New I-395 'Flying' Bridge Planned By Florida Department Of Transportation (PHOTOS, POLL)

The state's solution to the hum-drum traffic into South Beach? A new 1.4-mile superbridge, soaring high through Miami.

For real.

Construction on the $500-$600 million project isn't scheduled to begin until January 2021, but the Florida Department of Transportation already has preliminary designs of the monster bridge to get excited about. (Or not, if you were hoping for something more pedestrian-friendly.)

The new flying bridge, an improvement to I-395, would still connect I-95 to South Beach via the MacArthur Causeway -- but do so shooting out of Downtown about 40 feet in the air in order to improve the dramatic experience.

(FDOT officials, perhaps chagrined by their track record, have listed "creating a visually appealing bridge" as the third of four reasons for the project.)

According to a release from the department, funding will be a combination of 2021 funds and money from the 10-year Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) Plan.

Work began on the designs for the bridge in June 2011 and staff expects to have them completed by August 2014, according to FDOT District Six. Currently, plans include new elevated ramps to link 95 to 395, and rebuilding parts of I-395.

FDOT has five different bridge designs rendered for consideration -- which would you like to take to South Beach? Take the poll below the photos:

(Hat Tip: Curbed Miami)