About the Rickenbacker
The Rickenbacker Causeway is the only road connection between mainland Miami, Virginia Key, and Key Biscayne. It's a Miami-Dade County toll road that runs across three bridges: the West Bridge (mainland to Hobie Island, originally built 1944), the William M. Powell Bridge (the tall main span over the Intracoastal Waterway, 1985), and the Bear Cut Bridge (Virginia Key to Key Biscayne).
Tolls run on SunPass and Toll-By-Plate — no cash booths. The two-axle rate is $3.25 as of the October 2025 update. For residents who cross often, the Rickenbacker Annual Commuter Plan is $120 per vehicle per year (one car per employee, two-axle non-commercial only). Toll-By-Plate users get billed by mail with a small monthly administrative fee.
The bridge rehab project
Miami-Dade Public Works is running a multi-year preventive-maintenance project across all three Rickenbacker bridges — concrete delamination repair, expansion-joint replacement, lighting and electrical upgrades. According to the Islander News, it's described as routine work done every 10 to 15 years.
Per the same reporting, what residents should expect:
- Lane closures total roughly 3 months across the full project scope — not continuous, and limited to short windows.
- Closures are limited to 9 PM – 4 AM, weekdays only.
- No weekend closures and no special-event days.
- Project budget reported at ~$4 million.
Translation: unless you're crossing the causeway between 9 PM and 4 AM on a weeknight, this project won't affect your commute. The schedule card above shows the next confirmed lane closure when one is published.
Events that close the causeway
A handful of recurring events shut the Rickenbacker down to traffic for hours. The big ones:
- Miami Marathon (late January) — partial closures pre-dawn through midday.
- Lighthouse Run (typically December) — same pattern, runners using the bridges.
- Tour de Cure / cycling charity rides — multiple per year, usually Sunday mornings, partial closures.
- Major triathlons — Rickenbacker often closes 4 AM – 11 AM on race day, with the bike leg using the bridges.
- 4th of July at Crandon — the road stays open but traffic crawls 5 PM until fireworks end.
We watch Islander News and Village press releases for advance notice. When a known event is coming, we add it to the schedule card.
What FL511 actually shows
FL511 is the Florida Department of Transportation's official traveler-information system. It aggregates lane closures, crashes, construction zones, and active maintenance windows across every FDOT and county road in the state. We hit their internal events feed every 5 minutes and filter for anything mentioning Rickenbacker, Bear Cut, Virginia Key, Brickell, or Crandon. The full live map (with cameras) is one click away — link is in the card footer above.
What's NOT on FL511
FL511 covers roads, not parking. For parking conditions at Crandon Park itself, see our parking page. FL511 also doesn't include private events on Key Biscayne proper — village-organized 5Ks, the KBYC sailing regatta, etc. — so for those, check the Village calendar.