MIAMI-DADE – Chairman Jose "Pepe" Diaz and County Commissioners Danielle Cohen Higgins, Kionne McGhee and Jean Monestime joined County officials and supporters to celebrate the opening of the Don Shula Expressway’s ramp connector to Southwest 128th Street on Friday, Sept. 10.
After a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the ramp opened to the public, bringing an upgrade to help drivers get to work faster each day. The ramp brings new expressway access to West Kendall-area commuters who often fended with traffic tie-ups on Florida’s Turnpike. “The ramp gives us additional road connections to the growing area of southwest Miami-Dade — and will help ease traffic,” said County Commission Chairman Diaz, who also is the Chair of the Miami-Dade County Expressway Authority’s Board of Directors.
The $100 million project completes the total modernization of the Don Shula Expressway. The ramp connector, along with the improvements at Killian Interchange, Palmetto Interchange, new access ramps from Kendall Drive and the widening of the entire expressway, helps improve an important link between Florida’s Turnpike and the Palmetto Expressway.