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

East End – Miami Beach, FL
West End – Miami, FL
Mileage – 4.42
Cities – Miami, Miami Beach
Junctions –

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

Interstate 195 Florida

East End – Miami Beach, Florida

East at

The final reassurance shield for Interstate 195 east along Julia Tuttle Causeway across Biscayne Bay. 04/01/14

Exit 5 separates from I-195 east for SR 907 (Alton Road) to the Miami Beach Convention Center, Jackie Gleason Theater and Art Deco Historic District. 04/01/14

I-195 curves northeast over SR 907 to 41st Street (SR 112) at Alton Road (SR 907A). 04/01/14

Arthur Godfrey Road/41st Street (SR 112) extends east 0.8 miles from I-195 and Alton Road (SR 907A) to SR A1A (Collins Avenue) at Mid-Beach. 04/01/14

An end sign for Interstate 195 preceded the traffic light at 41st Street and Alton Road (SR 907A) at the Nautilus neighborhood in Miami Beach. This assembly was removed by 2008. 12/29/03

West at

SR 112 (41st Street) intersects Alton Road (SR 907A) at the westbound beginning of I-195. SR 907A loops east along a section of Alton Road bypassed by SR 907. 04/01/14

A directional cloverleaf interchange joins I-195/SR 112 with SR 907 ahead of Julia Tuttle Causeway west across Biscayne Bay. SR 907 follows Alton Road between SR A1A (5th Street) at South Beach and SR A1A at 63rd Street in North Beach. 04/01/14

The first confirming marker for I-195 west precedes the east channel bridge along Julia Tuttle Causeway. I-95 lies four miles to the west, while SR 112 reaches Miami International Airport (MIA) in eight miles. 04/01/14

North at

SR 907 partitions with Alton Road (SR 907A) ahead of the exchange with Interstate 195. Alton Road connects with 41st Street (Arthur Godfrey Road) east to SR A1A (Collins Avenue). 07/27/17

A loop ramp follows from SR 907 north for Interstate 195 west to Miami. 07/27/17

West End – Miami, Florida

West at

Exit 2B connects I-195 west with U.S. 1 (Biscayne Boulevard) at the Bay Point and Edgewater neighborhoods in the Upper East Side of Miami. 04/01/14

Interstate 195 elevates over U.S. 1 (Biscayne Boulevard) and a three block stretch along a viaduct preceding the 36th Street Interchange with I-95 and SR 112 west. 04/01/14

A three-lane off-ramp (Exit 1) departs from I-195 west for both directions of I-95. SR 112 emerges along the tolled Airport Expressway en route to the Brownsville community and Miami International Airport (MIA). 09/30/17

Two lanes separate for I-95 north to Fort Lauderdale and I-95 south to U.S. 1 (Dixie Highway) and Coral Gables. Fort Lauderdale is located 24.7 miles away in neighboring Broward County while Downtown Miami is a 3.4 mile long drive. 03/21/20

The four-level interchange joining I-95/395 was completed in 1961 at a cost of $22 million. 09/30/17

East at

Paralleling a Metrorail line, SR 112 (Airport Expressway) east advances 0.75 miles to the 36th Street Interchange with I-95/195. 01/23/16

An all electronic toll (AET) collection gantry precedes both the exit ramp for NW 12th Avenue and the four-level interchange with I-95 and I-195. Tolling along all of SR 112 commenced in 2014. 03/21/20

The adjacent Metrorail line turns south across the Airport Expressway ahead of the SR 112 transition onto I-195 east to Miami Beach. SR 112 continues east as the hidden counterpart of I-195 to Alton Road (SR 907A). 03/21/20

Three lanes partition from the Airport Expressway east for I-95 north to Fort Lauderdale and Broward County and I-95 south to Downtown Miami and Coral Gables. 03/21/20

A separate ramp leaves for the tolled I-95 Express Lanes northbound as traffic partitions for the mainline of I-95 north to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando (via Florida’s Turnpike) and south to Downtown. 01/23/16

South at

One mile ahead of the systems interchange with I-195 east to Miami Beach and SR 112 west to Miami International Airport (MIA) on I-95 (North-South Expressway) southbound. 03/04/14

A flyover departs from the I-95 Express Lanes for the Airport Expressway (SR 112) one half mile from the main line ramps at the 36th Street Interchange (Exit 4). 04/01/14

Three lanes separate from I-95 south for Interstate 195 and SR 112 (Airport Expressway) at Exit 4. Flyovers join the Express Lanes with SR 112 west above. 03/04/14

Traffic partitions along Exit 4 for the Airport Expressway west 4.4 miles to MIA Airport and Interstate 195 east 5.2 miles to SR A1A (Collins Avenue) in Miami Beach. 03/04/14

North at

The forthcoming ramp (Exit 4A) for I-195 consists of a flyover taking motorists over merging traffic from I-395 west and SR 836 east. Returning to the I-95 mainline, the ramp forms an auxiliary lane to Exit 4B for Interstate 195. 03/21/20

Crossing over the Interstate 395 eastbound mainline, Exit 4A for the I-195 bypass ramp leaves I-95 north. The ramp rejoins I-95 northbound beyond NW 20th Street. 03/04/14

Interstate 95 north passes over NW 20th Street one mile from Exit 4B to I-195 east and SR 112 west. The bypass ramp (Exit 4A) for I-195 through the Midtown Interchange comes into view. 09/30/17

The two left lanes along I-95 north separate onto the tolled Express Lanes ahead of the 36th Street Interchange with I-195 and SR 112 (Airport Expressway). Photo by Peter Johnson (04/10/21).

Exit 4B splits for I-195 east and the Airport Expressway west. Ramps connect I-195 with Miami Avenue (Exit 2A) at Midtown and U.S. 1 (Exit 2B) at Edgewater before the freeway crosses Biscayne Bay. 09/30/17

SR 112 extends west from I-95/195 along the tolled Airport Expressway to U.S. 27 (Okeechobee Road), SR 948 (NW 36th Street) and Miami International Airport (MIA). 09/30/17

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.