A delay in bridge repairs means longer waits behind the wheel during rush hour for people trying to cross the Miami River.
Drivers had to find alternative routes across the river as the Northwest 22nd Avenue bridge has been closed since February. Miami-Dade County initially said the bridge would be closed for four weeks — that’s now turned into three months.
And residents are getting impatient with how this impacts their commutes.
“Takes me 15 to 20 minutes just to get home,” said Allen Borrajero.
Borrajero said his commute time was only about two minutes when the bridge was open. But since it closed, he said a back road is now the main road since drivers need a detour.
“It’s a big commute route now with the bridge being closed,” Borrajero said.
Borrajero said the traffic that used to take the bridge now clogs up the next bridge five blocks over, which is his main commuting corridor.
“When people start getting off work and getting home, it’s crazy,” he said. “Just to be able to get to the other side of it.”
A truck driver told CBS News Miami off-camera that because of the closure, it now takes him 35 minutes longer during rush hour to find another way across the Miami River. The City of Miami told residents ahead of time about the bridge closing on social media.
“There is emergency construction that is being done on the bridge,” said an officer in the post.
So, CBS News Miami reached out to the county about the delays.
A spokesperson said the bridge is about a century old, and it closed after structural problems were found in the center. And the spokesperson added that the reopening was delayed due to additional parts that were needed for the project, and that there were some supply chain issues that delayed the delivery.
“It could take a year,” said Roberto Cardenes, who lives across from the bridge.
He is glad fewer cars fly by his house, but he does know the bridge will eventually open again.
“As long as they fix it right and everything is good, I’m good,” Cardenes said.
A county official told CBS News Miami the bridge is expected to open up next week. But, he also said more repairs will have to be done, and the bridge will likely have to partially close again in the future.
