Southbound Interstate 95 departs from Broward County and enters Miami-Dade County, the last county on its transcontinental journey from Maine to Florida. The remainder of the route is entirely urban, and it can be affected by morning and afternoon commuter delays as well as delays due to inclement weather. The freeway is generally eight to ten lanes wide between the county line and Interstate 195; it narrows gradually to four lanes by the time the Interstate reaches its southern terminus at U.S. 1. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Interstate 95 south reaches Exit 16, NE 203rd Street/Ives Dairy Road (Junction Florida 854). This state route may have been decommissioned, hence why the state shield was scraped off the overhead signs. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 14, Junction Florida 860, Miami Gardens Road east to Miami Beach and west to Carol City and ultimately Interstate 75 south of the Miami-Dade and Broward County Line. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next three exits along southbound are Exit 14, Junction Florida 860, Miami Gardens Road; Exits 12B-A, Junction Florida 91/Florida's Turnpike north, Florida 826/Palmetto Expressway west, Florida 826/North Miami Beach Boulevard east, U.S. 441/Florida 7 south, and Florida 9/Unity Boulevard south. Collectively, Exit 12 is known as the Golden Glades Interchange, a major focal point for traffic due to the connection of several freeways and major surface streets. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 14, Junction Florida 860, Miami Gardens Road. After this exit, Interstate 95 enters the Golden Glades Interchange. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 95 is Exit 12, Junction U.S. 441/Florida 7, Florida 9, Florida 826, and Florida's Turnpike (Florida 91 to Florida 821). There is perhaps no other interchange in Florida that sees such a confluence of so many varied state roads, expressways, and surface streets. Known as the Golden Glades Interchange, Exit 12 can be a choke point during the commute hours. Note that the left lane (HOV) prepares to split off from the mainline to guide carpools on a flyover ramp over the freeway interchange, thus avoiding some of the congestion. This option is only available for carpools continuing south along Interstate 95; all connections require use of the mainline freeway. Photos taken 08/09/03 and 12/28/03.
U.S. 441/Florida 7 are NW 7th Avenue, which parallels Interstate 95 from here south to Little Havana in Miami. Florida 9 departs from Interstate 95 at Exit 12; Interstate 95 continues as secret Florida 9A, while Florida 9 follows Unity Boulevard to NW 27th Avenue south into Miami. Florida 826 heads west as the Palmetto Expressway to Interstate 75 and east to Sunny Isles Beach via North Miami Beach Boulevard. Finally, this interchange connects Interstate 95 directly to the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, offering a connection via Florida 91 to the Homestead Extension (HEFT) south to Key West and the mainline north to Orlando and Ocala. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The HOV separation is made here, as the left lane sails off on its own flyover bridge. The right lane, meanwhile, becomes two lanes, with the new right lane becoming exit only for U.S. 441, Florida 7, Florida 9, Florida 826, and Florida's Turnpike. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next sign bridge further delineates the assignments for each route by lane. The far right lane serves the Palmetto Expressway (Florida 826) and Florida's Turnpike, while the number three lane connects to U.S. 441 and Florida 9 south as well as Florida 826/North Miami Beach Boulevard eastbound. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Now on the transition ramp from southbound Interstate 95 to northbound Florida's Turnpike and Florida 826/Palmetto Expressway, the ramp travels northwest to meet the Palmetto Expressway. As a result, the right lane exit for Florida 826 is a dual lane cloverleaf-style loop ramp exit. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Still on the transition ramp, the northbound Florida 91/Florida's Turnpike Connector reaches the transition ramp to westbound Florida 826/Palmetto Expressway. Continue straight ahead on the main lanes to connect to Florida's Turnpike north to Orlando (via Florida 91) and south to Key West (via HEFT/Florida 821). Oddly enough, Interstate 95 does not directly connect to the Palmetto Expressway, thus a connection via the Turnpike is required. However, no tolls are enforced for those making that connection. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Back on Interstate 95 south, the next exit is Exit 10B, Junction Florida 916, Opa-Locka Boulevard (NW 135th Street) west to Opa-Locka and Hialeah. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The first three exits along southbound Interstate 95/Florida 9A after the Golden Glades Interchange are Exit 10B, Junction Florida 916, Opa-Locka Boulevard (NW 135th Street); Exit 10A, Junction Florida 922, NW 125th Street; and Exit 8B, Junction Florida 932, NW 103rd Street. There is no direct access from southbound to Florida 924, 119th Street (to the tolled Gratigny Parkway and Interstate 75 north); use Florida 922 west to U.S. 441/Florida 7 south to make that connection. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 10B, Junction Florida 916, Opa-Locka Boulevard. The next exit is Exit 10A, Junction Florida 922, NW 125th Street. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next three exits along southbound are Exit 10A, Junction Florida 922, NW 125th Street; Exit 8B, Junction Florida 932, NW 103rd Street; and Exit 8A, NW 95th Street. Florida 922 connects U.S. 441/Florida 7 to the west with U.S. 1 and Florida A1A to the east. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 10A, Junction Florida 922 east to North Miami, Bay Harbor Island and Bal Harbour (Junction Florida A1A). Florida 922 uses the toll Broad Causeway to cross the Intracoastal Waterway. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next three exits along southbound are Exit 8B, Junction Florida 932, NW 103rd Street; Exit 8A, NW 95th Street; and Exit 7, Junction Florida 934, NW 81st Street and NW 79th Street. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 8B, Junction Florida 932, NW 103rd Street. Florida 932 travels west as a divided highway along NW 103rd Street toward Hialeah, where it becomes 49th Street. To the east, Florida 932 enters Miami Shores and ends at Florida 915 near the Miami Shores Country Club. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next three exits along southbound are Exit 8A, NW 95th Street; Exit 7, Junction Florida 934, 81st/79th Street couplet; and Exit 6B, 69th Street. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 8A, NW 95th Street. Use NW 95th Street east into Miami Shores and west toward Hialeah. The next exit is Exit 7, Junction Florida 934, 81st Street/79th Street couplet. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 7, Junction Florida 934, 81st Street (westbound) and 79th Street (eastbound). Follow Florida 934 west via 81st Street and 79th Street into Hialeah, with connections to the Hialeah Race Track. Continuing west, Florida 934 connects to U.S. 27/Okeechobee Road via an interchange, and it terminates at Florida 826/Palmetto Expressway in Medley. To the east, Florida 934 enters the city of Miami, crossing Intracoastal Waterway en route to Pelican Harbor Park, North Bay Village, and Normandy Shores in Miami Beach (Junction Florida A1A). Photo taken 12/28/03.
After Exit 7, Interstate 95 leaves unincorporated Miami-Dade County and enters the city of Miami, the southern terminus of transcontinental Interstate 95. Southbound Interstate 95 next approaches Exit 6B, NW 69th Street, one-half mile. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 6B, NW 69th Street. NW 69th Street is a primarily local exit to serve the residential area in the immediate vicinity of Interstate 95 near Little Haiti. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 6A, NW 62nd Street/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Use NW 62nd Street east to Eaton Park and Legion Park via U.S. 1. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Interstate 95 next approaches the first of two major stack interchanges. The first is the connection to Interstate 195 and Florida 112 (Airport Expressway). This freeway interchange is a symmetrical stack, and there are no left exits (unlike the Interstate 395/Florida 836 interchange), except for the transition of the high occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes) onto Florida 112 westbound toward Miami International Airport. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The high occupancy vehicle lanes, which have followed Interstate 95 south since Palm Beach County, come to an end here in downtown Miami. The left lane exits only onto westbound Florida 112 en route to the airport. The flyover connection is visible from this vantage point. The right three lanes become exit only for connecting traffic to Interstate 195 east to Miami Beach and Florida 112 west to the airport. Photo taken 12/28/03.
In the shadow of the flyover ramp between southbound Interstate 95 HOV and westbound Florida 112, the main lanes reach the split between southbound Interstate 95 and westbound Florida 112/eastbound Interstate 195. Florida 112 travels west to Florida 953/LeJeune Road, where it connects to the Miami International Airport ramps. Interstate 195 heads east onto the Julia Tuttle Causeway en route to Miami Beach, secretly carrying the Florida 112 designation with it over the Intracoastal Waterway. Upon reaching Miami Beach and Florida 907A (to Alton Road/Florida 907), Interstate 195 downgrades into Florida 112/Arthur Godfrey Road east to Florida A1A/Collins Avenue. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 3A, Junction Florida 836 (Dolphin Expressway) west to Sweetwater. Florida 836 is a major east-west freeway that parallels the original planned corridor for Interstate 75, had Interstate 75 been built along U.S. 41 through the Everglades rather than via Florida 84, the Everglades Parkway/Alligator Alley. Today, Florida 836 (including the brief Interstate 395 section to the east) is the only east-west freeway that ties the Turnpike (Florida 821), Palmetto Expressway (Florida 826), Interstate 95, and Miami Beach together. Speaking of Interstate 395, the second exit is the transfer of the left two lanes onto eastbound Interstate 395 to Florida A1A and Miami Beach. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 3A, Junction Florida 836 (Dolphin Expressway) west to Sweetwater. Florida 836 is a good alternative to U.S. 41, with a connection via Florida's Turnpike to U.S. 41 west of Sweetwater. Florida 836 also serves the many incorporated and unincorporated suburbs of Miami by connecting them to downtown and Miami Beach. This includes several places such as West Miami, Fontainebleau, Dolphin Mall, and Westwood Lakes that may be located a distance away from the freeway but find Florida 836 to be the fastest route downtown. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The massive stack interchange between Interstate 95, Florida 836, and Interstate 395 comes into view. Had it been completed as originally envisioned, Interstate 75 would have reached its southern terminus here at this interchange. The left two lanes prepare to exit only onto Interstate 395 eastbound, which travels on an elevated viaduct past the northern edge of the financial district before ending quickly at Florida A1A (former U.S. 41). Near Bicentennial Park, Interstate 395 becomes Florida A1A northbound, and Florida A1A follows the MacArthur Causeway (which is not Interstate standard) to Miami Beach. The causeway was designated as U.S. 41 until 1999, when the U.S. route was retracted to end at its current southern terminus in downtown Miami at U.S. 1 (intersection of Biscayne Avenue and SE 8th Street). Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 2D, Junction Interstate 395/Florida 836 east to Miami Beach. Interstate 395 is secretly designated as Florida 836 for its entire length. Both routes end at U.S. 1, where the freeway becomes a causeway (Florida A1A) for the rest of the journey into Miami Beach. Oddly (because of the exit number sequencing through here), the next exit along southbound is Exit 3B, NW 8th Street east to Miami Arena, American Airlines Arena, and the Port of Miami (cruise ship terminal). Follow NW 8th Street east to U.S. 1/Florida 5, Biscayne Boulevard south, then head east on Florida 886/Port Boulevard to reach the Port of Miami. Use NW 8th Street west to the Orange Bowl, home of the University of Miami Hurricanes college football team. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Interstate 95 has a blizzard of exits on both the left and right sides of the freeway as it rapidly approaches its southern terminus. Three exits come within an eighth of a mile of each other, and the exit numbers don't tell you which exit is coming first. The left two lanes exit only onto Exits 2C-A, Junction Florida 970 east to Miami Avenue (Exit 2C) and U.S. 1/Biscayne Boulevard (Exit 2A). Florida 970 is a short, elevated distributor freeway that connects Interstate 95 with downtown Miami. The right lane prepares to exit to Exit 1B, U.S. 41/Tamiami Trail/SW 7th Street. Use U.S. 41 south (east) to U.S. 1/Brickell Avenue. Believe it or not, Exit 1B (Junction U.S. 41) is the first exit, followed by the dual exit for Exits 2C-2A. This is because the exit ramp for U.S. 41 separates onto a very long offramp that crosses the Miami River before reaching its intended target, U.S. 41. U.S. 41 is several blocks south of Florida 970/Downtown Distributor. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 1B, the third to last exit along this major East Coast freeway. U.S. 41 is the best route to Little Havana, which is located west of Interstate 95. It is also a good route eastbound into the southern edge of downtown Miami. Continuing on a viaduct since leaving the Interstate 395/Florida 836 interchange, Interstate 95 gets higher off the ground as it prepares to cross the Miami River. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Following U.S. 41, Interstate 95 south reaches its penultimate exit, Junction Florida 970, the Downtown Distributor east. This left exit from the Interstate 95 mainline connects to Miami Boulevard (left lane only) and U.S. 1/Biscayne Boulevard (right lane only). Photo taken 12/28/03.
After the Florida 970 exit, Interstate 95 only carries three lanes along southbound, with the right lane preparing to exit only onto Exit 1A, Junction Florida 913/Rickenbacker Causeway south to Key Biscayne. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Use Florida 913 (unsigned on all of these approach signs) south to reach Virginia Key, Miami Seaquarium, Marine Stadium, Key Biscayne Park, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area, and Cape Florida Lighthouse. The causeway is a toll road. This exit also connects to Miami Avenue, which turns southwest to connect to Museum of Science and Space Transit and the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Both of these attractions are on the mainland off of Miami Avenue; don't use the Rickenbacker Causeway to reach them. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 approaches its final exit, Junction Florida 913/Rickenbacker Causeway south and SW 25th Road. The numbered city streets are not called "___ Street" through this area. Since the grid pattern is angled northwest to southeast between Vizcaya Gardens and SW 11th Street, these streets are called "___ Road." The southwest to northeast avenues are called avenues. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Use Florida 913 south to reach Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area. This park is part of the barrier island system that extends north-south along the eastern coast of Florida, and it is named for the late newspaper editor who championed a state park on the southern end of Key Biscayne. The park offers tours of its scenic lighthouse Thursday through Monday; the ocean and surrounding vistas can be seen for miles on a clear day from on top of the lighthouse. Photo taken 12/28/03.
End Interstate 95 One-Half Mile; Junction U.S. 1. This is the last southbound Interstate 95 shield. Like Interstate 75, signs warn of the impending end of the route one-half mile in advance. The original sign placed here featured a red shield with holes in it. Richard Ray wrote, "When I lived in South Florida in the 1960s and 1970s they used to have flashing (wig-wag) yellow lights there (in the holes). I guess the FDOT got tired of replacing the light bulbs, or they thought no one was paying attention to them anyway. Alabama has similar lights on their approaches to the George Wallace Tunnel on Interstate 10. Traffic has to slow from 55 to 45 mph to get through the tunnel due to a sharp curve on the westbound side. Lots of marks on the Jersey barriers there." Photos taken 12/28/03 and 12/27/99.
Interstate 95 prepares to leave its viaduct, which it has used to bypass Miami to the west for the last several miles. U.S. 1/Dixie Highway is just ahead. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The remaining two southbound lanes descend from the Interstate 95 viaduct and prepare to merge onto U.S. 1 southbound. As the highway makes the transition from freeway to surface street, the speed limit drops to 45 miles per hour. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The second overhead sign advises that Interstate 95 south becomes U.S. 1 south. The original sign (second photo) shows a red U.S. 1 shield accompanied by another set of holes for the flashing lights that were removed. The speed limit reduction is noted on the overhead sign and on a separate regulatory sign. With the elimination of most colored U.S. shields in the late 1990s/early 2000s, the signs featuring red U.S. 1 shields were taken down and replaced with the newer signs shown here. Photos taken 12/28/03 and 12/27/99.
The longest north-south freeway in the country comes to its southern terminus at Exit 0, Junction U.S. 1/Dixie Highway south to Key West. This END Interstate 95 sign was added in 2002; prior to that, there were "countdown" END signs. Photo taken 12/28/03.
