that the deck would be resting on a 30ft tall pile of dirt. The 30ft pile of dirt extending from the Bayfront along most of the way to I-95 is a barricade blocking pedestrian movement, and in a pile of dirt, there is zero natural light. (d’uh.)
The improvements to remove the 30ft piles of dirt, and instead suspend the decks from cables will open up the area below significantly.
For those who have brains, this is a no-brainer.