KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – After a traffic nightmare on Sunday left drivers from Key Biscayne to Virginia Key and Hobie Island stranded for hours, drivers accused state and local authorities of poor planning.
To explain what happened and what was being done to prevent it from happening again, the Florida Department of Transportation released a long statement on Monday afternoon.
“This project will inevitably cause disruption to typical travel patterns for commuters,” Tish Burgher, of FDOT, wrote about the “rehabilitation” of the flyover bridge that connects Rickenbacker Causeway drivers heading inland to Interstate 95 northbound and U.S. 1 southbound.
Also, “the work is part of a rehabilitation project to the bridges which are nearly 50 years old and is imperative to the structural integrity of the bridges and the safety of the traveling public,” Burgher wrote.
Burgher, the communications manager for the FDOT District 6, which covers Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, claimed the department’s employees believed “all appropriate factors” were used to develop the traffic plan they were “re-evaluating” on Monday.
The FDOT employees blamed Sunday’s traffic crisis on “the volume of vehicles” that “overwhelmed” their traffic plan. The solution: The department decided to re-open the flyover bridge on Monday after the closure on Sunday caused traffic delays at the entrance of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
The flyover bridge partially re-opened on Monday. Traffic from the Rickenbacker Causeway to the ramp connecting to Interstate 95 was flowing, but not to the ramp connecting to U.S. 1.
SUNDAY TRAFFIC
Drivers reported the Sunday afternoon and evening into late night traffic on Crandon Boulevard to the Rickenbacker Causeway stretched from two to over six hours. Attorney Naomi Nevy Garcia used Facebook to air her grievances.
“This isn’t just a detour or delay! My family including 3 young children have been stranded for nearly 4 hours in the car near Bill Bags state park! This is a total disaster,” Nevy Garcia wrote. “It’s past 11pm right now and the traffic is backed up all the way from 95. Horrible traffic planning!”
Brian McNody and Quinton Lawton, both University of Miami researchers; Andrew Hazelton, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist; and Quinton Lawton, a University of Miami researcher, used X to demand a solution to the problem.
“If this continues as is, I can’t see how businesses and schools on Virginia Key and Key Biscayne will even function,” Lawton wrote. “This is untenable.”
Alissa Rae Miller, a personal trainer living with hypoglycemia, was among the drivers who used Instagram to vent about their nightmare after leaving Crandon Park, which has a beach, golf course, tennis center, and marina. There were also drivers from the beach parks in Virginia Key and Hobie Island.
“I was shaking, sweating, and disoriented around 7 and almost passed out,” Rae Miller wrote on Instagram. “I had my last of my coconut water and carbs but I never expected this ever in my life. This is not OK. This is a death trap.”
With the flyover bridge closed Sunday, the Rickenbacker Causeway drivers who had waited had only one option. They had to turn left toward Brickell Avenue in Miami where there was more traffic. The project’s planners had announced it was going to last about two months.
“The Department is re-evaluating the traffic management plan to maintain safety, while also ensuring the continued movement of people and goods from Key Biscayne to the mainland,” Burgher wrote in the statement released on Monday afternoon.
Key Biscayne Mayor Joe Rasco, Police Chief Frank Sousa, and Fire Chief Eric Lang told The Key Biscayne Independent on Sunday the traffic had caused problems for the village. The Islander News reported: “A Key Biscayne Sunday traffic horror that will live in infamy.”
Rasco released a statement on Instagram and Facebook. His promise: “We will fight to regain reasonable access.”
The FDOT also announced that by “Wednesday morning, the southbound lanes will fully reopen to allow time for the installation of guardrails today and tomorrow. While this installation occurs, surface streets should be utilized.”
Read the complete FDOT statement:
Yesterday, FDOT began work on the Rickenbacker Causeway flyover bridges in Miami-Dade County. While the original maintenance of traffic plan was developed with all appropriate factors considered, it was overwhelmed with the volume of vehicles ingressing and egressing from Key Biscayne yesterday. The Department has heard and understands the community’s concerns and, based on the feedback we’ve received, has taken prompt action as follows:
Today, the Department has re-opened northbound lanes of the Causeway flyover today.
By Wednesday morning, the southbound lanes will fully reopen to allow time for the installation of guardrails today and tomorrow. While this installation occurs, surface streets should be utilized.
The work is part of a rehabilitation project to the bridges which are nearly 50 years old and is imperative to the structural integrity of the bridges and the safety of the travelling public. While this phase of work was expected to last approximately 2 months, the Department is re-evaluating the traffic management plan to maintain safety, while also ensuring the continued movement of people and goods from Key Biscayne to the mainland.
Moving forward, the Department will continue coordination with local officials, including local law enforcement, on revised traffic management plans and signalization coordination. 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.