FHP & Lawmakers Demand Removal of I-95 Express Lane Poles
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 those orange plastic poles. State lawmakers are taking action after a recent Local 10 News investigation that exposed flaws in the express lanes. Florida Highway Patrol troopers said they can’t do their jobs. The orange plastic poles that separate express lanes from general purpose lanes do nothing to stop dangerous “lane diving.”
Point and case, the latest fatality on the I-95 express lanes in Miami-Dade County happened earlier this month. A Hialeah man was on his motorcycle in the express lanes when a driver caught in traffic cut between the plastic poles into his path. His body was thrown over the wall into the southbound lanes. Records show troopers have been called to more than 12,000 crashes in the express lanes in Miami-Dade County in the past three years. When the FDOT added express lanes, it shrunk the shoulder, leaving no room for troopers to pull someone over and no room for drivers to change a tire.
Many believe nothing will change because the FDOT is making too much money charging people to use the express lanes. According to the latest monthly operations report available, the express lanes in Miami-Dade County generated $2.6 million in February. That brings the total generated by express lanes to $130 million. Troopers are begging the FDOT for resolve, but as of now, there are no plans to remove the poles.
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