PortMiami moves more than 1.1 million TEUs per year. The port authority wants that number closer to 1.5 million by 2028. Getting there requires tearing up sections of terminal that drayage trucks use right now. If you're hauling containers through Miami in 2026 and 2027, the construction will change how you plan pickups, stage chassis, and route your drivers.
What's Being Built
The PortMiami expansion covers multiple projects running at the same time. The port authority grouped them under a master capital improvement plan worth more than $2 billion, spread across cargo terminals, cruise facilities, and landside infrastructure. The cargo side is what affects drayage.
The port tunnel connecting to I-395 and the MacArthur Causeway stays open through all of this. That's the critical piece. Truck traffic still flows through the tunnel to I-95 and the Palmetto without passing through downtown Miami streets.
Construction Timeline and Phases
Port construction doesn't happen all at once. The authority phases projects to keep the port operational while crews work on adjacent sections. For drayage, the phase that matters most is the one currently active near your terminal.
Each phase has a different footprint. Drivers who picked up containers at SFCT last month found a different staging layout than the month before. The port posts updates, but the information doesn't always reach importers or smaller carriers quickly.
Gate and Route Impacts
Gate operations are where construction hits drayage hardest. When the port reroutes truck lanes or closes a gate temporarily for crane installation, the backup ripples through the entire pickup schedule.
Drivers running morning pickups at PortMiami report 20-40 minute increases in gate-to-container time during active construction phases. That's 20-40 minutes the driver sits idle, the chassis clock ticks, and your warehouse appointment gets tighter.
- Temporary lane merges near active construction zones reduce the number of trucks that can queue at the gate simultaneously.
- Container staging areas shift as the yard expands, forcing drivers to learn new pickup coordinates within the terminal.
- Some terminal operators redirect empty returns to alternate gates during crane installation, splitting inbound and outbound truck traffic.
The port tunnel itself stays at full capacity. The delays happen inside the terminal, not on the approach roads. If your driver clears the tunnel at 7:15 AM, they used to reach the container by 7:45. During active construction, that same container might take until 8:15.
Drayage Costs During Construction
More time at the port means higher costs. Drayage carriers absorb some of those delays, but the math doesn't work when a driver who used to complete four port turns per day drops to three.
Some carriers have started adding construction surcharges for PortMiami pickups during specific phases. If your carrier quotes a flat rate, ask whether that rate assumes current gate times or pre-construction baselines. The difference matters.
What Changes After 2027
The short-term pain has a payoff. Once construction wraps up, the expanded PortMiami handles more cargo with less congestion per container. For drayage, the improvements create measurable benefits.
More berths mean vessels discharge faster. When two mega-ships work cargo at the same time instead of one waiting at anchor, the container yard receives containers on a steadier schedule instead of massive surges that overwhelm gate capacity.
Expanded yard space reduces stack density. Containers stacked six high in tight rows take longer to locate and retrieve. With more ground space, terminal operators can organize the yard for faster truck turns. That 45-minute gate-to-container time could drop below 30 minutes post-expansion.
- Wider gate lanes and additional processing booths reduce peak-hour queuing from 30-40 minutes to a projected 15-20.
- Enhanced on-dock rail pulls long-haul containers off trucks, freeing road capacity for local drayage moves.
- Larger container yard inventory means importers may get 5-7 free days instead of the current 3-4 at some terminals.
- More consistent vessel schedules reduce the volume spikes that cause drayage rate surges during peak weeks.
For importers moving 20+ containers per month through Miami, the post-expansion port should lower per-container logistics costs by reducing dwell time, cutting gate delays, and smoothing out the seasonal capacity crunches that drive up drayage rates every August through October.
How Importers Can Prepare Now
Construction runs through 2027. You can wait it out and absorb the delays, or adjust your logistics planning to minimize the impact.
Build buffer time into warehouse appointments. If your warehouse window is 2 PM-4 PM, schedule your drayage pickup with enough margin to absorb a 30-40 minute construction delay. Tell your carrier about the appointment window so dispatch can prioritize your container accordingly.
Ask your carrier about terminal-specific delays. Construction phases affect different terminals on different schedules. SFCT may have heavy disruption this month while Seaboard Marine operates smoothly. A carrier with drivers at the port daily knows which terminals are running slow that week.
Consider off-peak pickups. Gate queues during construction peak between 8 AM and 11 AM. Drivers entering at 6:30 AM or after 3 PM often clear the gate with minimal wait. If your warehouse can accept deliveries outside the standard 9-5 window, off-peak scheduling cuts your exposure to construction delays.
Watch for rate adjustments. Carriers adjusting rates for construction delays are being transparent. Carriers who don't adjust rates may cut service quality instead, sending fewer drivers to the port or skipping status updates to save dispatch time. A $25 construction surcharge from an honest carrier costs less than a $200 demurrage bill from a carrier who stopped communicating.
Lock in contracts before Phase 3. The heaviest construction phase starts in 2027. If you have consistent monthly volume, negotiate a rate agreement with your carrier now that accounts for construction timing. Carriers prefer steady volume commitments and will offer better terms to importers who commit before the worst delays hit.
Looking Ahead
PortMiami's expansion positions the port to compete with Savannah and Houston for mega-vessel traffic. For Miami importers, that means more shipping line options, more competitive ocean rates, and faster vessel turnarounds. For drayage carriers, it means handling higher volume through a port designed for modern container operations instead of infrastructure built for a smaller era.
The next 18 months will test patience. Gate times will fluctuate. Staging areas will shift. Some weeks will run smoothly and others will feel like the entire port is under construction at once. Work with a carrier who communicates those changes as they happen, and you'll absorb the disruption without it blowing up your supply chain budget.