The Golden Glades Interchange is about to get a massive overhaul.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the major thoroughfare is going to be part of the biggest design, bid, and build project in Florida history.
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WATCH HERE“It connects three major expressways: the Palmetto, I-95 and the Turnpike. It also connects State Road 7, State Road 9 and 167th Street so it’s an interchange, but it’s a major interchange of regional importance, so that’s why we need to do something about it,” said Raul Quintela, FDOT project manager for the Golden Glades Interchange Enhancement Project.
Since it was built in 1953, the Golden Glades Interchange has become a huge connector between Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
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“400,000 vehicles go through the Golden Glades every day,” Quintela said.
When passing through the area going eastbound, drivers currently have to get off the Palmetto and go on local roads to loop around to I-95 northbound. With the Golden Glades Interchange Enhancement Project, that will soon change.
“We’re going to build a new ramp that is going to take you from the Palmetto eastbound to all the way to I-95 without getting off,” said Quintela.
Chopper 6 cameras have spotted some drivers going through the emergency pullover lanes as you enter I-95 southbound from the Turnpike near the interchange.
In an attempt to fix that and other traffic issues, major planned improvements include widening and adding lanes on the Turnpike into I-95 southbound and a direct connection from the express lanes from the Turnpike to I-95 south.
The exit for State Road 7 will also be relocated further south.
A list of all the proposed improvements can be found here.
“What took them so long? This is something they should have done a long time ago. People talk about South Florida traffic every day as to how horrible it is, so that’s going to be a big improvement. I can’t wait,” said driver Kenny Medina.
Some drivers were concerned about how congestion will be impacted during the project’s construction.
“It’s a good thing, but at the same time there might be more traffic while that’s going on because this is the hub that goes north, south, east and west,” said driver Rebecca Sanchez.
“We may have some lane closures at night, but during the day we provide the existing number of lanes, so in theory, we should not affect the traffic,” Quintela said.
Organizers behind the project just finalized the design phase and are in the process of advertising the project for construction. The team will start receiving bids in the next few months and once they get into a contract with the chosen bidder, construction could begin by early 2024.
The overall goal of the project is to enhance safety and mobility in the interchange. Once construction begins, engineers predict the project will take about eight years to complete, with an estimated cost of $620 million dollars.
