Hundreds of drivers faced delays of up to five hours this Sunday due to road closures caused by a road rehabilitation project.
The westbound SR 913/Rickenbacker Causeway overpass bridge, which connects to southbound SR 5/US 1/South Dixie Highway and northbound SR 9A/I-95, was closed by contractors to repair concrete pavement on bridge decks.
Images published on social networks showed a large crowd of vehicles.
Drivers emptied nearby markets in search of food and drinks to deal with the long wait.
Some even chose to make a wheel to dance the guachineo.
These closures began on April 14 and are expected to last approximately two months.which has generated concern among those who frequent the area and indignation in the mayor of Key Biscayne, Joe Rasco, who said that “it is not acceptable” and requested a call with a representative of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
“Village (Key Biscayne) residents are rightly frustrated and upset about the traffic situation we face, as am I.”Rasco said in a statement posted on Instagram.
“Although we stressed to our partners at FDOT that a complete closure of the ramps would be a serious problem, we were assured that it had been studied and was under control. It clearly is not,” he added.
Rasco specified that he had spoken with state representative, Vicki López, and that he had a call scheduled with the secretary of FDOT District 6 this Monday.
“What happened today is not acceptable to our Key Biscayne residents or those who enjoy visiting our island. “We will fight to regain reasonable access to and from the Rickenbacker Causeway,” the mayor said.
According to authorities, despite the delays, eastbound traffic will not be affected by the closures, and access to SE/SW 26 Road, Brickell Avenue and South Miami Avenue will be maintained, according to information provided by FDOT .
Additionally, the department has made available a detailed map of the closures and detours, making navigation easier for those affected by this situation.
At night Michael Vega, spokesperson for the City of Miami Police Department, spoke about the situation.
“We are developing a plan to assist with traffic coming out of Rickenbacker. There are no events or incidents that we are aware of. It appears that the ramp to I-95 is closed due to work and this has caused this traffic. We are trying to evaluate the problem and help with this,” he said in a statement sent to Telemundo 51.
Amid these challenges, Key Biscayne drivers will need to take precautions during the closure period.
