South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Drivers beware: Kinney Tunnel to close in January
FORT LAUDERDALE — Residents and workers in Fort Lauderdale, get ready for traffic delays.
The Henry E. Kinney Tunnel will be closed from 7 a.m. on Jan. 9 through 5 p.m. on Jan. 13 while crews pour concrete as part of a multimillion-dollar improvement project that began in September 2021.
Federal Highway, or U.S. 1, and the tunnel will be shut down from Southeast Second Street to Southeast Seventh Street, and city officials are cautioning that “traffic flow in the area will be heavily impacted,” according to a news release.
If the weather or unexpected issues cause delays in the construction, officials said the tunnel closure could be extended to the following week, from Jan. 16-20.
Drivers traveling northbound on Federal Highway will be rerouted to Southeast Seventh Street, Southeast Third Avenue and Broward Boulevard, and southbound traffic will be rerouted to Broward Boulevard, Southeast Third Avenue and Davie Boulevard.
Other routes are along Andrews Avenue and Southwest Fourth Avenue.
The latest of several closures is part of the $28.4-million Henry E. Kinney Tunnel Improvements and Pedestrian Plaza Project, which includes restoring structural, electrical and mechanical parts of the tunnel, milling, resurfacing and reconstructing roads and extending the tunnel to build a plaza over the tunnel with fountains, seating, landscaping and brick pavers. The project will be finished in late 2023, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
Signs in the area will advise divers of the upcoming closure and lead drivers to the detour routes.