The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Four is currently conducting a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study to improve the Interstate 95 corridor from north of Oakland Park Boulevard (SR 816) to south of Glades Road (SR 808). The project is located in northeast Broward County and southeast Palm Beach County and is approximately 13 miles in length.

The purpose of the study is to relieve existing and future congestion by providing additional capacity and transportation modes along the existing I-95 corridor. I-95, within the study limits, consists of a total of eight lanes, three general purpose lanes and one High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction. Auxiliary lanes exist at selected locations.  An auxiliary lane is defined as a travel lane adjacent to the primary lanes along the highway between interchanges.  The purpose of an auxiliary lanes is to facilitate highway traffic flow between the on and off-ramps.

The study will focus on evaluating the possible addition of express lanes in the median. The express lanes will include a possible Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that will allow express bus service between counties with connections to the existing Park-and-Ride lots along the corridor.

Constrained right-of-way, coupled with the development intensity along the corridor, present challenges for accommodating future traffic growth by widening the I-95 mainline.  However, express lanes could be incorporated along the corridor with moderate widening of the mainline and/or by restriping the existing general purpose lanes.  In addition, the entire I-95 corridor within Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties is designated as a viable express lanes facility in “A Managed Lanes Vision for Southeast Florida”. 

"The project limits are on I-95 from North Oakland Park Boulevard to South of Glades Road, in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

The project area traverses five municipalities: Oakland Park, Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton, in addition; the project runs through sections of unincorporated Broward County."

I-95 is the “spine” of Southeast Florida’s transportation system. I-95 is the primary interstate facility linking all major cities along the Atlantic Seaboard from Florida to Maine.

FDOT is responsible for ensuring the availability of capacity within the transportation network to support and sustain the region’s growth. For over 20 years the FDOT has been master planning the necessary improvements to I-95 as well as other important roadway links within the transportation network.

In September 2003, FDOT finalized a master planning study for the I-95 / I-595 corridors and the South Florida Rail Corridor (SFRC) which evaluated the existing deficiencies and recommended possible future improvements along these corridors within the following limits:

• I-95 from the Miami-Dade / Broward County Line to Indiantown Road (SR 706) in Palm Beach County.
• I-595 from SW 136th Avenue to US 1 in Broward County.
• SFRC from the Miami-Dade / Broward County Line to the Palm Beach / Martin County Line.

In 2009, FDOT began an I-95 Corridor Planning Study between Stirling Road (SR 848) in Broward County and Indiantown Road (SR 706) in Palm Beach County to evaluate the feasibility of adding express lanes in the median of I-95. This study is anticipated to be completed by January 2012.

The results of the results of the above mentioned master plan studies identified, recommended and prioritized the development of an integrated multimodal transportation system which is economically efficient, safe and environmentally sound.

This PD&E Study is one of the recommendations outlined in the master plan process. The main objective would be to improve the capacity of the I-95 transportation corridor within the specified limits by identifying and implementing viable and appropriate multimodal alternatives.

I-95 is the primary interstate facility that links all major cities along the Atlantic seaboard and is one of the most important southeast Florida transportation systems. Master planning of major transportation facilities such as I-95 has been essential to ensure the availability of capacity within the transportation network and to support the region’s high growth.

This PD&E study will address existing and projected operating deficiencies along this section of I-95 including mainline capacity, interchange geometry and ramp terminals. The study area currently exceeds the FDOT Level of Service (LOS) minimum standards.

The functional classification of I-95 is urban principal arterial-interstate. This section of I-95 has interchange connections with major roads including Commercial Boulevard (SR 870), Cypress Creek Road, Atlantic Boulevard (SR 814), Copans Road, Sample Road (SR 834), SW 10th Street, Hillsboro Boulevard (SR 810) and Palmetto Park Road. Direct access to the Sawgrass Expressway/SR 869 is provided via SW 10th Street.

Southeast Florida serves as the U.S. gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, and is a prominent trade, tourism, and financial center. The container operations of the three South Florida Ports combined places third in the nation behind Los Angeles and New York. I-95 is the major north-south transportation spine of the Atlantic Commerce Corridor and is vital in moving people and goods within and beyond the region.

The Southeast Florida Region comprises over 5.2 million people, and is recognized as one of the most traffic-congested regions in the country. Population is expected to grow thirty-three percent (33%) to 6.8 million people by 2020 and to 7.6 million people by 2030. Growth in both freight and tourist visitors are expected to substantially increase as well.

I-95 is a major connector between Northern Broward and Southern Palm Beach Counties. It serves the Boca Raton Airport, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Palm Beach International Airport and major shopping malls and business centers.