Roads, Bridges and Canals

The Road, Bridge and Canal Maintenance Division maintains approximately 5,500 miles of dedicated public roads, approximately 195 vehicular or pedestrian bridges and approximately 168 miles of secondary canals.

To request maintenance on a County-owned canal call 311 or submit a service request.

The Road, Bridge and Canal Maintenance Division maintains approximately 5,500 miles of dedicated public roads by performing the following services:
- Pothole repair
- Elimination of vertical separations (tripping hazards) on sidewalks
- Elimination of drop-offs at the edge of the traveled way with either asphalt or select fill
- Guardrail repair
- Pavement repair
- Drain cleaning and repair
- Replacing missing drain covers
- Street sweeping along roadways with curb and gutters
- Stormwater pump station maintenance
Maintenance for the entire road system within Miami-Dade County is performed by several additional government agencies:
- The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is responsible for state roads such as US-1, SR 441, and the Florida Turnpike.
- The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority is responsible for the operation and maintenance of five major expressway facilities in Miami-Dade County:
  - SR 112 – Airport Expressway
  - SR 836 – East-West (Dolphin) Expressway
  - SR 874 – South Dade (Don Shula) Expressway
  - SR 878 – Snapper Creek Expressway
  - SR 924 – Gratigny Parkway
Individual city, town or village governments are responsible for the majority of roads within their respective municipal limits. Depending on the location, homeowners’ associations and/or individual property owners may also maintain private roadways.
The County operates eight movable bridges (drawbridges) and approximately 195 vehicular or pedestrian bridges by providing the following services:
- Movable bridge operation, 24 hours/day
- Mechanical, electrical and structural maintenance and repairs
To report concerns with county bridges contact the Road, Bridge and Canal Maintenance Division at 305-592-3115 between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, excluding holidays.

Bridge lockdown before a storm

Miami-Dade County coordinates the lockdown of drawbridges along the Miami River and Intercoastal Waterway with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Emergency Operations Center, the Captain of the Port, US Coast Guard and other stakeholders.

Coordination begins 96 hours prior to the anticipated arrival of tropical storm force winds to ensure mariners are able to vacate the areas and dock their vessels. This lockdown is put in place to preserve the structural integrity of the bridge and for the safety of boaters and motorists.

The Bridge Lockdown process is reviewed daily prior to a storm and the following steps are taken:
- 24 hours prior to the anticipated arrival of tropical storm force winds (39 mph or higher) Miami-Dade County and FDOT begin the Bridge Lock-down process to secure the drawbridges over the Miami River and over the Intracoastal Waterway. This process takes approximately eight hours to complete and must be accomplished during daylight hours prior to the anticipated arrival of tropical storm force winds. The purpose of the lock-down is to preserve the structural integrity of the drawbridges.
- During the lock-down process, the bridges are closed, power is turned off, traffic gates are removed, the control houses are secured and the bridge operators and maintenance personnel are sent home to ensure their safety. The drawbridges cannot be re-opened without reversing the above procedure.
- Drawbridges over the Miami River will be closed sequentially starting from the westernmost bridge (Tamiami Bridge) to the easternmost bridge (Brickell Bridge), upstream to downstream. The drawbridges will re-open in the opposite sequence as soon as tropical storm winds subside to 38 mph or less, the bridges are checked for structural damage and the Captain of the Port approves the opening of the waterways.
Status of the bridges pre and post storm can be found on the County’s Emergency website, by calling 311, or by following @GoMiamiDade on Twitter.
The County maintains approximately 168 miles of secondary canals which discharge into the South Florida Water Management District’s primary canal system by providing the following services and activities:
- Control of aquatic weeds and woody vegetation
- Inspection, maintenance and cleaning of culverts
- Removal of floating debris and other obstructions
The South Florida Water Management District is responsible for the system of primary canals that discharge into Biscayne Bay, and also controls the opening and closing of canal floodgates during rainy weather.