Category: Local Media

In April, Aledys Llorens was riding his motorbike in the I-95 express lanes through northwest Miami-Dade when a driver abruptly plowed through the orange plastic poles, cutting him off in the process.

Source: New Express Lane Poles May Actually Make I-95 More Dangerous | New Times Broward-Palm Beach

You’ve seen it happen: You’re driving down I-95, minding your own business, when all of a sudden some douchebag in the express lane realizes he or she is about to miss an exit and abruptly plows through the orange plastic poles, forcing you to slam on the brakes and narrowly avoid a messy accident.

Source: FDOT Spending $1.2 Million on New Express Lane Poles | New Times Broward-Palm Beach

FDOT District Secretary James Wolfe declared express lanes “a success”

Look for more divider poles on Interstate 95 express lanes by fall and runoff spots to accommodate stopped cars by 2018.

As for the stopping zones, they’ll be created by moving barrier walls. That takes more time (estimated early 2018) and money ($8.5 million). Wolfe said the construction costs are unrelated to tolls.

Source: I-95 express lanes getting sturdier poles to keep drivers in place | Miami Herald

New, sturdier, plastic poles are going to be installed on the Express Lanes of I-95 in Miami-Dade to make them safer.

In addition to installing the new poles, the DOT will also build five 13-foot wide “Safe Stopping Zones” along the highway. Currently the way a law enforcement officer can pull over a driver is in moving lane of traffic. The safe zone will change that.

Source: New Sturdier Poles Coming To I-95 Express Lanes In Dade « CBS Miami

The increase in poles will reduce the 10-foot gap between them to five feet. In addition to adding more poles, officials said, they will replace the current poles with more sturdy ones.

7News cameras captured bent and broken poles along I-95 in Northwest Miami-Dade. Some of them are even missing in some places. That’s because, in their current condition, it’s fairly easy for drivers to weave in and out of them.

Source: FDOT to replace, increase number of express lane poles on I-95 – 7News – WSVN-TV

For the past month Local 10 News has been reporting on the safety concerns that state troopers and drivers have about I-95 express lanes.

There have been a record number of crashes on the interstate, a number of which have been fatal, and some troopers said they cannot do their jobs safely.

Source: Local 10 News confronts Gov. Rick Scott about safety concerns…

The plastic poles are still going up and tolls are not yet being charged, but many drivers say the new express lanes on Interstate 95 in southern Broward County have already made the road more crowded and more dangerous.

Source: Broward’s new I-95 express lanes have many drivers fuming – Sun Sentinel

Some South Florida lawmakers are calling for the Florida Department of Transportation to make immediate changes to the Interstate 95 express lanes in Miami-Dade County, including removing the plastic poles.

Source: Lawmakers call for I-95 express lane poles to come down in…