Express lanes on I-95 a few years down the road

A number of changes will be coming to Interstate 95 in southern Palm Beach County over the next few years. Among them will be express lanes.

The Florida Department of Transportation has put aside construction money for express lanes as part of a major overhaul of the highway between the BrowardPalm Beach county line and Linton Boulevard.

Next year, work is expected to begin on a new interchange near Spanish River Boulevard that will lead directly to the Florida Atlantic University campus.

Then, the department will widen the highway to 10 lanes between Glades Road and Linton starting in 2015. As part of that widening, express lanes are expected to be introduced to the county after having the concept b ro ke n in by Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

The department still is seeking formal approval for the express lanes from the Federal Highway Administration, but FDOT project manager Ron Wallace said it’s doubtful the extra lanes being added to I-95 in Boca Raton will be HOV lanes.

“It probably will be similar to what they’re doing on I-95 in Miami-Dade,” he said.

B e t we e n the Go l d e n Glades interchange and downtown Miami, two express lanes are separated from regular, free lanes by poles. Commuters pay a price to use them depending on how congested the lanes are.

Bringing that congestion management concept to southern Palm Beach is all part of an effort to build a network of express lanes throughout the region, said Barbara Kelleher, FDOT spokeswoman.

In addition to the 7-mile stretch in Miami-Dade, express lanes are under construction in Broward on I-95 between the Golden Glades and Broward Boulevard. FDOT is studying taking those lanes further north past Oakland Park Boulevard.

Reversible express lanes are under construction on I nterstat e 595 between State Road 7 and Interstate 75. And FDOT is studying adding express lanes in the median of I-75 in western Broward.

In addition, the MiamiDade Expressway Authority is considering putting in express lanes on some of its roads, including the Palmetto Expressway which connects with I-75. Plus, Fl o r i d a ’s Tur n p i ke has plans to include express lanes on the Homestead Extension.

The purpose of the tolled lanes is to provide a quicker commute f or motorists traveling over a long distance, Kelleher said. That’s why there are a limited number of entry points to access the lanes.

“You’re in separate lanes from the local traffic,” she said. “So if you’re traveling from Weston to Boca, you would use the express system to get there quickly.”

Along with those express lanes will come express buses, which also have been popular between Broward and Miami-Dade running on I-95 and 595.

As part of the Spanish River interchange project, the state will be making accommodations for those future express lanes, Wallace said. But construction of the tolled lanes isn’t expected until 2016.

In its final formation, I-95 through Boca Raton will have two express lanes in each direction and three to four free lanes in each direction.

Eventually, tolled lanes on I -95 in Palm Beach County could stretch further north.

“If i t ’s thought to be needed,” Kelleher s ai d. “The pieces getting them first are the most congested now.”