The historic NW 17th Avenue bridge rehabilitation will start right after the 2022 hurricane season ends
The Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works has extended the closure of NW 17th Avenue Bridge known as a Bascule Bridge for critical repairs.
Miami-Dade County bridge maintenance staff identified various deficiencies and damages in the concrete counterweight, after which they conducted structural inspections. The counterweight enables the bridge to open and close; any problems with it could lead to safety issues. This is why, as a precautionary measure, the bridge has been closed to traffic for now. However, the steel grid bridge deck does not require any repair work at the moment.
The extensive NW 17th Avenue bridge rehabilitation project will take care of the following to improve the bridge’s performance for added safety and smooth operations:
- Structural design
- Traffic maintenance
- Supporting the counterweight
- Locking the bridge
- Bracing the main supports
- Removing existing counterweight (concrete)
- Forming and pouring new counterweights (made of steel and concrete)
In the meantime, commuters that usually access the NW 17th avenue bridge are asked to use NW 12th Avenue and NW 22nd Avenue as alternate routes.
NW 17th Avenue bridge design and construction schedule
The design of the improvements has started and is being worked on. It’s expected to be done within the next 45 days so that the construction can begin right after the 2022 hurricane season ends without any more delays.
Construction is scheduled to start in December 2022, when the hurricane season ends, and is expected to take anywhere from three to six months to complete. The expected completion time of the project is March 2023. Once the work on the bridge begins it cannot stop and since it is standard protocol to lower bridges if a hurricane is threatening our shore the work cannot begin during hurricane season and can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months.
Efforts are being made to minimize the impact on commuters
The Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works is making all possible efforts to reduce the impact of rehabilitation and construction activities on the general public, businesses, schools, and motorists.
As soon as the project is completed, the area will be restored to its original condition. The restoration activities will ensure that every area impacted by the construction is dealt with and improved.
The restoration of NW 17th Avenue Bridge will result in a smooth commuting experience with little to no disruptions for another 6 to 8 years.
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