95 Express test causes chaos during testing

MIAMI (WSVN) -- New lanes of traffic on a once familiar South Florida highway caused chaos for drivers on the first day of testing Friday.

The new 95 Express, a federally funded experimental program, was designed to help traffic flow in South Florida. On Friday, however, Miami drivers were confronted with confusion when they became the designated guinea pigs for the early stages of this project. The Florida Department of Transportation in February began construction in the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 for a project that would turn I-95's carpool lanes into toll express lanes later this year.

Officials said the tolls in the delineated lanes weren't even up Friday, yet it caused plenty of accidents throughout the day. "On an average day, we have six lane-blocking events on I-95 in a 24-hour period. Today, we surpassed that pretty early in the day," said Lieutenant Pat Santangelo of Florida Highway Patrol.

Some of the pylons that were placed to separate traffic were already down due to confusion and outright disregard. By midday, the FHP counted at least seven 95 Express-related crashes. "It was basically one thing after the other," said Santangelo. There were numerous of side-swipes from cars darting in and out of the pylons, two rollovers, and three wrecks within an hour.

Motorists wonder whether the plastic pegs are spaced and sturdy enough to deter drivers. "We are hoping that the motorists will realize that the delineator is a physical barrier between those lanes, and that they would stay on whatever side of the delineator they are on," said FDOT spokesperson Tish Burgher.

The department also insisted that the left-hand emergency lanes are wide enough to pull over, although some drivers found it to be tight in some places. The department urged motorists to stay aware and in their perspective lanes. "If you are in those lanes, you should stay in those lanes until the delineators stop, and if you are not in those lanes then you should stay out of those lanes," said Burgher.

Drivers should be aware that moving in and out of the pylons is a moving violation with a $133 fine, including three points on their driver's license.

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