Written by Kelly Sanchez on January 7, 2026
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The Florida Department of Transportation, which began building the Eighth Street pedestrian bridge at Southwest 109th Avenue in November 2024, expects to finish the project – including new features in addition to the bridge – in early 2027.
Aside from the bridge, the state is adding pedestrian plazas with elevators and stairs at both the north and south landings of the bridge as well as a signalized pedestrian crosswalk along Southwest 109th Avenue north of Southwest Seventh Terrace with upgraded signals, signage and curb ramps.
The historic bridge over the Tamiami Canal will be closed and the pedestrian crosswalks at Southwest Eighth Street and 109th Avenue will be closed as part of the project.
The contractor completed installation of the bridge’s overhead steel beams, which are now visible along Southwest Eighth Street, early in November. The next major milestone will be the concrete deck pour, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
The Florida Department of Transportation did not accept requests for comment or answer detailed questions.
The project, which includes the new bridge connecting Florida International University to Sweetwater, is slated for completion more than eight years after the previous bridge collapsed onto Southwest Eighth Street during its construction in March 2018, killing six people.
“Honestly, I don’t know why they started building that again, because everyone is scared of it and I was looking at the plans and apparently it’s by the same construction company, so it’s kind of scary honestly,” said Andrea Morales, an interior architecture student at FIU.
Another student, Julio Hernandez, said he’s glad other students can look forward to using the bridge instead of crossing the busy road.
“I’m happy that the kids are going to eventually be able to cross over that really busy street, but I don’t think it’s going to be done by the spring semester, during my time at FIU, so that sucks,” said Mr. Hernandez, who’s majoring in hospitality and tourism and lives on-campus.
Former FIU President Dr. Kenneth Jessell is the university liaison for the project.
“Developers could see what this bridge would mean in terms of economic development in the area, so that was really the impetus behind it,” Dr. Jessell said, referring to the early concept for the previous bridge. “…I mean, safety is even more important today than it was at the time when we were starting because of the large number of students that, every day, cross Eighth Street … you can see how it all ties together in terms of the benefits for FIU and for the city of Sweetwater.”
As previously reported by Miami Today, Miami-Dade commissioners in October approved with no discussion allowing the issuance of $250 million in bonds that would add 820 beds of housing in Sweetwater for FIU students. The project is expected to be completed in August 2027.
Bridge renderings are on Florida Department of Transportation’s website: https://www.fdotmiamidade.com/project/201/447046-1-52-01.