After thousands stranded on Key Biscayne, flyover bridge has reopened for now, officials say
The road closures that contributed to thousands of motorists being stranded on the Rickenbacker Causeway Sunday evening — some for more than five hours — are no more.
On Tuesday morning, the Florida Department of Transportation reopened the southbound exit ramp onto U.S. 1, the last remaining road closure. Officials reopened the northbound flyover lane that connects to I-95 North on Monday after the traffic mayhem.
Almost 24,000 cars traveled eastbound on the Rickenbacker Causeway on Sunday, according to figures provided by Miami-Dade County. Data wasn’t available for cars traveling westbound — away from Key Biscayne.
The closures were linked to a state construction project that closed the flyover bridge connecting Key Biscayne to the mainland. Sunday was the first evening the Rickenbacker Causeway’s flyover bridge, which connects westbound traffic to South Dixie Highway and I-95 north, was closed.
FDOT had said it would be shut down for two months to restore concrete pavement.
READ MORE: Hundreds trying to leave Key Biscayne stranded in their cars for hours. What happened?
FDOT reconsidered the closure after meeting with Key Biscayne officials Monday to discuss solutions to the mess on the causeway, where a deluge of motorists, including Key Biscayne residents and those who had spent Sunday at Crandon Park, a popular weekend pastime, were stuck in standstill traffic for hours exiting the Key. Engineers have been reconvening to study the project and its timeline.
A new timeline has yet to be decided, though Key Biscayne Mayor Joe Rasco said it will “likely have only one flyover lane under construction at a time.”
The construction is part of a “rehabilitation project” that is “imperative to the structural integrity” of the bridges, FDOT spokesperson Tish Burgher said in a statement.
“While this project will inevitably cause disruption to typical travel patterns for commuters, the Department reinforces our commitment to workshopping any revised plan with community stakeholders prior to being implemented,” Burgher said.
