The Brickell Avenue Bridge can open during rush hour. Federal rules make exceptions for tugboats, U.S. public vessels and emergencies that threaten people or property.

That affects trips across the Miami River between Brickell and Downtown. The normal rush-hour limits do not cover every boat.

Weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except federal holidays, normal openings are limited to the hour and half-hour. A boat must request an opening.

The three restricted periods are 7:35–8:59 a.m., 12:05–12:59 p.m. and 4:35–5:59 p.m. Exempt vessels can still pass on a proper signal. At other times, the bridge opens on signal.

A normal opening at 9 a.m. can fit the rules. The morning restriction has ended.

Miami Avenue and Southwest Second Avenue have the same three restricted periods. Neither is a sure shortcut.

The state runs the bridge; federal rules set its opening limits. CBS Miami covered that split in May amid traffic concerns.

The crossing is also a piece of Miami history. Florida’s Division of Historical Resources places it beside the Miami Circle, where the river meets the city’s waterfront. Its art links the modern road to the people and history around that site.

The bronze Tequesta Family sculpture is by Cuban-born artist Manuel Carbonell. The state’s history page also describes bridge reliefs that honor figures including Julia Tuttle, Henry Flagler, William and Mary Brickell, D.A. Dorsey and Marjory Stoneman Douglas. They turn the crossing into a place with more to notice than its traffic gates.

The bridge’s design drew national attention. The Federal Highway Administration gave it an Award of Merit in 1996 in its major highway structures category. The agency says the design came from an international competition with more than 150 entries and included commissioned bronze artwork.

The moving bridge has needed upkeep, too. FDOT announced a roughly $4 million repair project was finished in February 2021. The work had begun in February 2020.

The rules help explain a delay. They do not show whether a boat is coming or how long a wait will last.