And this year, a traffic nightmare indescribable for its effects on visitors to the Art Fair, scattered in locations from Wynwood, to Mid-Town, to downtown and Miami Beach.
We went out last night to check the ride. US 1 northbound from Coral Gables to US 95 was a disaster. A few years ago, highway construction crews erected a sound barrier on US 1 from below SW 17th St. to SW 22nd, I marveled at the use of shrubs between the pillars holding concrete barrier slabs. No way anything would grow there, and indeed not much did. It looks like crap. The way Miami, Miami-Dade County and FDOT is solving the problem is to remove the shrubs (who knows how much that cost and who benefited) and put poured concrete barriers up against the Romaneque Wall (who knows how much that cost and who benefited).
But let's say you want to take 395 eastbound to Miami Beach. Last night, the traffic jam caused by the Miami TUNNEL BORE HOLE project was mind-boggling, with east-bound traffic jammed nearly to the intersection with 95. Hello? What's the alternative route? The Venetian Causeway. The Biscayne Boulevard exit was no better. It took 20 minutes to get off the ramp onto the Boulevard. And then the Venetian Causeway: OMG! Who knew that big water and paving projects are going on at the same time on the Venetian Islands! Traffic to the causeway toll, mushed off 95 for a faster way to the Beach, was backed up to the Herald intersection near Biscayne Boulevard.
On 195, the eastbound North Miami exit is still closed. We wrote about the nightmare of traffic funneling entirely onto Biscayne Boulevard, the only exit serving Mid-Town and Wynwood, a week ago. There is no polite way to put this: the impending shit storm for Miami is gargantuan. The traffic nightmare WILL BE the Art Basel Miami story. "Art Basel Miami: all dressed up with nowhere to go". Call it the Greater Miami Chamber of Traffic Horrors.
7 comments:
If the Miami Avenue exit isn't ready by Art Basel, the event will be a disaster. That exit is backed up big time during Art Basel every year when the exit is open! If the exit is closed, the damage to the fair will be incalculable.
Dude - you got your I-395 and I-195 mixed up..I-395 is the downtown exit nightmare and I-195 is the mid-town exit nightmare -- that aside, you're right. But who do I feel bad for? The folks who drive to/from their minimum wage jobs who have to go near this shit during Art Basel.
I feel sorry for you having to sample this traffic nightmare for your reader's benefit. But thank you. Wonder if we'll see mention of this in any breathless hyped up
Miami herald stories on art Basel or the Big Dig tunnel stories.
Thanks for the heads up on the 395/195 mixup. I do it all the time but mostly get to where I need to go.
If you want gridlock, look no further than Brickell. It's amazing that they will start the next phase of construction three months before finishing the previous phase. The streets on three sides of my office building have been torn up for over a year now.
On Monday, I had to go to a meeting at a building on Brickell and 12th Street. It took me about 40 minutes from Kendall Drive to Brickell and 15th Road. It took me 45 minutes to navigate to Brickell and 12th and find parking in a parking building that cost me $12.00 for 1-1/2 hours of parking.
Needless to say, I am not going back there in the foreseeable future.
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