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Dolphin East–West Expressway

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State Road 836 marker State Road 836 marker State Road 836 marker
Dolphin East–West Expressway
SR 836 and I-395
Map
SR 836 highlighted in green, I-395 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by GMX and FDOT
Length15.387 mi[1] (24.763 km)
I-395: 1.292 miles (2.079 km)[2]
Existed1969–present
Component
highways
  • SR 836 in Tamiami–Miami
  • I-395 in Miami
Major junctions
West end SR 825 in Tamiami
Major intersections
East end US 1 / SR A1A in Miami
Location
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountiesMiami-Dade
Highway system
← SR 834→ SR 838
← SR 393I-395→ SR 397

The Dolphin East–West Expressway is a 15.4-mile (24.8 km) freeway, with the westernmost 14 miles (23 km) as an all-electronic tollway signed as State Road 836 (SR 836), and the easternmost 1.292 miles (2.079 km) between Interstate 95 (I-95) and SR A1A cosigned as Interstate 395 (I-395).[3]

The road currently extends from just north of the intersection of Southwest 137th Avenue and U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) in Tamiami, eastward past the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike (HEFT) (SR 821) and Miami International Airport, before intersecting I-95, becoming I-395 and ending at SR A1A in Miami at the west end of the MacArthur Causeway. The Dolphin Expressway is maintained and operated by the Greater Miami Expressway Agency (GMX), while the I-395 section is maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The Dolphin Expressway from the Palmetto Expressway to I-95 opened in 1969, with the I-395 section opening in 1971, the extension to the HEFT opening in 1974 and a second western extension opening in 2007.

Route description

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Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) eastbound with Downtown Miami in the background
I-395 spur heading east past Downtown Miami

The highway begins just north of the intersection of Southwest 137th Avenue (unsigned SR 825) and U.S. Highway 41 (SR 90) in Tamiami, built in 2007 and initially accessible only to motorists with SunPass transponders, passing through the first toll gantry. The expressway heads east towards the Homestead Extension of the Turnpike, and then passes through the second of four toll gantries. It then intersects with the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826) at the recently rebuilt Dolphin–Palmetto Interchange, and passes through the southern end of the Miami International Airport. With the failure of FDOT to build either the previously planned airport spur or the proposed LeJeune Road Expressway to give additional access to the airport, Miami-Dade County's sole complete east–west throughway is now often congested, most commonly in the stretch between the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826) and LeJeune Road (SR 953).

During this stretch, the expressway have interchanges with NW 72nd Avenue, a third toll gantry, NW 57th Avenue, and a partial with NW 45th Avenue before reaching LeJeune Road. East of the interchange with the airport at LeJeune Road, The expressway has interchanges with NW 37th Avenue and NW 27th Avenue (SR 9), and then reaches the fourth and final toll gantry just west of downtown. The highway has two more interchanges in the fringes of downtown with NW 17th Avenue and NW 12th Avenue before intersecting with I-95 at the Midtown Interchange and becoming a free road and unsigned as Interstate 395 goes into downtown Miami.[4]

I-395 heads east as an elevated, six-lane expressway into downtown Miami. The feeder lanes from I-95 to eastbound I-395 make up a separate three lane ramp to the right of I-395, with the exit to US 1/US 41 being a left exit from the I-395 lanes and a right exit from the I-95 feeder lanes. The feeder lanes then merge into three lanes, heading east towards the MacArthur Causeway, with I-395 and SR 836 terminating just east of an entrance ramp with US 1 (SR 5)/US 41, and continuing as SR A1A.[4][5]

Tolls

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The Dolphin Expressway is an all-electronic toll road that only accepts tolls via SunPass transponders or billing by the toll-by-plate at double cost. The toll road does not accept cash. Toll gantries are located along the expressway and on interchange ramps, eliminating all "free movement" sections that existed in the past. As of November 15, 2014, the total toll for traffic traveling along the expressway from Northwest 137th Avenue to Interstate 95 is $2.40 for SunPass users, and $4.80 for Toll-by-Plate users.[6]

History

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The old shield for the Dolphin Expressway used from its opening to the mid-2000s
Signage denoting the current western terminus of the Dolphin Expressway, right above an all electronic toll gantry

Originally envisioned as the Twentieth Street Tollway in 1964 (with a spur to the airport along LeJeune Road), construction on the Fourteenth Street east–west Expressway between the Palmetto Expressway and US 1 started in 1967 and was completed in 1969. Two years later, construction of the western extension to Florida's Turnpike commenced, and was finished in 1974. Also in 1974, the name of the tollway was changed to commemorate the success of the Miami Dolphins of the NFL, after back-to-back wins in the Super Bowl.

The section of SR 836 signed as I-395 was supposed to open with the rest of the Dolphin Expressway in 1968, but was delayed due to a freeze at the federal level for road spending.[7] The expressway opened on March 26, 1971.[8]

Initial plans for the Interstate 75 extension to Miami in 1968 would have had used the Dolphin Expressway as its final link to Interstate 95 (I-75 would have crossed the Everglades via the Tamiami Trail under this plan). However, these plans were abandoned in 1973 in favor of I-75's current route farther north. The fact that the Dolphin Expressway was not built to interstate standards and the expensive costs in upgrading it to such was one of the factors in changing I-75's proposed route.[9]

Construction of a second westward extension of SR 836 started in 2004.[10] This extension, westward to Northwest 137th Avenue near Northwest 12th Street, opened June 22, 2007, was initially accessible only to motorists with SunPass electronic toll-paying capability; there is no capacity for the collection of cash. The road has since opened to non SunPass users with the Toll by Plate system.

Until July 1, 2007, the toll for eastbound automobiles was $1.25 ($1.00 for motorists with SunPass), paid at a toll booth between Northwest 22nd and Northwest 17th Avenues (toll is not collected from westbound traffic). In conjunction with the completion of the new three-mile-long extension west of the Turnpike, tolls of $1.00 (75 cents for motorists with SunPass) were collected from traffic in both directions west of SR 973 (Northwest 87th Avenue/Galloway Road). Although the new toll was originally stated to be only for the extension, motorists going to the Florida Turnpike or Northwest 107th Avenue also have to pay.[11]

On July 21, 2013, the eastbound toll plaza near I-95 ceased cash collection and became all electronic, with those paying with SunPass paying $1, and Toll by Plate users paying $2.

On November 15, 2014, the Dolphin Expressway became an all electronic toll road, no longer collecting cash, and the only ways to pay are either by the SunPass transponders or billing by the toll-by-plate program, at double the cost of SunPass users. Toll gantries are located along the expressway and on interchanges to where there are no "free movement" sections of the expressway as existed previously. The move was first announced in 2010, and along with the nearby Airport Expressway, was the last of the GMX expressways to be converted to open road tolling.[12][13]

On May 24, 2010, construction began on the Port Miami Tunnel, a $1 billion project that connects the port to other major highway arteries, including I-395, with the tunnel opening on August 3, 2014.[14][15]

In 2016, the construction of additional lanes to match the rebuilt, higher capacity Dolphin-Palmetto Interchange, with SR 826 was completed.[16]

The Dolphin Expressway is home to two of the state's diverging-diamond interchanges after the reconstruction of two exits at Northwest 27th Avenue and Northwest 57th Avenue.[17]

Future

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New ramp connectors to the HEFT

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In May 2022, construction began on four new ramps that connect to the HEFT. It includes:

  • From the Miami-Dade Transit Dolphin station Park-n-Ride, a new ramp to westbound SR 836.
  • From eastbound SR 836, a new ramp to the Dolphin station Park-n-Ride and to northbound HEFT.
  • From southbound HEFT, a new ramp to westbound SR 836.

In addition, improvements are being made to ramps from southbound HEFT to eastbound SR 836 and westbound SR 836 to northbound HEFT. The project is expected to cost $41.1 million and was supposed to be completed in spring 2024. The new ramps opened on October 23rd, 2024[18]

Connecting Miami

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In January 2019, the construction of a new SR 836/I-95/I-395 interchange project began. The GMX is overseeing the construction of a new double-decker span of the SR 836 (from NW 17 Avenue, rising over the center of the existing SR 836 roadway, and touching down at I-395, east of the I-95 interchange), while the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is overseeing the construction of the complete replacement of the I-395 sector (from I-95 to the MacArthur Causeway), with a new "signature" cable-stayed bridge extending across it and over Biscayne Boulevard. Community parks, art installations, and urban green spaces will be designed underneath the 1.4-mile stretch, from NW 3 Avenue to Biscayne Boulevard. In addition, I-95 will undergo concrete pavement reconstruction from NW 8 Street to NW 29 Street.

The project is known as "Connecting Miami". The entire project is expected to cost $840 million and be completed in late 2027.[19][20]

The Kendall Parkway

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The Kendall Parkway is a planned new north–south extension of SR 836, a multimodal transportation corridor mostly west of SW 167th Avenue from the current termini of SR 836 at NW 137th Avenue to SW 136th Street. The entire project is expected to cost over $1 billion.[21][22]

Exit list

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Exits are unnumbered on the GMX-maintained section. The entire route is in Miami-Dade County.

Locationmi[2][1][6]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Tamiami0.0000.000


 SR 825 south (Southwest 137th Avenue) to US 41 / SR 90 (Southwest 8th Street / Tamiami Trail)		The Tamiami Trail is approximately one mile south from the end of the expressway via SR 825. Northbound 137th Avenue leads into an industrial park, where it ends at Northwest 25th Street.
0.81.3Tamiami toll gantry
1.712.75Northwest 121st Avenue / Telemundo WayOpened October 23rd, 2024; Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; Access to MDT's Dolphin Park-and-Ride
Tamiami–Fontainebleau–
Sweetwater tripoint		2.213.56 Florida's Turnpike Extension – Homestead, Fort Lauderdale, OrlandoNo southbound access from eastbound 836. Exit 26 on Turnpike
Fontainebleau–Doral line3.5845.768 SR 985 (Northwest 107th Avenue)Eastbound exit is only accessible from Turnpike entrance; Tolled eastbound exit and westbound entrance.
4.47.1Fontainebleau toll gantry
5.128.24 SR 973 (Northwest 87th Avenue / Galloway Road) / Northwest 12th StreetTolled eastbound entrance and westbound exit.
5.458.77 SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway)
6.4810.43 SR 968 (West Flagler Street) / US 41 (Southwest 8th Street / Tamiami Trail)via SR 826 south. Westbound exit is via SR 836 east.
6.7310.83 SR 969 (Northwest 72nd Avenue / Milam Dairy Road)Tolled westbound entrance.
Miami8.513.7Red Road toll gantry
8.68913.984 SR 959 (Northwest 57th Avenue / Red Road)Diverging Diamond Interchange; Tolled westbound exit and eastbound entrance.[23]
9.8915.92Northwest 45th AvenueEastbound exit and westbound entrance
10.27516.536 SR 953 (Le Jeune Road / Northwest 42nd Avenue) – Coral Gables, Rental Car Center, AirportWestbound exit is via Northwest 14th Street
10.79517.373Northwest 37th Avenue / Douglas RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
11.83419.045 SR 9 (Northwest 27th Avenue)Diverging Diamond Interchange; Tolled eastbound exit and westbound entrance.[23]
12.53820.178Ballpark toll gantry
12.91520.785Northwest 17th Avenue – Civic Center, BallparkEastbound exit and westbound entrance; access to University of Miami Medical Center, Jackson Memorial Hospital
13.44721.641 SR 933 (Northwest 12th Avenue) – Medical / Civic CenterWestbound exit and eastbound entrance. Both tolled.
13.99922.529East end of GMX maintenance; west end of state maintenance
14.20422.8591 I-95 / Northwest 8th Street – Fort Lauderdale, Downtown Miami, Key BiscayneWest end of I-395 concurrency; signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north) westbound; exits 2D-3A on I-95
15.15624.3912 US 1 (Biscayne Boulevard) / Northeast 2nd Avenue – Arenas, PAC, Bayside, Science MuseumSigned as exit 2A eastbound (exit 2B is for traffic coming from I-95)
15.38724.763–

 SR A1A north to SR 887 (PortMiami via Tunnel) – Miami Beach, Jungle Island, Miami Children's Museum, Miami Seaplane Base		Continues east as SR A1A via MacArthur Causeway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "FDOT straight line diagrams". Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.[full citation needed]
  2. ^ a b "FDOT Interchange Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 8, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2014.[full citation needed]
  3. ^ Adderly, Kevin (January 30, 2018). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2017". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Overview Map of SR 836" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  5. ^ "Overview Map of I-395 in Florida" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  6. ^ a b MDX Toll Rate Map (PDF) (Map). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 6, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2014.[full citation needed]
  7. ^ Williams, Verne O. (January 29, 1969). "Bids Taken Tomorrow On 2 X-Way Projects". The Miami News. p. 1A.
  8. ^ "X-way Link Open Friday, Aide Hints". The Miami News. March 24, 1971. p. 1A.
  9. ^ "Interstate 75". Interstate-Guide. Retrieved August 6, 2014.[self-published source]
  10. ^ "Miami-Dade Expressway Authority Five-Year Work Program" (PDF). Miami-Dade Expressway Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  11. ^ "MDX Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)". Miami-Dade Expressway Authority. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  12. ^ Chardy, Alfonso (March 23, 2010). "Cash Tolls on Miami–Dade Expressways Will Soon Be Electronic" (PDF). Miami Herald.
  13. ^ "All Electronic Toll Collection Starts November 15 on SR 836 and SR 112" (PDF) (Press release).[full citation needed]
  14. ^ "Project History". Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  15. ^ Tester, Hank (April 2, 2010). "Actual Work Spotted at Port Tunnel Project". NBC Miami. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  16. ^ "FHWA - Center for Innovative Finance Support - Project Profiles". Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  17. ^ Turnbell, Michael (September 23, 2015). "Dolphin Expressway to get extra lanes, improvements at 3 interchanges". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  18. ^ "Design-Build of SR 836 New SR 821/ Florida's Turnpike Ramp Connections. Fact sheet" (PDF). mdxway.com. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  19. ^ "Connecting Miami". Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  20. ^ "Current Projects | SR 836 Improvements from 17th Avenue the Midtown Interchange". www.mdxway.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  21. ^ "Home | Kendall Parkway". www.mdxway.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  22. ^ "Future Projects | MDX SR 836 Southwest Extension". www.mdxway.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  23. ^ a b "Home | Diverging Diamond Interchange".
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