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From left: Juan Toledo, Javier Rodriguez, Commissioner McGhee, MDX Vice-Chair Dennis Moss, MDX Chair Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Congressman Carlos Gimenez, Commissioner Cohen Higgins, MDX Treasurer Weinberg, MDX Board Member Monestime, MDX Board Member Fernandez, Congresswoman Salazar office Magdalena Riquelme, and former MDX Board Member AJ Myers.
The Miami Dade Expressway Authority celebrated the official opening of Don Shula Expressway Extension to SW 128th Street in West Kendall after a ribbon cutting ceremony that took place on the new bridge.
Chairman Jose “Pepe’ Diaz opened the ceremony recognizing the elected officials in attendance which included Congressman Carlos Gimenez, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, District Commissioners Kionne L. McGhee, and Danielle Cohen Higgins, Commissioner Jean Monestime (also an MDX Board Member), Florida State Representative David Borrero, and staff representing Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, and Commissioner Keon Hardemon. Also in attendance were MDX Board Members Luz Weinberg, Darlene Fernandez, and former County Commissioner Dennis C. Moss. Chairman Diaz then thanked Dennis Moss stating, “This project was your vision and you asked MDX to make it happen, and here it is today.”
Congressman Gimenez stated in his remarks “The brilliance of this ramp is that it is going to increase mobility and improve the quality of life of the residents of South Dade, because they will spend less time on the road”. He praised Javier Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, “Thank you for always delivering the transportation infrastructure projects promised to the residents of Miami Dade County, and most importantly for delivering them on time and on budget”.
MDX Board Member Dennis Moss thanked Congressman Gimenez “Your leadership was bold and fearless as you led the Authority through its most difficult days.” Moss added, When the story is told, I brought together residents that recognized the congestion that impacted their quality of life, and I asked MDX to deliver it. and that has brought us to celebrate here today.”
District Commissioners Cohen-Higgins and McGhee thanked MDX for caring and bringing the vision to reality for the citizens of South Dade. All Miami-Dade County Commissioners present stated how important it was to protect the future of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority as it assures that money collected in our community stays in Miami-Dade and is used for the benefit of the citizens of Miami-Dade as they praised Chairman Diaz for his stewardship over the authority.
Executive Director Javier Rodriguez closed the ceremony stating, “Promises were made, and promises were kept as the Don Shula Extension opens to traffic today.”
The $109 million project will provide new expressway access to the communities and businesses west of the Turnpike saving time and offering greater mobility. The time savings will increase business productivity and improve the quality of life for Miami-Dade County residents.
SR 874/Don Shula Expressway Ramp Connector to SW 128th Street
Project Overview
The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority is completing the construction of a new access ramp connection from the southern terminus of SR 874/Don Shula Expressway to SW 128th Street including improvements to SW 128th Street from SW 122nd Avenue to SW 137th Avenue. This new ramp will provide expressway access to the southwest Miami-Dade communities, presently only serviced by access to and from Florida’s Turnpike, through the SW 120th Street and the SW 152nd Street ramps, which are congested in the mornings and evenings when residents are traveling to and from work. The project includes the will require the widening of SW 128th Street from two to four lanes from SW 122nd Avenue to SW 137th Avenue.
Status of the Project
Construction is substantially complete and
will open to traffic in mid-September 2021.
Project Benefits
The SR 874/Don Shula Ramp Expressway Ramp Connector will provide alternative expressway access in the area, reducing congestion and providing additional connectivity and mobility to the area of West Kendall and southwest Miami-Dade County. The project will provide greater accessibility to major employment and activity centers located east of this area.
The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority operates and maintains five user-supported local expressways in Miami-Dade County – 112/Airport Expressway, 836/Dolphin Expressway, 874/Don Shula Expressway, 878/Snapper Creek Expressway, and 924/Gratigny Parkway. The Authority’s expressways are funded by toll revenue, which is reinvested back into the community and funds the construction of projects that alleviate traffic congestion, create thousands of local jobs, and provide new opportunities to small and local businesses.
