Nov 2, 2007 4:40 pm US/Eastern
Turnpike Delays Coming To Bird Road Toll Area
MIAMI-DADE (CBS4) ―
Southwest Miami-Dade commuters and tourists will be facing traffic delays on the northbound Florida Turnpike as construction crews close four of the 10 lanes at the Bird Road plaza starting Nov. 7.
CBS4 news partners The Miami Herald reported that Turnpike officials said delays of up to an hour may be expected when crews close the four outside SunPass-only lanes through the plaza located at mile marker 22.
With more than 120,000 vehicles passing through it each day, the Bird Road plaza is the busiest on the entire 312-mile turnpike.
The heaviest delays are anticipated to occur during the morning rush hours and may extend as far south as the Quail Roost Drive.
The four lanes will be closed through Nov. 13 as work crews tear down the tollbooths, gates, equipment and toll plaza roof over the existing SunPass-only lanes. The lanes also will be repaved and restriped.
Similar around-the-clock toll lane closures are planned for the southbound Bird Road toll plaza beginning Nov. 14.
Cash customers will continue to pay at the remaining tollbooths, which will be separated from the SunPass-only express lanes by a concrete barrier.
The project is part of a larger construction program to bring open road tolling, or ORT, to the turnpike. The agency plans to convert the plazas at Homestead (mile marker 10), Cypress Creek (mile marker 63) and Lantana (mile marker 88) this winter.
Florida Turnpike Construction Information.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
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