Why did the car cross the bay? To get to the other side, of course.
And that’s the case with thousands of cars every day driving from Miami to Miami Beach and vice versa.
Tourists. Manpower. Resident. They all lead over four causeways that span Biscayne Bay and connect the island to the mainland.
Apart from their different routes, each dam has a different character.
The MacArthur hovers over the water, offers spectacular views, connects via a tunnel to PortMiami and drops travelers into the heart of South Beach.
The Venetian exudes history, with its decorative railing and the delicate quarters of the retro bridge.
The Tuttle feels like a highway carved out of the bay.
And the 79th Street Causeway feels more like a route through a small town.
Here is a guide to each of the causeways to help you plan your trip:
MacArthur Causeway
Toll: none
Year of construction: 1920, rebuilt 1959-61, drawbridge replaced as fixed span 1993-96.
Route: From 836 in Miami to Fifth Street in Miami Beach
Alternative name: I-395
History: Named after World War II General Douglas MacArthur. The previous drawbridge was a low span opened in 1961 with two lanes in each direction. Due to its low height, the bridge had to be raised and lowered frequently. The two fixed spans built in the 1990s are 22 meters high from summit to bay and offer space for a possible local transport line.
An aerial view of the MacArthur Causeway shows runners making their way from downtown Miami to Miami Beach as they compete in the Miami Marathon and Half Marathon on February 9, 2020. MATIAS J. OCNER [email protected]
Venetian dam
Toll: $ 2.25 SunPass, $ 3 toll per license plate
Year of construction: 1926, 1995-99 and 2016 restored, with repairs over the years
Route: 15th Street in Miami to 17th Street / Dade Boulevard in Miami Beach
History: Miami-Dade bought it for $ 3.8 million in 1950. The cost of rebuilding is estimated at $ 33.7 million. The Venetian cost about $ 2 million to build in 1925. In the early 1960s, the first high-rise buildings were built on the Venetian Islands, initially on the south side of Belle Island. Over time, the number of apartment buildings on the islands of Belle and Biscayne increased.
View of the west entrance of the Venetian Causeway. Pedro Portal [email protected]
Julia Tuttle Causeway
Toll: none
Year of construction: opened in 1959.
Route: Six lane highway with no drawbridges to slow traffic. Runs from the southern terminus of the Airport Expressway and joins 41st Street in Miami Beach and connects to Alton Road.
Alternative name: Interstate I-195
History: Namesake Julia Tuttle earned her place in Florida history by giving railroad magnate Henry S. Flagler 100 acres in exchange for Flagler extending its rail line from Palm Beach to Miami.
Julia Tuttle Causeway in 2015. WALTER MICHOT Miami Herald File
79th Street Causeway
Tolls: None, unless you’re tempted to stop at one of the restaurants along the way and spend some money.
Built: opened in 1928 and rebuilt in 1948. The bridge was widened and strengthened in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but has only undergone minor repairs since then.
Route: Northeast 79th Street in Miami through North Bay Village to 71st Street in Miami Beach.
Alternative name: John F. Kennedy Causeway
History: Known for its rugged reputation in the 1960s as a nighttime hangout for entertainers and gangsters. Restaurants and pubs of the past along the way were the Place for Steak, the Bonfire and Happy’s Stork Lounge. There was even a 24-hour beauty salon called Head Hunter. Today the dam runs more through a family-oriented town whose most famous restaurant is Shuckers.
In 1952, an auto-hop at Colonel Jim’s Tasty Thrill Drive-in on the 79th Street Causeway. Bill Sanders Miami Herald File
This story was originally published November 12, 2021 6:00 AM.
Day editor Jeff Kleinman, born and raised in South Florida, is responsible for the latest and most popular reports.
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