MIAMI (CBSMiami) – At Hard Rock Stadium, final preparations for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix are underway. The highly anticipated race is just days away. CBS4 has been alerting drivers about upcoming road closures in the area, and now they’re finally here as is the traffic.
Soon the empty stands will come to life with more than 250,000 people expected at the race over the weekend.
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“It’s Miami. It’s full of people! It’s full of cars,” says David Colon.
With the massive turn out, comes unavoidable problems.
“Uhhh.. Unbelievable traffic. Unbelievable traffic,” says Donald Clarke, who works in Miami Gardens.
Formula 1 fans are here, and the locals can tell.
“You can’t come around here, you’ve gotta go the opposite way,” explains Colon.
Colon says his commute time to work has doubled.
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“If it takes you 15-20 minutes, it’s going to take you 40 or 50 minutes.”
Starting Friday, exit 2 on the Turnpike will be closed at 199th Street intersection from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. And Northwest 27th Ave and Northwest 199th Street will have multiple lanes closed starting at 6 p.m.
“I can see why the people protested a few years ago about this race coming into the city. It’s really hard to just get from point A to point B,” says Clarke.
Miami-Dade police said they’re doing the best they can to regulate traffic but people we talked to say, every major event at Hard Rock Stadium creates a mess on the roads.
One woman we talked to says the good outweighs the bad in this situation. Mesha Mankey says the traffic jams will only last for a few days, while Formula 1 will benefit Miami Gardens.
“It’s bringing funds to our city, Miami Gardens. So, I’m not upset about the traffic,” she says.
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For maps of the road closures, click here.
