South Florida sports fans are hoping for the best when the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers play before the home crowds Monday night in key NBA and NHL playoff games.
And commuters may want to hope for the best, too.
Fans will be heading to the Miami basketball and Broward hockey arenas during rush hour as commuters are heading home from work. That could mean heavier traffic on the roads and surrounding streets.
Both the Heat and the Panthers have home games Monday night, and drivers should take note of possible traffic delays around the downtown Miami and Sunrise arenas before and after the games.
While suburban Sunrise is more wide open than the narrow and packed streets of downtown Miami, Amerant Bank Arena is near the always crowded Sawgrass Mills mall, with its restaurants and outlet shops. Nearby are strip shopping centers with restaurants and big-box stores and sprawling residential communities filled with commuters.
So expect heavier traffic on Florida’s Turnpike and the Sawgrass Expressway, as well as on Sunrise and Oakland Park boulevards. And if you’re going to IKEA for a build-your-own bookcase or a plate of meatballs, you could face a jam.
And you know what to expect in downtown Miami around the Kaseya Center, where Biscayne Boulevard and ramps to I-95, 836 and the MacArthur Causeway to South Beach — not to mention road construction — are all crunching traffic even without a big game.
Heading to the South Florida arenas? Or just trying to get home? Here are some things to know:
Miami Heat
Time: 7:30 p.m. Monday
Home: Kaseya Center, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
Nearby: Bayside Marketplace, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park, downtown Miami business district, Brickell.
Traffic choke points: Biscayne Boulevard from 11th to Flagler streets, Northeast Second Avenue from 13th to Flagler streets, ramps to and from I-95, 836 and the MacArthur Causeway to South Beach.
Pro tip: Any time the Heat plays at home, especially on a weekend, take note of other events in the area and consult the calendars at the nearby Arsht Center and FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park.
Florida Panthers
Time: 7 p.m. Monday
Home: Amerant Bank Arena, 1 Panther Pkway., Sunrise
Nearby: Sawgrass Mills mall, IKEA
Traffic choke points: Oakland Park Boulevard, Sunrise Boulevard, Hiatus Road, Sawgrass Expressway, Florida’s Turnpike.
Tip: If you’re heading to the Sawgrass Mills mall and not planning to watch the Panthers play, take note of game dates and times to avoid the traffic crush.