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Needs Assessment

The I-595 corridor was opened to traffic in 1989, coordinating the movement of high traffic volumes between the developable areas in the western parts of the Southeast Florida region with the established north-south freeway and principal roadways to the east: I‑75, Florida’s Turnpike, US 441 (SR 7), I-95, and US 1 (SR 5).

For various reasons, including changed traffic patterns due to Hurricane Andrew (1992) and recovery from the economic recession of the 1980s, travel demand within the corridor had increased at a pace where the long-range traffic forecasts for the current highway would be reached in the short-term. Quantification of traffic growth in the corridor, assessments of corridor operations, and recommendations for measures that could be enacted in the short term were prepared in the Interstate 595 Freeway Operational Analysis, Final Report in 1994.

Corridor Master Plan Study

To prepare for the continued evolvement of I-595, the FDOT determined that a Corridor Master Plan should be developed. In the late 1990’s, most of the recommendations from the Master Plan for the region’s I-95 corridor (prepared in the early 1980s) had been implemented, and the corridor was rapidly approaching its planning horizon. Therefore, I-95 was also in need of a new Master Plan which would address any remaining safety, capacity, and multimodal options that could be incorporated within the next 25 years. These two efforts were combined, and the I‑95/I‑595 Master Plan Study was completed in 2003.

The result of the Master Plan Study was an approved Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the I-595 corridor, focusing on improvements between I-75 and I-95. This LPA served as the base alternative for further evaluation under the recently completed I-595 Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study.

Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study

In 2004, the Florida Department of Transportation District Four (FDOT D4) initiated the I-595 Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study from the I-75/Sawgrass Expressway interchange to east of I-95. This 13-mile corridor includes a parallel frontage road system provided by SR 84. Major system connections include I-95, SR 7 (US 441), Florida's Turnpike and the I-75/Sawgrass Expressway interchanges.

There were four primary objectives of the I-595 PD&E Study:

Update the LPA so that a system alternative is carried forward that maximizes the potential of the I-595 corridor while minimizing impacts to surrounding communities.
Satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process so Federal funds can be utilized for the project.
Develop a reasonable phasing plan for individual project segment implementation.
Coordinate with other ongoing project efforts that influence the I-595 corridor, including the Central Broward East-West Transit Analysis, Florida's Turnpike Mainline Widening, and Broward County Greenways.

Public Involvement

An extensive Public Involvement Program (PIP) was prepared for the I-595 PD&E Study. The main focus of the PIP was the early and continuous dissemination of information to government and regulatory agencies, local municipalities, county officials and staff, legislators, and communities to solicit feedback and concerns with the project objectives. This feedback was used as input into the transportation decision-making process and the establishment of project commitments throughout the project development phase.

In April 2005, public workshops were conducted to present the project alternatives to the public and give the public an opportunity to comment on the project. Between April and November 2005, several public involvement coordination meetings were held with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as local politicians and citizens. The Public Hearing was conducted on November 29, 2005 to provide a third opportunity to publicly comment on the project and the evolving alternatives.

Location Design Concept Approval

The I-595 PD&E Study was completed in March 2006, and on June 29, 2006, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) granted Location Design Concept Approval (LDCA) for the Preferred Alternative Concept (Alternative 2A) for over $1 billion in proposed improvements to the I-595 corridor.

Concept Evaluation and Indicative Preliminary Design

On April 17, 2006, FDOT D4 selected Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc. (RS&H) to provide Corridor Design Consultant (CDC) services, as an extension of FDOT staff, for the I-595 Corridor Improvements. Notice to Proceed was issued to RS&H on June 28, 2006.

The CDC Team has refined the PD&E preferred alternative geometry as part of the concept evaluation process. The CDC has also developed the various design components of the corridor Indicative Preliminary Design that will further define the scope of the corridor improvements to be designed and constructed by the selected Concessionaire.

Industry Forum

FDOT held an Industry Forum on July 25, 2007 at the Marriott Coral Springs Hotel Golf Club and Convention Center. The forum drew well over 400 attendees from the engineering, construction and finance communities from around the world. The goal of the forum was to share with industry leaders the current plan of improvements for the I-595 corridor, as well as to collect feedback on the technical and financial approaches to the project.

Subsequent to the forum, one-on-one meetings were held with numerous groups interested in participating in a public private partnership for the design, construction, finance, operation and maintenance of the project.

Noise Workshops

Since early January 2008, FDOT has been seeking input from affected property owners located adjacent to the proposed sound barriers. Sound barrier surveys and meetings have been used to solicit their input regarding the types, heights and locations of the recommended sound barriers. The results of the community input and any required refinement of the barrier design elements and cost will be documented in a Noise Study Report Addendum, which will be utilized for the final design of the sound barriers.

Noise workshops were held in Davie and Plantation in January 2008. These noise workshops gave specific examples of the physical impacts expected from the sound barriers recommended to be constructed in conjunction with the I-595 project. Impacted residents of those communities were sent notices in the mail, as well as a noise survey which gave residents the opportunity to tell the FDOT whether or not they wanted a sound barrier and what kind of sound barrier they would want. Elected officials were also provided notice of these meetings. Residents were provided with handouts further explaining the advantages and disadvantages of noise walls, examples of what noise walls look like and information on how the sound barriers would abate the sound from the roadway.

Community Update Open House

The Community Update Open House for the project was held on February 12, 2008, at the Renaissance Plantation Hotel in Plantation, Florida. The Community Update Open House served as an opportunity for interested residents to get up-to-date information on the project. Attendees had access to display boards showing the proposed improvements by stations of interest, as well as project information relevant to the surrounding communities.

There was also a comment area that provided attendees an opportunity to provide verbal comments to a court reporter or to complete a written comment form. Approximately 275 people attended the event, including residents, business owners, interested parties, elected officials and media representatives.

I-595 Corridor Improvements > History

I-595 Corridor History