I-75 express toll lanes delayed until next year

Express lanes planned for a stretch of Interstate 75 between Interstate 595 and Griffin Road won’t open until 2018.

Managers blame Hurricane Matthew and cite a project that widened and repaved part of I-75 near the I-595 and Sawgrass Expressway interchange as reasons for the change in plans.

September’s storm and other weather-related issues interrupted construction and originally pushed the opening to this summer.

The widening and repaving project improved traffic flow and eliminated the need to open up the express lanes between I-595 and Griffin Road earlier, before the entire project was done.

The rest of the lanes on I-75 will be resurfaced, re-striped and have reflectors installed beginning in 2019.

The toll lanes will stretch between Interstate 595 and south of Miami Gardens Drive when finished next year. A separate project will extend those lanes to the Palmetto Expressway.

“Tolls will be charged as soon as the express lanes are opened to traffic,” said Gerdy St. Louis, project spokeswoman.

Flexible toll pricing will work the same as on I-95 and I-595. Prices will rise and fall depending on the time of day and the amount of congestion in the express lanes on I-75.

The minimum toll will be 50 cents. In Miami-Dade, express lane tolls have ranged from 50 cents to $10.50.

Planners said I-75 toll lanes will relieve congestion by giving motorists a faster alternative between central Broward and Miami-Dade, bypassing local traffic.