FORT LAUDERDALE — Dust. Lane closures. Bumper-to-bumper traffic.
That’s been the current situation at downtown Fort Lauderdale’s U.S. 1 tunnel for 32 months now.
Drivers have endured nightmarish gridlock since work began on the $28.4 million upgrade of the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel nearly three years ago. Many days, only two lanes have been open instead of the usual four. And on the worst days, the entire tunnel has been closed off to traffic.
In case you’re wondering when all four lanes of the tunnel will finally reopen, here’s the answer: By the end of the day Friday.
That’s according to the state Department of Transportation, the folks overseeing the work.
But don’t assume that means the lane closures are over.
According to DOT, the project won’t be completely done until September. Until then, we can expect to see more lane closures on an as-needed basis.
The tunnel turned into a dusty construction zone in September 2021, bringing detour after detour for commuters traveling through downtown Fort Lauderdale.
The work was expected to take two years, but supply shortages and bad weather caused unfortunate delays, DOT officials say.
Many drivers accustomed to using all four lanes of the tunnel keep hoping for the work to end — including Fort Lauderdale resident Frankie Kostoff.
Kostoff lives off Southeast 17th Street and works in an insurance office on Federal Highway north of Sunrise Boulevard. For her, the tunnel is the most direct route to work.
“I use it twice a day, six days a week,” Kostoff said. “I live 2.5 miles from my job and it took me an hour and 10 minutes to get to work one day. It was a parking lot. It’s insane.”
Kostoff said she has seen drivers make aggressive moves as they snake toward the tunnel. Recently, she saw one man blow through a light to bypass other cars in a race to get to the tunnel first.
“People anticipate the nightmare of the tunnel and do stupid things,” she said.
Fort Lauderdale has been getting angry complaints about the tunnel and its slowdowns for more than two years now, Mayor Dean Trantalis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Some might consider the reopening of the tunnel a cause for celebration.
“We confirmed that all four lanes will be open by May 31,” Trantalis said. “It’s not so much a celebration as it would be a sigh of relief.”
The tunnel, long due for a makeover, opened in 1960 to replace a two-lane drawbridge in operation since the 1920s.
The upgrade included replacing ventilation fans and stormwater pumps; installing new LED lighting and bicycle-friendly drainage grates; upgrading electrical equipment and emergency lighting; and installing vehicle sensors to warn drivers whose vehicles are too tall to enter.
It should be decades before the tunnel is due for another upgrade.
Said Trantalis: “This is supposed to last for the next 50 years.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan