Florida Express Lanes Project Showing Huge Improvement in Average Speeds (AASHTO Journal)
The Florida Department of Transportation has claimed a victory in its battle to reduce chronic traffic congestion on a section of Interstate 95 in the Miami area thanks to new tolled express lanes.In a two-page report sent to elected officials in Miami-Dade County, FDOT cited higher speeds on a stretch of the interstate where electronic toll lanes have been operating since last year, The Miami Herald reported. According to the report, motorists who use the two variable-toll express lanes now travel at average speed of 56 mph during the afternoon/evening peak period — 36 mph faster than before the lanes opened. Drivers using the four free northbound lanes have seen their speeds go up as well, from 20 mph to 42 mph on average. The northbound peak period is from 4 to 7 p.m.
“The program has dramatically improved the overall operational performance of I-95,” the report concludes.
Tolls vary depending on congestion levels. The more traffic, the higher the toll. An average weekday toll is 90 cents with a peak-period toll of $1.85 and an off-peak average of 47 cents.
The 95 Express Miami Project is a national finalist this year in the America’s Transportation Award competition sponsored by AASHTO, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
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