Traffic alert: Visit by VP Harris may cause backups near FIU and other parts of Miami

Vice President Kamala Harris will be in South Florida on Thursday afternoon. That means a chance for heavier traffic than usual.

Harris will stop at the main campus of Florida International University in West Miami-Dade as part of her nationwide “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour. She will arrive at Miami International Airport at 1:30 p.m. from Washington, D.C., and begin the moderated conversation at 2:30 p.m.

Then Harris will travel to Miami Shores to speak at a President Biden campaign reception at 6 p.m. She’s expected to depart from MIA at 7 p.m.

Here’s where to expect delays and maybe even closed lanes or roads as the vice presidential motorcade travels through Miami-Dade County.

Heading to FIU

To leave the Miami airport, Harris motorcade could get on State Road 836. Then there are two possibilities:

▪ The motorcade will merge onto Florida’s Turnpike and get off at Tamiami Trail, Southeast Eighth Street, to reach FIU’s campus, were the event will be at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

▪ Or the motorcade will exit 836, the Dolphin Expressway, at Tamiami Trail, taking the street to the FIU campus.

The campaign event

To head to Miami Shores, the vice president’s motorcade will likely get back on 836 and merge onto northbound I-95. Possible exits in the Miami Shores area include:

▪ Northwest 95th Street

▪ Northwest 103rd Street

▪ Northwest 119th Street

Back to the Miami airport

To return to Miami International, the motorcade will probably go south on I-95, merge onto State Road 112 west, the Airport Expressway, and head straight into the airport.