Traffic Shifting on Northbound Palmetto Expressway This Weekend

Northbound lanes from Southwest 8th Street to the Dolphin Expressway will be diverted beginning Friday night.

The traffic pattern is changing once more for drivers on the Palmetto Expressway.

All northbound traffic on the Palmetto, also called State Road 826, will be shifted to the right onto a new roadway just after Southwest 8th Street, and then shifted back to existing expressway lanes before reaching the Dolphin Expressway, or State Road 836.

The shift will start at 10 p.m. Friday and last until 6 a.m. Sunday.

Florida Department of Transportation Officials say the closures will open up new areas for construction on the SR 826/SR 836 Interchange Reconstruction Project. The massive, $560 billion project includes 45 new bridges that will serve as entrance and exit ramps on the highways.

Cash Lane Closures on Dolphin Expressway Start Sunday

"They're going to be seeing a lot more traffic shifts like this as we get closer to the core of the interchange, but once finished, this is going to be a vastly improved interchange," FDOT spokesman Oscar Gonzalez said.

The traffic shift will affect driving time, so anyone heading to the airport should leave a little bit earlier Saturday and Sunday.

The interchange reconstruction project is scheduled to finish fall 2014.

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