The new I-595 reversible lanes will kick off at 2 p.m. on March 26, the Florida Department of Transportation has announced.
To alleviate congestion, three sets of reversible lanes will move traffic east in the morning, then west in the evening.
As a sort of test run, the lanes will be free to commuters for the first week of operation as officials test the lanes' equipment and allow drivers to get used to the changes.
See also: New Reversible Lanes on I-595 Coming Soon: Try Not to Drive Directly Into Incoming Traffic!
Tolls are planned along the ten-mile stretch between I-75 and I-95. Charges will range from 50 cents to $2 depending on the time of day and how much congestion there is on the highway. You'll need a SunPass to drive through the tolls.
Basically, the layout has three reversible lanes in between the regular highway lanes.
Basically, it's about the luxury of having six lanes going in the same direction, thus putting a dent in congested traffic.
The reversible lanes will run eastbound from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. and westbound from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. On weekends, the reversible lanes will run only eastbound. Also, there are no entrance points in the middle, so if you decide to take the reversible lanes, know they're designed to take you the whole ten miles.
For safety, the lanes are also equipped with gates intended to keep drivers from entering the reversible lanes at the wrong time and into oncoming traffic.
Now, while the gates thing sounds like a terrifying idea, FDOT project manager Paul Lampley says not to worry. The gates are designed to stop at least small trucks, he told CBS 4 back in February.
Lampley cites an accident in Tampa in which a tractor-trailer hit a gate going the wrong way onto a reversible lane. The gate, Lampley says, stopped the tractor-trailer.
So, rest easy, South Florida! The gates shall protect you! Also, best to pay attention to the road.
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