Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Gov. Scott touts benefits of linking Sawgrass, I-95
FORT LAUDERDALE – Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday touted a long-awaited plan to unite the Sawgrass Expressway and Interstate 95, saying it would ease congestion and speed things up for people who opt to evacuate when a hurricane threatens Florida.
The Republican governor, who can't seek re-election because of term limits, is running against U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., for Senate.
Scott held a news conference Wednesday morning in Fort Lauderdale, where he briefly spoke about the $766 million Sawgrass Expressway project as part of an overall discussion about the state’s commitment to beefing up transportation spending.
The state has budgeted $10.1 billion in transportation projects this year, compared with $7 billion when Scott first took office in 2011.
Initial concepts for the Sawgrass Expressway project called for adding express lanes that would run along Southwest 10th Street in Deerfield Beach to unite the Sawgrass with I-95.
The project was to get underway by 2025, but state officials are now estizen mating construction could start by 2021 or 2022, depending on when funding becomes available. Construction could last three to five years.
Commuters typically face a series of traffic tieups when they exit the Sawgrass and hit several intersections before reaching I-95.
Scott said the express lanes would ease traffic, a crucial advantage when South Floridians are trying to flee before a powerful storm hits.
“If we do have a hurricane, people have to get out,” Scott said.
When asked whether the money set aside for the Sawgrass project could be diverted to another project once he leaves office, Scott said he doubted that would happen.
“The project is included as part of the department’s Five-Year Work Program and is contingent upon appropriation by future legislatures,” said a spokesman for Scott.
Deerfield Beach Mayor Bill Ganz said he was not surprised to hear the project was moving forward.
It’s good news even for a city that has long objected to giving up space for thousands of motorists on their way to somewhere else.
“That’s enough [money] to accommodate all the recommendations [from a citi- committee] so that residents’ concerns don’t get left out in the cold,” Ganz said.
A citizen committee had come up with 18 recommendations to consider in the road design so that Deerfield’s access to local roads would not be hampered.
One suggestion calls for sound walls to protect neighborhoods from the roar of traffic.
Many neighbors in Deerfield Beach have opposed changes to Southwest 10th Street. That opposition has delayed expansion plans three times since the Sawgrass Expressway was built in 1986.
An estimated 45,000 vehicles travel along the 2.5-mile stretch of road daily. Almost half would likely take the new express lanes rather than go through all eight traffic lights along Southwest 10th, state transportation planners say.
By 2029, the number of vehicles making the eastwest trip is estimated to grow to 61,900, and about 30,000 would take the express routes, according to state officials.