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The limits of the project extend from the
I-75/Sawgrass Expressway interchange to the
I-595/I-95 interchange in central Broward County, Florida,
for a total project length of approximately 10.5
miles.
The project consists of the reconstruction, addition
of auxiliary lanes and resurfacing of the I-595
mainline (including associated improvements to
adjacent cross-roads, frontage roads and ramps), and
a new reversible express lanes system in the I-595
median.
Major improvements are proposed for the mainline
interchanges to eliminate friction in the outer
lanes caused by merge, diverge and weaving segments
along the mainline. This will be accomplished
by providing auxiliary lanes, continuous
collector-distributor roadways, and braided ramps,
eliminating on and off ramps by combining ramp
movements, and switching the location of on and off
ramps. These improvements either eliminate the
mainline weaving segments or move the weave off of
the general purpose lanes. Highlights of the
major improvement components include the following:
(Click links below to access the corresponding
section)
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Express Lanes |
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The Express Lanes will significantly improve the capacity and operations
of the I-595 corridor by providing 3 additional
at-grade lanes in the median of the corridor.
The lanes will reverse direction in peak
travel times (eastbound in the a.m. / westbound in
the p.m.).
To maximize the operational efficiency, the lanes
will be tolled at varying rates throughout the day
to optimize traffic flow, and access to and from the
lanes will only be allowed west of 136th
Avenue, east of State Road 7, and through a direct
connection to the median of Florida’s Turnpike,
removing long distance commuter traffic from the
general purpose lanes.
FDOT will retain control of the toll revenue
and toll rates.
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Auxiliary Lanes |
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The proposed roadway widening to the outside of I-595 will provide up to
two auxiliary lanes on the I-595 and State Road 84
roadways to substantially reduce traffic congestion
on the general purpose lanes currently caused by
merge, diverge, and weaving movements.
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Continuous Connections |
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Currently, State Road 84 ends east of Davie Road in the eastbound direction, and
is discontinuous between
Davie Road and State Road
7 in the westbound direction, forcing
State Road 84 traffic onto the I-595 mainline within these
limits. With the construction of these
improvements, State Road 84 will be extended (in
both directions) from Davie Road to
State Road 7, providing a continuous connection to eliminate local
traffic having to enter the I-595 mainline for short
distance travel.
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Grade Separated (Braided) Interchange Ramps |
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By providing a grade separation between select entrance and exit ramps,
existing mainline weaving movements will be
eliminated, thus significantly improving safety and
operations.
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Combined Ramps and Cross-Road Bypasses |
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Select locations within the corridor have been identified for the
combination of exit ramps to help decrease the
number of exit points on the mainline, thus
improving operations. Traffic that exits to a
bypass ramp will have the option to access the
upcoming cross-road, or continue on the 'bypass'
bridge over the cross-road, thus minimizing traffic
and improving operations at the cross-road
intersections.
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Turnpike Interchange Improvements
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In a collaborative effort between
FDOT District Four and Florida’s Turnpike
Enterprise, modifications to the existing
configuration of the I-595/Turnpike interchange will
significantly improve safety and traffic operations.
These improvements include a new westbound I-595 to
northbound Turnpike ramp, which will eliminate
existing weaving movements and provide a more
desirable direct connection.
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Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
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Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Express Bus
will be introduced in the corridor as part of this
project. These routes will serve major attractions
in the corridor including the Bank Atlantic Center,
Sawgrass Mills, the South Florida Education Center,
the Central Plantation Business District, Fort
Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Port
Everglades, Tri-Rail, and Downtown Fort Lauderdale.
The routes will originate from strategic locations
along the corridor providing alternative
transportation opportunities for commuters.
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Tolling
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The reversible lanes in the I-595 median will be
operated as managed lanes with variable tolls. In
order to manage the flow of traffic, these lanes
will be tolled at varying rates throughout the day
with higher toll rates during peak traffic periods.
Upon project completion, electronic message
signs placed before the entrance to 595Express will
display the current toll based on the time of day
and real-time traffic information. Tolls will be
collected electronically by SunPass via a toll
gantry; reducing transaction times and allowing cars
to maintain highway speeds. The toll revenue from
595Express will be used as a funding mechanism for
the corridor improvements. FDOT will retain control
of all toll revenues and rates.
Additionally, an array of safety features, such
as barriers and gates, will keep traffic from
entering 595Express in the wrong direction.
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Greenway
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The New River Greenway Project, a
part of the Broward County Greenway System, will be
constructed as part of this project. The
Greenway will consist of a bi-directional mixed use
path (for pedestrian and bicycles) that will run
within the project limits from 136th Avenue to
just east of State Road 7.
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Future Continuous Connection-CD System
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As part of a
future project, a continuous
collector-distributor (C-D) system is proposed
east of State Road 7 in both directions to shift
a majority of the I-595 entrance and exit
movements from the mainline to the C-D system,
thus improving mainline operations.
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Transit Envelope |
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The currently preferred
transit corridor of the on-going Central Broward
East-West Transit Analysis (CBE-WTA) is shown above.
As part of the I-595 project commitments, a transit
envelope between the eastbound I-595 and eastbound
State Road 84 roadways has been established to
accommodate potential long-term transit options
within the I-595 corridor improvements design
concept. The I-595 Corridor Management Team
will continue to meet with CBE-WTA representatives
on a regular basis to ensure the accommodation of
key transit design components, including transit
alignment geometry, foundation and transit guideway
requirements, transit station locations and
pedestrian access. These long term transit
options are being evaluated as part of the separate
Central Broward East-West Transit Analysis.
For more information on the transit analysis, go
to: http://www.CentralBrowardTransit.com.
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