State Road 826 (SR 826) is a bypass route around the greater Miami area, traveling approximately in a northeasterly arc from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Pinecrest to its terminus at State Road A1A in Sunny Isles Beach. Between its southern terminus and the Golden Glades Interchange, State Road 826 is known as the Palmetto Expressway, a heavily traveled freeway with portions of the road carrying in excess of 250,000 vehicles a day. Unlike many of the other non-interstate freeways in Miami-Dade County, the Palmetto Expressway is untolled. East of the interchange, State Road 826 is a surface road connecting North Miami and North Miami Beach to Sunny Isles Beach over the Intracoastal Waterway.
Route description
Palmetto Expressway
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 Mall, 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 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 is currently being improved due to the current configuration causing severe congestion. Now forming Doral's eastern boundary, SR 826 continues north to Northwest 25th Street, which connects to the western end of the airport, followed by an exit with Doral Boulevard (SR 948) that links to the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, and then an exit with Northwest 58th Street. After a brief crossing through unincorporated Miami-Dade County, the expressway reaches an interchange with the Hialeah Expressway (SR 934) in Medley adjacent to the Palmetto Metrorail station, followed by a diagonal interchange with US 27 at the southern end of Hialeah Gardens and Hialeah. 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.
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.