Massive Golden Glades rebuilt on $908 million road
Now 10 years in the making, the Golden Glades Interchange is on track to be the largest state-funded construction effort in Florida history.
The mammoth $908 million project will help ease traffic flow in South Florida, one of the most heavily congested corridors in the nation, targeting major highways.
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) officials say they are very confident in the status of the project and what it will do for South Florida and 22 million state residents, as well as the millions of tourists and tons of trade goods that navigate South Florida every year.
Since breaking ground in March, the Golden Glades Interchange Project targets a network of major thoroughfares: I-95, the Palmetto Expressway, Florida's Turnpike, and State Roads 7 and 9, which all intersect and carry a combined average of 40,000 vehicles a day.
Spanning 16 miles of concrete and 22 miles of asphalt, the project looks at myriad updates to these roadways, including widening and adding more lanes, building new connecting ramps and bridges, repaving and restriping roads, as well as updating the necessary infrastructure.
Manny Espinal, project administrator and its lead engineer, said its significant scale is due to how expansive and encompassing the project really is.
Work actually consists of nine significant transit and public works projects, and is aimed at not only easing congestion but at repairing and upgrading the extensive network of infrastructure necessary to support transit and trade through South Florida, such as replacing floodwater boxes and outdated bridges, Mr. Espinal said. In the project, 23 outdated bridges will be demolished and an additional 32 will be constructed in accordance with updated building standards.
The project is on time, if not ahead of schedule, Mr. Espinal said. Due to its vast nature, construction on various segments has begun in simultaneous phases. While officials couldn't state an exact length of roadway that has been added so far, they confirmed that work is on schedule.
Work is expected to be done by fall 2031. Currently, 21% of the allotted funding, $190.68 million, has been paid out to ensure work can continue on schedule for the year.
However, officials have indicated that due to the project's multilateral nature, drivers will begin seeing results as early as next year.
One component was moving the I-95 off-ramp exit from Northwest Seventh Avenue five blocks to Northwest 155th Lane to reduce traffic congestion and increase capacity.
Likewise, progress has been made on replacing the flood water management system – 137 of 682 stormwater drainage boxes have been installed, as well as 13,000 feet of drainage pipes of the 65,000 planned.
"This project includes a lot of different components, including resiliency, including safety, a lot of different factors that include or encompass all of the project benefits ... communities being at the center of FDOT's operations," says Sergies Duarte, senior community outreach specialist.
"This project will also benefit the supply chain," he said. "This interchange serves as a major freight connector and provides access to South Florida's seaports and airports, so having these new lanes and ramps will also help the transit and freight community.... Workforce development is very important for our economic activity and ... it is creating employment opportunities during construction. It's a lot of different components that make up the Golden Glades Interchange."
A major milestone to be completed by 2028 is a ramp connecting the eastbound Palmetto Expressway to northbound I-95, which would allow drivers to change routes seamlessly, as opposed to having to get off and on the expressways.
New technology is a focal point. Wrong-way vehicle detection systems and new CCTV cameras would be installed to allow the department's Traffic Management Center to monitor traffic and make it easier for road rangers to get to cars and passengers needing aid.
According to Mr. Duarte, a decade of planning was needed to coordinate a project of this scale, communicating with state and municipal departments to get work going.
Mr. Duarte said the project will provide many benefits for South Florida residents, including easing traffic and congestion and improving the flow of transit, two issues known all too well by anyone living in Miami-Dade.
"I think what commuters are going to see is increased mobility. This project is focused on creating new connections that didn't currently exist, so that really entails improved safety. That entails faster response time when there's an incident," said Mr. Duarte.
"That's going to allow the FDOT Road Rangers to get to their destinations quicker. The cameras that are being installed will allow the TMC (Traffic Management Center) to be watching over these roadways very closely and working together with Florida Highway Patrol and local police departments as well. There's just so many benefits that the community will see from this. This project is all about increasing regional mobility, and really revitalizing this major roadway interchange."
"This is a project that really is a benefit for South Florida in general," Mr. Duarte said. "The project takes place in Miami-Dade County, but it does have a lot of benefit for the region as a total."
