Project History | Project History

Project Summary 

This project (also known as Section 5) is the final and largest section of the 12-part Palmetto Expressway (S.R. 826) Improvement Program, which consists of major construction along a 16-mile corridor.

The S.R. 826 and S.R. 836 Interchange, used by over 430,000 motorists daily, will be reconstructed to enhance safety and reduce congestion for motorists using the Interchange. Click here to view the project fact sheet.

History of the Improvement Program

S.R. 826 was originally constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a four-lane divided expressway with 12-foot travel lanes, unpaved shoulders, and a 40-foot unpaved median. During the mid-1970s, various sections of the 16-mile corridor were expanded to six lanes, and a paved median was added.

Traffic continued to increase dramatically along the corridor during the early 1980s, and traffic projection for the year 2010 indicated that the existing expressway would operate at a Level of Service “F”. FDOT determined that public safety, emergency services and overall traffic operations would be significantly impacted if roadway improvements were not undertaken in this vital section of the Florida Intrastate Highway System. In order to minimize impacts to the motoring public, local residents and businesses, FDOT divided the 16-mile corridor into 12 separate segments and developed construction plans for each of these segments.

Proposed Improvement Program

The Palmetto Expressway Improvement Program consists of major improvements to the existing corridor extending from S.R. 5/US 1 in south Miami-Dade County to just north of N.W. 154 Street in northern Miami-Dade County. Improvements were proposed at each of the interchanges along the corridor to improve safety 

and traffic flow.

The Palmetto Expressway Improvement Program consists of major improvements to the existing corridor extending from S.R. 5/US 1 in south Miami-Dade County to just north of N.W. 154 Street in northern Miami-Dade County. Improvements were proposed at each of the interchanges along the corridor to improve safety and traffic flow. Click here for image of the Palmetto Improvement Program.

These projects include adding one additional travel lane in each direction including widening and/or replacing bridges along the corridor, increasing the shoulder widths, reconfiguring entrance and exit ramps at all interchanges, improving traffic flow and safety on the surface roads connecting to the expressway, and improved drainage, signalization, lighting and signage.

Project Status 

The project status for each of the 12 sections is listed below. Additionally, improvements to the Palmetto Expressway northbound ramp to I-75 were completed as part of the Program.