$94M Sawgrass Expressway expansion project delayed to second quarter of 2026

The next phase of the Sawgrass Expressway widening project from north of Sample Road to University Drive has been delayed by at least a couple months.

Miami-based Halley Engineering Contractors, which has worked on the other portions of the Sawgrass expansion, was recently awarded its latest contract of $94,428,759 to widen a 2.8-mile stretch of the highway from six to eight lanes and convert the on- and off-ramps at Coral Ridge Drive to a diverging diamond interchange.

Construction on the upcoming phase was initially scheduled to start in the first quarter of the year but has been pushed to the second quarter, a spokesperson for Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise told the Coral Springs News in April.

Crews have already been working on widening the expressway starting at Atlantic Boulevard in Coral Springs and going north.

The Sample to University portion is scheduled to take just over 1,200 days and wrap up in June 2029, with the timeline subject to change, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

Project manager Jason Christopher told the Coral Springs News in January that lane closures or disruptions are scheduled to happen during off times at night.

The diverging diamond interchanges are expected to be the greatest adjustment for motorists, directing them to cross over onto the left side while getting on or off the highway ramps.

“Operational benefits are for the people that are traveling along Coral Ridge,” Christopher said. “Those folks turning left to enter the Sawgrass or to exit the Sawgrass, they’re going to end up with one less signal, creating fewer conflict points between people and pedestrians.”

A later phase of the Sawgrass expansion will also add an extra lane at the University Drive interchange and widen the highway from six lanes to 10 lanes from University to just west of State Road 7.

The phase from University to U.S. Route 441 is currently scheduled to start in the third quarter of the year.