In an effort to reduce morning commuting time for workers traveling on Interstate 95, two express lanes have been separated from the total of six lanes by a series of 4-foot plastic poles. The dividers run a 13-mile stretch from Golden Glades interchange to Broward Boulevard in both directions. Theses poles do nothing to keep a driver from entering the express lane either on purpose or by accident and may be an accident waiting to happen. The HOV, high occupancy vehicle lane has been eliminated, and in its place are two express only lanes. The 4 remaining lanes have been narrowed to accommodate the new lanes. In the meantime, many commuters are frustrated because the congestion caused in the remaining lanes is causing an increase in commuting times for many more drivers than the lanes are helping.
According to the Sun Sentinel on their website www.sun-sentinel.com, a typical morning commuter, Rachel Williams, is quoted as saying, “Every time I get on 95 now I get so aggravated. The lanes are smaller. Everything is so congested. Every time I get on 95 I get in a bad mood. I just want to scream. Ms. Williams uses I95 to commute from Hollywood to her job in Aventura. Jennifer Jurado, who works for Broward County said she used to be able to get to work in 25 minutes and now it is more like 40.
Hollywood City Commissioner Richard Blatner has been quoted as saying that the public response to the new traffic pattern has been very negative. Car accidents have increased in the general span of highway since the start of the change from 16 crashes last year to 30 this year.
Over the next several years the program is slated to increase the distance covered from south Broward up to Commercial Blvd. , then from Southwest 10th Street in Deerfield Beach.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident on I95 as a result of the negligence of county officials in properly sectioning the new express lanes, call the Maus Law Firm today for a free consultation.