Overdue for a makeover has been the stop-and-stop-and-sometimes-go traffic from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to the popular beachfront hotels and restaurants. And starting this week, it’s finally happened.
County officials on Monday cut the ribbon on the Port Everglades Bypass Road, a new route carrying motorists from State Road 84 and Federal Highway through Port Everglades without having to check in with port security or deal with the heavily congested area from Federal Highway to Southeast 17th Street.
The $55 million project is an elevated road with one lane in each direction, with walls and fences on each side to minimize the security risk to Port Everglades, which requires security screening to access. That screening was worth the wait for some motorists trying to avoid 17th Street traffic before the bypass opened, but now agents won’t need to check your ID or open your trunk to let you through.
The bypass lets out at Eisenhower Blvd. at the foot of the 17th Street Causeway.
“If it takes 10-15 minutes to get from 84 to the Causeway Bridge, it’ll now take five to seven minutes thanks to the connector,” said Broward County Commissioner Lamar Fisher.
The connector is part of a massive, $1.1 billion expansion of the Broward County Convention Center, a series of projects that will ultimately include a direct rail from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Part of the expansion of the convention center was also unveiled Monday. And the opening of an 801-room Omni Hotel is imminent, though initial plans to greet travelers next month has been pushed back for at least several weeks.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.
