SR 836 between NW 87th Avenue and NW 107th Avenue Alternative Temporary Traffic Control Concept

Ardurra brought the Greater Miami Expressway Agency (GMX) an early-stage concept to relieve one of Miami's most persistent bottlenecks: the westbound SR 836 merge point at the NW 97th Avenue toll plaza, where seven lanes converge into four. Our team proposed an interim Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) plan to add a fifth westbound lane through the toll gantry, ahead of the larger capacity project already planned for the corridor.

The design team identified that the toll gantry's shoulder already carried the vehicle detection loops used to catch toll evasion, allowing the new lane to use that infrastructure without modifying any tolling equipment. Away from the gantry, lane widths were adjusted to fit the added lane within the existing pavement footprint. Because the work was classified as temporary traffic control, Ardurra completed the design in about a month and a half, and GMX was able to construct it through an existing maintenance contract, expediting the project’s completion.

The lane opened in August 2026, just ahead of the Miami-Dade County school year, giving drivers congestion relief years before the corridor's permanent widening project is complete.

Key Highlights:

• Added a fifth westbound lane through the SR 836 toll plaza by reusing existing toll evasion detection equipment on the shoulder, avoiding any modification to active tolling infrastructure.

• Completed design in roughly six weeks and moved to construction using GMX's existing maintenance contract, bypassing a lengthy standard procurement cycle.

• Delivered congestion relief on a corridor carrying 150,000 to 170,000 vehicles per day, years ahead of the scheduled 83618-007 widening project.

• Built through overnight lane closures and standard paving and re-striping work, with no earthwork or specialized construction equipment required.

• Opened to traffic just before the start of the Miami-Dade County school year, timed to ease peak-period congestion when demand increases.

Ardurra's TTC design gave GMX and Miami-Dade commuters a practical fix for one of the region's worst bottlenecks years before the permanent widening project will be complete. By reusing existing toll infrastructure and existing agency contracts, Ardurra delivered measurable congestion relief with minimal cost and disruption to daily traffic.