A stretch of Federal Highway (US-1) between SE 2nd Street and SE 7th Street, which includes the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel, will close for several days, starting Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 7 a.m.
The closure will last through Saturday, Jan. 20, at 5 p.m. Drivers will be detoured in both directions.
The area’s closure is part of the $28.4 million Henry E. Kinney Tunnel Improvement Project expected to wrap up this spring.
As part of the tunnel improvement, transportation crews will be working on north ventilation building fan replacement operations, Intelligent Transportation Systems conduit operations, concrete pole installation operations and wire pulling operations.
Overall, the full overhaul of the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel that began in September 2021 has included rehabilitating the structural, mechanical, electrical, architectural and life safety components of the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel; resurfacing US-1 from Rio Vista Boulevard to south of the Tunnel; installing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) along US-1 and extending the tunnel top.
As part of the improvement plan, the tunnel’s top now has a pedestrian plaza with new fountains, seating, redesigned brick pavers, artificial turf and landscape. The new gathering spot took two years to build and opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in December. Some residents and store owners have been critical of Tunnel Top Park for being small and stark.
The state-owned Henry E. Kinney Tunnel opened in 1960 to replace a bridge built so drivers could cross over the New River along Federal Highway. It is one of two underground tunnels in South Florida. The other is the PortMiami tunnel from the MacArthur Causeway to Dodge Island.
