State Road 826 (Florida)
Encyclopedia
State Road 826, also known as the Palmetto Expressway, is a bypass route around the greater Miami area, extending 24.7 miles (39.8 km) from U.S. Route 1 (SR 5) in Pinecrest
Pinecrest, Florida
Pinecrest is a suburban village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States of America. The population was 19,055 as of the census of 2000. Pinecrest is governed by a five-member Village Council and operates under the Council-Manager form of government....

, going through the inner Miami suburbs in a north-east semicircle to the Golden Glades Interchange
Golden Glades Interchange
The Golden Glades Interchange, located in Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach, Florida, United States, is the confluence of five major roads serving eastern and southern Florida.-Description:The five highways the come together at the interchange are U.S...

, reverting to a surface street (Northeast 163rd Street) to its terminus at Florida State Road A1A
Florida State Road A1A
State Road A1A is a Florida State Road that runs mostly along the Atlantic Ocean, with sections from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Callahan, just south of Georgia. It is the main road through most oceanfront towns. SR A1A is designated the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Highway, a...

 in Sunny Isles Beach
Sunny Isles Beach, Florida
Sunny Isles Beach is a city located on a barrier island in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The City is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west...

. Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Florida
Interstate 95 is the main Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States; it serves the Atlantic coast of Florida. It begins at a partial interchange with U.S. Highway 1 just south of downtown Miami, and heads north past Daytona Beach and Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the St...

 (SR 9 and 9A) and the Palmetto Expressway are the two most-heavily traveled roads in Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...

.

Route description

The expressway begins on an intersection with US 1 in Pinecrest, just south of Dadeland Mall
Dadeland Mall
Dadeland Mall is a large enclosed shopping mall located in the Miami suburb of Kendall, Florida, in the Dadeland district. The mall, originally developed by the Joseph Meyerhoff Company of Baltimore, opened October 1, 1962 as a , open-air complex of sixty stores and services...

. The road heads north into Kendall
Kendall, Florida
Kendall is a suburban neighborhood of metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the area had a total population of 75,226....

, with the first interchange being with Kendall Drive, providing access to the mall. It continues north, crossing under the Snapper Creek Expressway before an interchange with SR 986. It leaves Kendall, continuing into Glenvar Heights
Glenvar Heights, Florida
Glenvar Heights is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,898 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Glenvar Heights is located at ....

, with an interchange with SW 56th Street/Miller Drive, which provides access to the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...

. It is followed by the northern terminus of the Don Shula Expressway, with a southbound exit and a northbound entrance point. It continues north into Coral Way Village
Coral Way Village, Florida
Coral Way Village is an unincorporated community in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is located about west of Miami within the census-designated place of Westchester....

, where it interchanges with SR 976, followed shortly with an exit with SW 24th Street/Coral Way.

The expressway's next exit to the north is with Tamiami Trail
Tamiami Trail
The Tamiami Trail is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 from State Road 60 in Tampa to U.S. Route 1 in Miami. The road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90....

 (US 41), providing access to Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...

. The Palmetto then has an exit with Flagler Street, the east-west median for Miami-Dade County roads. The freeway then has an interchange with the Dolphin Expressway just south of Doral
Doral, Florida
Doral is a city located in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. A suburb of Miami, it lies north-west of Miami International Airport. It takes its name from the famous golf and spa resort located within its municipal boundaries. The Doral Golf Resort & Spa was originally built...

, creating access to Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...

. This interchange is currently being improved due to the current configuration causing severe congestion. The next exit is NW 25th Street, which connects to the western end of the airport, followed by an exit with SR 948, that links to the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, and then an exit with NW 58th Street. Heading north, the expressway reaches an interchange with SR 934 that goes into Medley
Medley, Florida
Medley is a town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The community was named after its founder, Sylvester Medley. The population was 1,098 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,059...

, followed by a diagonal interchange with US 27
U.S. Route 27 in Florida
U.S. Route 27 in Florida is a north–south United States Highway. It runs from the South Florida Metropolitan Area northwest to the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Throughout the state, US 27 has been designated the Claude Pepper Memorial Highway by the Florida State Legislature...

/SR 25
Florida State Road 25
State Road 25 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Florida.It is mainly signed as U.S. Highways:*U.S. Highway 27 from Miami to Lady Lake and Belleview to Ocala*U.S. Highway 301 from Belleview to near Sparr...

 at the southern end of Hialeah Gardens
Hialeah Gardens, Florida
Hialeah Gardens is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 19,297 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S...

 and Hialeah
Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 226,419. As of 2009, the population estimate by the U. S...

. It then enters Hialeah, with an interchange with SR 932, accessing Westland Mall
Westland Mall (Hialeah)
Westfield Westland, formerlly known as Westland Mall, is a shopping mall in Hialeah, Florida.The mall has over 100 stores. The anchors include Macy's, J.C. Penney and Sears....

, followed by an exit with NW 122nd Street.

At the boundary between Hialeah and Miami Lakes
Miami Lakes, Florida
Miami Lakes is a Miami suburban incorporated town and former census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 22,676 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S...

, there is an interchange between the national southern terminus of I-75
Interstate 75 in Florida
Interstate 75 is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from Hialeah, Florida, a few miles northwest of Miami to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan...

 and the western terminus of SR 924. The Palmetto Expressway goes into Miami Lakes, with an interchange with NW 154 Street, followed by a 90 degree turn, with the road going straight east, still in Miami Lakes, with an interchange with NW 67th Avenue. At the next exit, SR 823, the expressway enters Miami Gardens
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...

, with the next exit being SR 847. The expressway then passes through Florida Memorial University
Florida Memorial University
Florida Memorial University is a private coeducational four-year university in Miami Gardens, Florida. One of the 39 member institutions of the United Negro College Fund, and a historically Black, Baptist-related institution which is ranked second in Florida and ninth in the United States for...

 before the NW 37th Avenue exit, where it creates the northeast border with St. Thomas University
St. Thomas University (Florida)
St. Thomas University is a private Roman Catholic university in the Miami, Florida, United States suburb of Miami Gardens.-History:The University traces its roots to the Universidad Católica de Santo Tomás de Villanueva, founded in 1946 in Havana, Cuba, named after Saint Thomas of Villanova, by...

.

Still in Miami Gardens, it has exits with SR 817, NW 17th Avenue and NW 12th Avenue before the Golden Glades Interchange
Golden Glades Interchange
The Golden Glades Interchange, located in Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach, Florida, United States, is the confluence of five major roads serving eastern and southern Florida.-Description:The five highways the come together at the interchange are U.S...

, where it intersects with Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike , designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, and originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway is a north–south toll road that runs through 11 counties in the Florida peninsula, from U.S...

, I-95
Interstate 95 in Florida
Interstate 95 is the main Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States; it serves the Atlantic coast of Florida. It begins at a partial interchange with U.S. Highway 1 just south of downtown Miami, and heads north past Daytona Beach and Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the St...

 and US 441
U.S. Route 441 in Florida
U.S. Route 441 in Florida is a north–south United States Highway. It runs from Miami in South Florida northwest to the Georgia border north of the Lake City area....

/SR 7. After the interchange, it reverts to a surface street (Northeast 167th Street), entering North Miami Beach
North Miami Beach, Florida
North Miami Beach is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named Fulford in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, the city was incorporated in 1927 as Fulford, but was renamed North Miami Beach in 1931. The population was...

, intersecting with SR 915, curving to the southeast to become NE 163rd Street, meeting the Mall at 163rd Street, US 1
U.S. Route 1 in Florida
U.S. Route 1 in Florida runs along the state's east coast from Key West to its crossing of the St. Marys River into Georgia north of Boulogne, and south of Folkston. US 1 was designated through Florida when the U.S. Highway System was established in 1926.US 1 runs in the state of Florida, and...

, crossing the Intracoastal Waterway
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals...

 before ending at SR A1A in Sunny Isles Beach
Sunny Isles Beach, Florida
Sunny Isles Beach is a city located on a barrier island in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The City is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west...

.

History

State Road 826's designation originally applied to a two-lane road (Golden Glades Drive, Northwest 167th Street) connecting US-1 in North Miami Beach to US 27 (SR 25) to the west. In 1953, the newly-formed Florida Turnpike Authority presented plans for a four-lane bypass highway going around the Miami area.

In 1956, plans were unveiled for several expressways throughout Dade County. The routes proposed were a North-South Expressway (now part of I-95
Interstate 95 in Florida
Interstate 95 is the main Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States; it serves the Atlantic coast of Florida. It begins at a partial interchange with U.S. Highway 1 just south of downtown Miami, and heads north past Daytona Beach and Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the St...

), an East-West Expressway (now the Dolphin Expressway), a 36th Street Expressway (now the Airport Expressway), the Biscayne Bay Malecon (a proposed downtown loop, never built), a Dixie Expressway (proposed; most was never built, a portion became I-95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...

), and the Palmetto Road Expressway.

In 1957, Dade County Commissioner Ralph Fossey proposed an alternate alignment of the Palmetto Expressway. The new alignment would begin at Miller Road (SW 56 Street) and then turn southwesterly to follow the Seaboard Railroad tracks for about 10 miles. The route would then turn south at SW 117 Ave. and follow it into US 1.

Many south Miamians opposed the alternate alignment plan and began a petition to keep the original alignment. While the alternate route plan ultimately failed; eventually the Don Shula Expressway, a northeast-southwest expressway was built along the railroad tracks in the 1970s.

In 1958, the Florida State Roads Department
Florida Department of Transportation
The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...

 started construction on the bypass expressway under their authority. A north–south section along Northwest (and Southwest) 77th Avenue (Palmetto Road) was built to connect US 1 in Pinecrest to an improved Golden Glades Drive (complete with 90 degree eastward turn) and the portion of Northwest 167th Street west of the curve would be abandoned. Many land owners were forced to sell their property to the county to make way for the construction of the expressway.

The Palmetto Bypass Expressway was opened in June 1961 at the cost of $30 million, four years after the opening of Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike , designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, and originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway is a north–south toll road that runs through 11 counties in the Florida peninsula, from U.S...

 and six months before the opening of Dade County's
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...

 second expressway, the Airport Expressway (SR 112).

The completion of the Palmetto Expressway (the "Bypass" faded from public usage in the 1960s) and the building of Interstate 95 were the impetus of the construction of the massive Golden Glades Interchange
Golden Glades Interchange
The Golden Glades Interchange, located in Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach, Florida, United States, is the confluence of five major roads serving eastern and southern Florida.-Description:The five highways the come together at the interchange are U.S...

 involving Florida's Turnpike, US 441 (SR 7), Interstate 95, and SR 9
State Road 9 (Florida)
State Road 9 is a state road in the U.S. state of Florida. While SR 9 is mainly used as a "hidden" state designation for Interstate 95 from the Georgia border to the Golden Glades Interchange in Miami Gardens, a 13.7-mile-long signed SR 9 extends to the southwest as I-95 continues southward with...

.

When the Palmetto Expressway was first opened, it went through tracts of woodland and farmland which have since been urbanized. Originally there were four at-grade intersections in Hialeah and Miami Lakes which were either transformed into full interchanges or blocked off in the 1970s. In addition, increasing traffic loads on the Palmetto prompted plans for extending Florida's Turnpike to "bypass the bypass." In 1974, the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike (SR 821) was opened to traffic four miles (6 km) to the west of the Palmetto to reduce the traffic demands on Miami's original bypass.

Future

The Florida Department of Transportation is currently in the final stages of improving a 16.7 mile section of the expressway from the southern terminus to just north of the Northwest 154th street interchange, widening the highway by two lanes (from 8-10 lanes to 10-12 lanes), and improving the interchanges. Reconstruction of the Miller Drive and SR 976 (Bird Road) interchanges, including the Don Shula Expressway (State Road 874) interchange, began in 2008, and is scheduled to be completed in 2012. The Dolphin Expressway interchange construction began on November 30, 2009 and will be completed in 2015.

Exit list

The entire route is located in Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...

.
Location Mile Destinations Notes
Pinecrest
Pinecrest, Florida
Pinecrest is a suburban village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States of America. The population was 19,055 as of the census of 2000. Pinecrest is governed by a five-member Village Council and operates under the Council-Manager form of government....

0.000 Southern terminus
Kendall
Kendall, Florida
Kendall is a suburban neighborhood of metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the area had a total population of 75,226....

0.858
1.857
2.876 SW 56th St, Miller Drive To University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...

3.432 Southbound exit and northbound entrance
3.932
4.984 SW 24th St, Coral Way To Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...

5.977
6.491
7.230 To Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...

Doral
Doral, Florida
Doral is a city located in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. A suburb of Miami, it lies north-west of Miami International Airport. It takes its name from the famous golf and spa resort located within its municipal boundaries. The Doral Golf Resort & Spa was originally built...

8.372 NW 25th Street To Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...

9.216
10.381 NW 58th Street
Medley
Medley, Florida
Medley is a town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The community was named after its founder, Sylvester Medley. The population was 1,098 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,059...

11.383
Hialeah Gardens
Hialeah Gardens, Florida
Hialeah Gardens is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 19,297 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S...

12.310
13.173
Hialeah
Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 226,419. As of 2009, the population estimate by the U. S...

14.374 NW 122nd Street, W 68th Street
15.379
Miami Lakes
Miami Lakes, Florida
Miami Lakes is a Miami suburban incorporated town and former census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 22,676 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S...

16.393 NW 154th Street
18.006 NW 67th Avenue
19.016
Miami Gardens
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...

20.047
21.048 NW 37th Avenue
22.052
23.060 NW 17th Avenue
23.485 NW 12th Avenue
24.097 Part of Golden Glades Interchange
Golden Glades Interchange
The Golden Glades Interchange, located in Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach, Florida, United States, is the confluence of five major roads serving eastern and southern Florida.-Description:The five highways the come together at the interchange are U.S...

24.236 Part of Golden Glades Interchange
Golden Glades Interchange
The Golden Glades Interchange, located in Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach, Florida, United States, is the confluence of five major roads serving eastern and southern Florida.-Description:The five highways the come together at the interchange are U.S...

24.708 Part of Golden Glades Interchange
Golden Glades Interchange
The Golden Glades Interchange, located in Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach, Florida, United States, is the confluence of five major roads serving eastern and southern Florida.-Description:The five highways the come together at the interchange are U.S...

Palmetto Expressway ends, becomes North Miami Beach Boulevard
North Miami Beach
North Miami Beach, Florida
North Miami Beach is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named Fulford in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, the city was incorporated in 1927 as Fulford, but was renamed North Miami Beach in 1931. The population was...

25.708
27.918
North Miami Beach Boulevard ends, becomes Sunny Isles Boulevard
Sunny Isles Beach
Sunny Isles Beach, Florida
Sunny Isles Beach is a city located on a barrier island in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The City is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west...

29.938 Northern terminus

External links

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