South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Immigration reform should focus on families
Interchange to be revamped into new formation, express lanes will be extended
I am a U.S. citizen and spouse of a foreign national. I feel my family is being left behind as bills with immigration reform provisions are being introduced, like the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The waiver language in this bill provides relief for minor unlawful presence for farm laborers while ignoring the similar plight of family members of 1.8 million U.S. citizens.
This bill will create a disparity in outcome in favor of workers and fail to support the families who have a spouse navigating a sea of technical immigration law landmines. I support waiving past unlawful presence for farm workers, but doing so is only fair and equitable if it also includes members of families with similar issues.
Broken immigration laws disrupt nuclear families and hobble the foundations of our communities. We need laws that value families, that support family unity and do not undermine the cornerstone of our society, the family unit.
John Wright, Oakland Park
With hundreds of motorists pouring on to Glades Road from FAU and Boca Raton High, the I-95 interchange often results in a stress-inducing experience for drivers wanting a quick commute home as traffic bottlenecks at rush hour.
Help could be on the way — or at least that’s the hope.
Two major construction projects are underway that will completely overhaul the Glades Road interchange. First, the interchange will be revamped into an unconventional, yet increasingly popular new formation — a “diverging diamond.” A weaving, diamond-shaped pattern, the interchange briefly sends drivers on the opposite side of the road to allow for safer and easier left-hand turns to and from I-95.
Second, the Florida Department of Transportation is extending I-95 express lanes into Boca Raton to south of Linton Boulevard in Delray Beach, which will result in an additional lane in both directions.
The projects, which will cost $148 million, are expected to be finished by the end of 2023.
Closing roads
While construction is being carried out, the Clint Moore Road overpass at I-95 will be closed for over a year. A popular route, the overpass provides easy access to and from FAU, giving drivers an in-between alternative to the Glades Road and Yamato Road exits. The overpass, which closed on March 8 and will be limited to emergency vehicles, is expected to reopen in the summer of 2022.
While I-95 falls under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Transportation, Boca Raton City Councilman Andy Thomson said the agency did extensive outreach and was receptive to input from the community and City Council.
Well aware of the traffic bottleneck
at Glades Road by I-95, Thomson believes the changes will result in a smoother ride at one of county’s busiest intersections.
“Construction is going to be a bummer. But it’s not like the Clint Moore bridge, where it’s going to be [completely closed],” Thomson said. “There’s going to be single lanes closed for most of the day and only overnight do they close [more].
“I kind of feel the same way I feel about the Clint Moore Bridge construction, which is it’s a short-term pain, but will be a long-term gain for us in the city.”
While preliminary work has already begun on the intersection, construction will now significantly increase. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, I-95 will have up to four lanes closed in each direction nightly as needed for paving, starting this weekend through March 19 from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Future road closures will be announced ahead of time by the department.
Driving across a ‘diamond’
Boca Raton’s diamond interchange will send westbound drivers over to the left side of the road while going over the I-95 bridge. They’ll have the choice to get on I-95 north or south, or stay on Glades. The lane then will switch back to the right side of the road.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the interchange is projected to reduce crashes by a third by Glades Road and I-95.
The first diverging diamond interchange opened in 2009 in Springfield, Missouri. Since then, over 100 have been created across the country and many more are being planned, according to the Institute for Transportation Research and Education.
The crossings made their first South Florida appearances in Miami-Dade County, opening along the expressway authority’s Dolphin Expressway at Northwest 27th Avenue, as well as at Northwest 57th Avenue, on the southern edge of Miami International Airport.
Similar interchanges are being considered for Broward County as well.
To create the I-95 express lanes, construction crews will add an additional lane and convert the HOV lane in both directions. Similar to the express lanes in Dade and Broward, permanently installed orange dividers will separate the pay lanes from the regular traffic.