A bit of road relief on I-95

Three years in the making, the Spanish River Boulevard exit on northbound Interstate 95 at Boca Raton is now open, carrying traffic to FAU Boulevard and relieving congestion at the Glades Road exit.

The long-awaited Spanish River Boulevard exit on northbound Interstate 95 opened Tuesday before the morning rush hour.

The new exit gives Florida Atlantic University students and other commuters an alternative to sitting in traffic at the Glades Road exit that routinely backed up onto I-95. That exit alone adds an average of 20,000 vehicles to the 67,000 that travel Glades Road daily.

The new Spanish River Boulevard exit takes traffic to FAU Boulevard and the north entrance to the university. It also connects to Spanish River Boulevard and the widened bridge over I-95.

The FAU Boulevard ramp back to northbound I-95 remains under construction.

Several new roadside signs and electronic message boards have been erected to identify the new ramp, now known as Exit 48-A. Yamato Road becomes Exit 48-B.

The new interchange is part of a $69 million interchange project to relieve Interstate 95 traffic congestion through Boca Raton.

The remaining work consists of finishing the 13 bridges between Spanish River Boulevard and Yamato Road, an underpass for trains, and underpasses for pedestrian trails.

Road widening is being done on FAU and Spanish River boulevards, Yamato Road and I-95, and plans call for the addition of sound-barrier walls, upgraded utilities and infrastructure, drainage, traffic signals and lighting.

Managers have said the project is more than 95 percent complete.