Florida - Driving Between MIA and FLL - Traffic Questions

I've done the drive between MIA and FLL a few times but could use a refresher, please.

I'm flying into MIA around 5 p.m. on a Friday night and then will be driving up to FLL (probably closer to Dania). Is I-95 still the best route and should I expect any rush-hour traffic? There will be three of us in the car, if that makes any difference for carpool/HOV lanes.

I'll be driving back down solo on a Sunday afternoon ; I assume this would be relatively drama-free, traffic-wise.

Thanks!

There are now "Express Toll Lanes" on 95 starting in Miami and running north to the Golden Glades Interchange in North Dade that operate with congestion pricing.

If you do not have a SunPass, you will need to observe the cost of the toll (there is a sign giving you plenty of time to note it and to decide if you want to enter). Just be aware that in rush hour the variable toll can be as high as $7 and from the Airport Expressway to the GG Interchange it is only about 7 miles. Then you send them a check for your toll before they come after you.

The complete poop on this new highway feature can be found at http://www.95express.com/home/FAQ.shtm

Thanks; is Friday evening normally a bad traffic time for northbound travel?

Expect a PM from me on restaurant recommendations. ;)

Thanks; is Friday evening normally a bad traffic time for northbound travel?...At any rush hour during "The Season," on 95 you can expect a very slow ride and an excruciatingly slow one if there is any sort of incident.

The only saving grace for you is that from the Airport Expressway up to Davie is less than 20 miles, virtually a chip shot if you are used to something like the 405. :)

And that is not to guarantee that the 5 or 6 miles on the Airport Expressway will be moving well eastbound over to 95 at that hour. You can be sure that it will be in deep sh*t westbound.

There is also the "back door" route which entails taking NW 36th Street (a surface road which forms the north border of MIA) to Florida's Turnpike (sic) northbound, then taking the Turnpike up to the Dania Beach/Ft. Lauderdale area. It's a counter-intuitive route as you head westbound as you leave the airport, but sometimes it actually moves faster (on those days when I-95 is a parking lot and even the "Lexus Lanes" get backed up. Airport Expressway to I-95 north is definitely the shorter and more direct route, but IMO it never hurts to know about alternatives. :)

Airport Expressway to I-95 north is definitely the shorter and more direct route, but IMO it never hurts to know about alternatives. :)

No, it doesn't. Thanks for the tip! ^

...it never hurts to know about alternatives. :)It sure does not and nowadays, with the traffic apps available (such as Real Time Traffic) for your phone, it is much easier to know when to look for the alternative. ^

If I know the OP as well as I think I do, his Turnpike exit woud be Hollywood Boulevard which will dump him on A1A fairly close to his destination and which is generally is not too clogged even in the early evening. :)

If you are in no hurry you can head over to Miami Beach, then head up Collins. It becomes Ocean BLvd at the Broward line and keep going north to Dania Beach Blvd. I 95 between FLL and MIA scares me the way people drive.

If you are in no hurry you can head over to Miami Beach, then head up Collins...I think that for that route the words NO HURRY need to be capped and maybe even bolded. ;)

OP: what vehicle will you be using for the drive? If you're planning on renting, I'd recommend something either sporty if you're taking 95 Express (Hertz Corvette, 2011 Ford Mustang, Infiniti G-class), or gigantic if you're taking the regular 95 (GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Suburban). :p I've done the drive in a rental HHR before, and it made me less confident than my '97 Mirage (14-year-old 100hp compact car) does for the same drive.

If you are in no hurry you can head over to Miami Beach, then head up Collins. It becomes Ocean BLvd at the Broward line and keep going north to Dania Beach Blvd. I 95 between FLL and MIA scares me the way people drive.I've done US-1 between MIA (well, NE 36th St.) and FLL, and it took about an hour (a segment of I-95 in Aventura was closed).

At the hour he is going, even in the 95 express lanes, the going is most likely to be slow and frustrating and he would be much better off and more comfortable in a great big American luxoboat sedan. :rolleyes:

In circumstances like that who cares if the car is fast and handles well. That is immaterial to the situation and he might as well save the money (and buy me a drink with it when he gets up here). :D

OP: what vehicle will you be using for the drive?

We're renting a pimpin' Caddy DTS. I'll keep the travel options in mind. I may suggest we have an early dinner before driving up north or we may just slog it up.

Thanks again for all of the advice.

Thanks again for the advice. We arrived into MIA from the Atlantic onto 26R. I had a window seat on the starboard side so I got a good look at 1-95 and the Airport Expressway on the way in. Neither looked good, so I tried the suggestion of NW 36th Street to the Palmetto Expressway, which had some pockets of traffic, but it moved for the most part. When we hit the 1-95 interchange, I could tell it was going to be really backed up so I took the Turnpike to I-595 (final destination was the Hilton FLL Beach Resort).