MIAMI | Signature Bridge (I-395)

[chris08876]

I-395 bridge funded for 2018

Major improvements to I-395, including a new signature bridge, are funded for 2018 and preliminary design work continues with an eye toward a January 2015 design completion date, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

In addition, designers and engineers with the state transportation department have narrowed design options for the bridge from four to two alternatives: Lotus and Wishbone.

“The design has not yet been chosen,” said Tasha Cunningham, spokesperson for the transportation department. “The department is working with the Aesthetic Steering Committee. At this time, both the Wishbone and Lotus designs are being considered.”

Twenty years in the making, Miami city leaders had to fight to get the I-395 project back on track. City commissioners in July announced an agreement with the state for reconstruction of Interstate 395 that calls for a new “signature” bridge near the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

The project has an estimated construction cost of $500 million to $600 million, in present day dollars, depending on selected structural design.

The reconstruction involves some 1.4 miles of roadway.

The project goes far beyond construction of a new bridge, with a goal of opening up the vistas near the arts center and Museum Park. Maps show the roadway improvements occurring in three zones or segments, from where it joins I-95 on the west and the start of the MacArthur Causeway over Biscayne Bay on the east.

“Preliminary design will be complete by January 2015,” said Ms. Cunningham. “Construction is currently funded beginning in 2018 as a Design/Build/Finance project.”

A fact sheet on the project shows proposed improvements include:

* Building new elevated ramps (one eastbound, one westbound) that will directly link I-95 and I-395.
* Improving roadway design, including updating the alignment and upgrading the roadway surface.
* Creating a visually appealing bridge.
* Building taller structures that will improve the visual quality of the bridge.

[...]

Possible Designs:

1) Wishbone:







2) Lotus:





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http://www.miamitodaynews.com/2014/1...e-funded-2018/
http://www.exmiami.org/index.php/her...owntown-miami/