Palmetto Expressway in metropolitan Miami SR 826 is signed east–west north of Miami, west of Miami it is signed north–south. State Road 826 begins at an
interchange with US 1 in Pinecrest, just south of the
Dadeland South station (the handover point between the
South Dade TransitWay and the
Metrorail line), and heads north as the Palmetto Expressway into
Kendall. The first interchange, less than a mile (1.6 km) north of US 1, is with
Kendall Drive (SR 94), which provides access to the
Dadeland Mall. SR 826 continues north, crossing under the
Snapper Creek Expressway (SR 878) without an interchange before meeting
Sunset Drive (SR 986) at a
diamond interchange. It then leaves Kendall, continuing into
Glenvar Heights with an interchange with Southwest 56th Street/Miller Drive, which provides access to the
University of Miami. About half a mile (0.8 km) later, the
Don Shula Expressway (SR 874) merges with the Palmetto Expressway at its northern terminus, with a southbound exit and a northbound entrance point. Between this interchange and the next (at
Bird Road/SR 976), SR 826 forms the border between Glenvar Heights and
Olympia Heights; past it, the expressway marks the boundary between
Westchester and
Coral Terrace. After an exit with Southwest 24th Street/
Coral Way, the expressway meets the
Tamiami Trail (
US 41), providing access to
Florida International University. This interchange also marks the Tamiami Trail's entrance into incorporated Miami, the boundary of which lies on the eastern side of the expressway. North of the Tamiami Trail interchange, the Palmetto Expressway forms the eastern boundary of
Fontainebleau as it continues north to an exit with
Flagler Street (SR 968), the north–south
baseline for Miami-Dade County roads. The freeway then has an interchange with the
Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) just south of
Doral, creating access to
Miami International Airport. This interchange was recently improved in 2016 due to the previous configuration causing severe congestion. It then enters Hialeah proper just after an interchange with
Northwest 103rd Street (SR 932), which allows access to the
Westland Mall. An exit with Northwest 122nd Street then follows. and
Miami Lakes At the boundary between Hialeah and
Miami Lakes, SR 826 reaches an interchange with the national southern terminus of
Interstate 75 (I-75) and the western termini of the
Gratigny Parkway (SR 924) and
SR 916. The Palmetto Expressway goes into Miami Lakes, interchanges with Northwest 154 Street, then turns through 90 degrees to the east at a point known as "The Big Curve". The road then proceeds straight east, forming the boundary between Miami Lakes and
Country Club, soon interchanging with Northwest 67th Avenue. At the next exit,
Red Road (SR 823), the expressway forms the boundary between an unincorporated section of Miami-Dade County and
Miami Gardens, with the expressway entering the city proper at the next exit, Northwest 47th Avenue. The expressway then passes to the north of
Florida Memorial University before the Northwest 37th Avenue exit, where it creates the northern border of
St. Thomas University's campus. Still in Miami Gardens, SR 826 then has exits with
Northwest 27th Avenue (SR 817), Northwest 17th Avenue and Northwest 12th Avenue before reaching the
Golden Glades Interchange. SR 826 takes a convoluted path through the Golden Glades Interchange. It first meets the connector ramps between
Florida's Turnpike and
Interstate 95 (I-95), allowing access from northbound SR 826 to I-95 southbound as well as
US 441/
SR 9 southbound, and from the Turnpike southbound and I-95 northbound to southbound SR 826. After turning to the northeast, SR 826 moves off its mainline at the next exit onto the mainline of the Turnpike which passes over it; SR 826's former mainline, meanwhile, continues on as an at-grade extension of Northwest 7th Avenue to US 441 northbound. Traffic moving from eastbound SR 826 to the northbound Turnpike must pass through an unsignalised intersection here. then passes under the I-95's express lanes, meeting the onramp between I-95 southbound and the Turnpike northbound, and the onramp between southbound US 441 and eastbound SR 826. It then passes over Interstate 95 proper, which lies between the southbound and northbound carriageways of US 441, as it swings back to the northeast and then to the east once more. Here it meets its last three ramps, one which allows access from US 441 and I-95 northbound to eastbound SR 826, another from westbound SR 826 to US 441 and I-95 southbound, and from westbound SR 826 to northbound US 441. SR 826 resumes its east–west orientation once more at a signalised intersection with Northwest 2nd Avenue, marking the end of SR 826's expressway.
Non-expressway section is also denoted as State Road 826. State Road 826 heads east from the Golden Glades Interchange as Northwest 167th Street, a six-laned surface road, along the boundary between Golden Glades and
North Miami Beach. Through here, the road is also known as North Miami Beach Boulevard, lined with shops, offices, hotels and other commercial services. Two blocks after leaving the interchange, the road crosses North
Miami Avenue, the longitudinal
baseline for Miami-Dade County; thus, the road becomes Northeast 167th Street once it passes this point. Approximately later, SR 826 intersects with
Northeast 6th Avenue (SR 915). Two blocks later, at Northeast 8th Avenue, North Miami Beach Boulevard starts to swing to the southeast, leaving Northeast 167th Street's orientation, reaching Northeast 163rd street approximately later at Northeast 12th Avenue, and taking its eastbound orientation. It immediately passes the
Mall at 163rd Street on its left, continuing on as a shopping strip for another where it meets the northern terminus of
SR 909 at the West Dixie Highway. One block later, after crossing the
Florida East Coast Railway tracks, SR 826 meets
US 1 once more at Biscayne Boulevard. To the east of US 1, SR 826's character changes as it passes through
mangroves and crosses the
Oleta River, having expanded to eight lanes. With North Miami Beach lying to the north and
North Miami to the south of the road, SR 826 passes between more mangroves to its south and more businesses to the north as it approaches the
Intracoastal Waterway. Here, the road splits into separate eastbound and westbound streets before it crosses the Waterway over a drawbridge in each direction, and enters
Sunny Isles Beach. Apartment buildings line the outside of the two road-halves, with some commercial services in the middle, as it continues on for another to SR 826's northern terminus at
Collins Avenue (
SR A1A), one block shy of the Atlantic Ocean. A
flyover allows traffic on northbound SR A1A to move onto westbound SR 826 without having to stop twice for eastbound SR 826 traffic and to cross SR A1A.
Traffic volume The traffic volume along SR 826's entire length is measured by the Florida Department of Transportation. The busiest sections of SR 826 are in the vicinity of the
Miami International Airport and the nearby industrial area to its west, with over 200,000
daily vehicle movements counted between the
Dolphin Expressway at Fontainebleau and the Northwest 122nd Street / West 68th Street exit in
Hialeah, peaking in the vicinity of
SR 934 in
Medley with over 250,000 vehicle movements each day. Traffic volumes decrease to the south of the Dolphin Expressway, particularly south of the
Don Shula Expressway merge; however, unlike the rest of SR 826 (including its surface road portion), much of its peak traffic flow is uni-directional. Indeed, at the Palmetto Expressway's southern end, between
US 1 and
Kendall Drive, traffic moves almost exclusively in the peak direction. Northwards, traffic volumes decrease after the interchange with
I-75 and the
Gratigny Parkway, with a reported drop of approximately 60,000 daily vehicle movements north of the interchange. As the Palmetto Expressway rounds the Big Curve and heads eastwards, the traffic volume steadily increases to a maximum of 164,000 daily vehicle movements just prior to the
Golden Glades Interchange as it collects traffic from the north–south routes in the Miami Gardens area. East of the interchange, where SR 826 becomes a surface road, the traffic volumes are more than halved in comparison to SR 826's expressway sections, with a recorded figure of 64,500 daily vehicle movements. This figure steadily decreases eastwards along SR 826, with only 46,000 daily vehicle movements recorded near its eastern terminus with
SR A1A in Sunny Isles Beach. ==History==