Interstate 195 Florida
Eastbound Interstate 195 lowers from the high rise bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway toward Miami Beach on Julia Tuttle Causeway. 03/04/14
Overview
Interstate 195 is a freeway spur linking Midtown Miami with Mid Beach in Miami Beach via Julia Tuttle Causeway. Julia Tuttle Causeway provides part of a direct route between Miami Beach and Miami International Airport (MIA) in conjunction with the tolled Airport Expressway (SR 112 west to SR 953). The freeway also provides one of three hurricane evacuation routes from Miami Beach.
Interstate 195 extends SR 112 east from the 36th Street Interchange joining I-95 with the Airport Expressway at the Buena Vista and Wynwood neighborhoods in Miami. Julia Tuttle Causeway spans the Intracoastal Waterway and Biscayne Bay eastward to SR 907A (Alton Road) at Bayshore and Nautilus in Miami Beach. SR 112 emerges east from an unmarked overlap with I-195 along W 41st Street (Arthur Godfrey Road) to the one way couplet of SR A1A (Collins Avenue north / Indian Creek Drive south).
Route Information
Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List
I-195 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
Location | Vehicles per day |
---|---|
SR 112 to I-95 / Exit 1 | 137,000 |
I-95 to US 1 / Exit 2 | 146,000 |
Julia Tuttle Cswy to SR 907 / Exit 5 | 128,500 |
Source: 2019 AADT – Florida Traffic Online (FDOT)
A linear cluster of skyscrapers line the Biscayne Bayfront to the southwest of Julia Tuttle Causeway at Downtown Miami. Also crossing the bay to the south are the low level Venetian Causeway and the high rise bridge for SR A1A (MacArthur Causeway). 03/04/14
History
I-195 was one of three proposed urban branch Interstates submitted from the Florida State Road Department to the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on August 8, 1958. I-195 was assigned to the Bayshore Connector; I-395 was the designation for the spur between Miami and Miami Beach. A subsequent letter to AASHO on June 11, 1959 from the State Road Department revised the route numbers for Miami. The Bayshore Connector was dropped and I-395 renumbered as I-195. The Bayshore Connector was the predecessor to the Downtown Distributor (Florida State Road 970).
Initial construction for the freeway linking Miami and Miami Beach at the Bayshore neighborhood began in October 1957 along the 36th Street (Julia Tuttle) Causeway across Biscayne Bay.1 Opening to motorists on December 12, 1959 and costing nearly $14 million to build,2 Julia Tuttle Causeway was the first link completed in the original Miami expressway system.3 It connected Alton Road (SR 907) on Miami Beach with U.S. 1 (Biscayne Boulevard) at Midtown Miami via NE 36th and NE 38th Streets. Named after the early Miami pioneer, Julia Tuttle Causeway consists of two spans over Biscayne Bay: the 2,150 foot long high rise bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway and the 1,138 foot long east channel bridge. A six-lane causeway joins the two spans.
Work on the final segment of I-195, between Biscayne Boulevard and Interstate 95 (North-South Expressway) at the 36th Street Interchange, commenced in March 1960.4 This section included a seamless connection with the tolled 36th Street Expressway (SR 112) west to Miami International Airport (MIA). Interstate 195 fully opened to traffic on December 22, 1961.5
An improvement project on the Julia Tuttle Causeway between 1988 and 1990 expanded the freeway and widened the shoulders.6
According to a 1961-62 Florida State Road Department Biennial Report, Business Spur I-195 extended along 41st Street east from Alton Road (SR 907) toward SR A1A (Collins Road).7 This designation was short lived however.
 Photo Guides
East End
– Miami Beach, Florida
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North at
West End
– Miami, Florida
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East at
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West End Throwback
Older guide along the Airport Expressway eastbound at the 36th Street Interchange. Sign replacements made on the ramp for I-95 switched out the HOV 2+ reference for the Sunpass Only Express Lanes while dropping Orlando for All Exits. 12/28/06
Sources:
- “36th St. Span To Start By October 21”, The Miami News (FL), September 20, 1957.
- “We Bridge The Gap”, The Miami News (FL), December 12, 1959.
- “36th St. Span Ready To Roll”, The Miami News (FL), December 7, 1959.
- “Work Will Start Soon on Miami Expressway”, The Miami News (FL), March 17, 1960.
- “X-Way Opens – Snip, Zip!”,The Miami News (FL), December 22, 1961.
- Learned, Jason. “Interstate Guide – Florida I-195, I-395, I-595.” Personal email, November 25, 2003.
- “Twenty-Fourth Biennial Report of the State Road Department (Florida) – Jan. 1, 1961 through Dec. 31, 1962” (online document).
Page updated July 12, 2021.