'Signature Bridge' Project Shuts Down NE 12th Street For Good

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Here we go again. A major highway construction project is shutting down one of the most traveled roads in downtown Miami.

Portions of Northeast 12th Street are permanently closing Monday and those closures are affecting three major South Florida highways.

The Florida Department of Transportation and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority are closing Northeast 12th Street from Biscayne Boulevard to Northeast First Avenue.

The shutdown on Aug. 12 is for the construction of a new I-395 bridges including the Signature Bridge.

Artist rendering of Signature Bridge over Biscayne Blvd in downtown Miami (Source: i395-miami.com)

"All this is in an effort to bring relief to the drivers that are commuting through the area," explains FDOT spokesman Oscar Gonzalez.

There are electronic message signs directing drivers through the new traffic pattern.

Drivers on southbound Biscayne Boulevard or NE 2 Avenue who want to access westbound I-395/SR 836 or I-95 can turn right on NE 13 Street, then turn left on NE 1 Avenue to access the westbound I-395 ramp.

Northeast 1 Avenue is being converted to a two-way street from NE 13 Street to I-395 to make way for the traffic.

All of this is taking place just south of the Adrienne Arsht Center and across from the Perez Art Museum.

Drivers on northbound Biscayne Boulevard or other points south of I-395 will continue to access the westbound I-395 ramp via NE 11 Street and NE 1 Avenue.

The price tag of this project is $802 million and is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2023.

It will include double-decking a section of the highway, repaving a stretch of I-95 and that will mean lane closures, traffic shifts and more detours.