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[lamsalfl]

After looking at FDOT's website, I believe I-95 is planned to be 6-laned from Miami all the way to the SC border?  I know there is a 30 mile project u/c to widen I-95 in southern Brevard County.  What about I-4?  Is there work going on in Volusia now to widen it from I-95 and to the west?

[agentsteel53]

I thought it was 6 lanes all the way already!

(also, Georgia may have a bit of an objection to FDOT workers building I-95 all the way to South Carolina!)

[Alex]

Interstate 4's six-lane segment currently ends at Florida 44 (Exits 118A/B). There's no road work presently to six-lane the final 14-miles to Interstate 95.

[lamsalfl]

Yeah, I'm not sure if the Sanford to New Smyrna Beach toll road will do any good.  I know it parallels I-4, but it's a longer route (and a toll) that it wouldn't really siphon I-4 traffic like you have in SoFla with I-95 and the Tpk.

[flaroads]

Interstate 4's six-lane segment currently ends at Florida 44 (Exits 118A/B). There's no road work presently to six-lane the final 14-miles to Interstate 95.

Construction is currently planned to begin in 2012 on the final segment to six-lane I-4.  Click here for more details.

[74/171FAN]

I know that there is widening of I-95 starting around FL 528 and 8-lane(6 Regular, 3 HOV presumably) widening of I-95 in the W Palm Beach area.

[DAL764]

They'll probably need to 8-lane I-95 throughout Florida quite soon as well. First time driving on the 6-lane I-95 between JAX and Daytona, it was a pleasant change over the annoyance of just 4 lanes, but 2 years later, it already felt like I-95 saw the same number of traffic per lane as when it was still 4 lanes.

[Alex]

Actually the four-lane section of Interstate 95 south of Interstate 4 and north of the Beachline is not too bad in its current form. A six-laning would be useful, but eight-laning is probably more than necessary right now.

[Marc]

I think six-laning 95 is incredibly smart and makes way too much sense. More states should look at Florida as an example.

Texas desperately needs to widen I-10 from east San Antonio to Katy (near Houston). There's no such thing as a fast lane most days on that stretch.

[Chris]

Generally speaking, you need traffic volumes generally in the 100-120K range before a 6-lane freeway starts getting congested (moreso on the higher end of the scale).  Only places I-95 sees that are within Jacksonville and from West Palm Beach south.

Yep. There are freeways known to have up to 180 k on six lanes. But that should not be desireable. In France, the average AADT is only 60 - 70 k on their busiest tollroad (A7) but it's sixlaned, and they're even talking about ten-laning it because of huge summer tidal waves. The traffic jams there can be over 100 miles long during the so-called black saturdays.
Maybe that's also an issue in Florida, does the I-95 get bigger summer traffic volumes? I guess so, because the entire Florida eastcoast is a big holiday destination.

[Alex]

Traffic is pretty consistent on both Interstates. When I lived in the Tampa Bay area, I felt it was a bit easier to get around during the summer vs. winter because of the lack of snow birds. I-95 probably doesn't vary much, because Miami is a year-round destination. The I-75 corridor is so built up in southwest Florida, that its commuting and intra-regional travel role keeps it consistent.

Areas nowadays that have the summer crush of traffic are reserved for the northeast. Heading out to Cape Cod during the warm weather months around a weekend is maddening. Same with Delaware 1 from Interstate 95 to Sussex County, NC-168 and U.S. 158 to the OBX, etc. etc.

[74/171FAN]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/04/11/a1b_workoni95_0412.html  More on the I-95 widening to 10 lanes(not 8 as I had thought on a trip to Miami back in December) in Palm Beach County(mainly northern Palm Beach County).

[74/171FAN]

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090608/NEWS01/906080310/1006/I-95+upgrade+in+Central+Brevard+almost+done  Part of I-95 south of FL 528 in Brevard County almost widened to 6 lanes

[Revive 755]

Areas nowadays that have the summer crush of traffic are reserved for the northeast. Heading out to Cape Cod during the warm weather months around a weekend is maddening. Same with Delaware 1 from Interstate 95 to Sussex County, NC-168 and U.S. 158 to the OBX, etc. etc.

I think parts of the Midwest have the same problem, such as I-80 between I-29 and I-35, and I-70 across Missouri - though I-70 still (used to?) runs better during the summer Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and maybe Friday mornings, all excluding game days.

[florida]

The I-4 widening should come before the I-95 gaps are filled in. It's a pain to come down 6-laned I-95 and squeeze onto 4-laned I-4 (not to mention the left lane on-ramp from FL 400 westbound). Plus, with it being the 'final stretch' for most tourist traffic to Orlando from the north, people tend to get a bit crazy. If I go to Daytona, I take US 92 back to DeLand to avoid the crazies on that 14 mile stretch.

[flaroads]

And there have been many, many traffic tie-ups on that particular stretch of Interstate 4:


Heading westbound on Interstate 4. A traffic backup can be seen in the eastbound direction from an accident near the final rest area on the approach to Interstate 95. Photo taken 11/13/08.

Whats funny is that for the time I lived in Orlando, most of the traffic tie-ups were on eastbound I-4, not westbound, as one would suspect with the southbound I-95 traffic merging onto westbound I-4.

Another great time to avoid Interstate 4 on that stretch is during NASCAR's Daytona 500 in February and the Coke Zero 400 (former Pepsi/Firecracker 400) in July.

[florida]

And there have been many, many traffic tie-ups on that particular stretch of Interstate 4:

Heading westbound on Interstate 4. A traffic backup can be seen in the eastbound direction from an accident near the final rest area on the approach to Interstate 95. Photo taken 11/13/08.

Whats funny is that for the time I lived in Orlando, most of the traffic tie-ups were on eastbound I-4, not westbound, as one would suspect with the southbound I-95 traffic merging onto westbound I-4.

Another great time to avoid Interstate 4 on that stretch is during NASCAR's Daytona 500 in February and the Coke Zero 400 (former Pepsi/Firecracker 400) in July.

It was much worse before they built the new St. John's River Bridge. As for race traffic, everyone stays on the interstate, but US 92 is usually clear.

[flaroads]

Yeah, I do remember that area as being a nightmare before the new spans were built.

I always used U.S. 92, CR 415 or Florida 40 as my exit for the races. You're right, most people don't think to use those alternatives. It also paid to park in the right places for those race events as well...

[mightyace]

You're right, most people don't think to use those alternatives. It also paid to park in the right places for those race events as well...

I'll keep that in mind if I decide to go to Daytona.

My brother and I have found the same thing for getting out of Talladega, AL and Bristol, TN.  Pocono in PA has no "back" roads that aren't used.

[lamsalfl]

What about I-75 from Tampa to the Turnpike?  I've only been on that stretch once and it was a few years ago so I don't remember much.  Is that stretch usually busy, and will it be 6-laned?  Does it need to be?

[Alex]

What about I-75 from Tampa to the Turnpike?  I've only been on that stretch once and it was a few years ago so I don't remember much.  Is that stretch usually busy, and will it be 6-laned?  Does it need to be?

With the amount of through traffic on that stretch, it needs to be six-laned. Throw in a RV passing a slower moving RV, and you get the queue effect where ten or more cars lined up in the left-hand lane trying to pass one vehicle. I've witnessed (and been frustrated by it) many times.

The Veterans Bridge along Interstate 75 includes provisions for six lanes at least. I have heard of no immediate plans to do so unfortunately...

[flaroads]

From my trip down to Cape Coral last week, it needs to be eight-laned in some sections. It was horrible driving it. Rain, 18-wheelers, vacationers, RV's, dump trucks; all an utter mess. I almost wanted to just take U.S. 301 or U.S. 41 as an alternative but I was trying to do some road photography so I elected to stay and trudge on. I used to use Interstate 75 on a monthly basis when I lived in Gainesville and would visit home. That was back between 1997-2000 and then from 2002-2004, and even then it was in dire need of six-laning. I can't tell you how many times I either got stuck in traffic, stuck behind a dump truck (which would incidently spray their rock pieces onto the road and onto windshields... ). That stretch is very bad to say the least.

There are several overpasses and bridges (such as the Veterans Bridge over Lake Panasoffkee) that have already been modified for the eventual six-laning. The Veterans Bridge was the start after years of having several accidents on or near the then substandard structure (of which I had to endure a few long traffic back-ups because of). The state decided to standardize the bridge with emergency lanes and went ahead and built it for the eventual widening of the interstate to six-lanes. After that was done, then several interchanges in Hernando county started seeing their overpasses widened. And nothing has changed as of 06/05/09....