FDOT's Decision: No Elevated Skyway

Posted 9.24.07 @ 9:32 p.m.

According to both the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Miami Herald, the Florida Department of Transportation announced Monday afternoon it has eliminated long standing plans for elevated reversible toll lanes as high as 50 feet above existing Interstate 595. The planned skyway was designed to be up to 6 or 7 miles in length.

The much anticipated announcement was made in a statement issued by FDOT District 4 Secretary James Wolfe. According to both media outlets, Mr. Wolfe is quoted as saying, "At the urging of many communities and with additional engineering, we have developed a ground level alternative." Transportation officials have said the new plan saves about $200 million initially, before any mass transit solutions are constructed.

With construction set to begin in 2009 and scheduled to be done in 2014, preliminary plans call for a hybrid-electric bus service to utilize the reversible express lanes, which will be in the median of the interstate.

The Federal Highway Administration must still approve the plan. 595Alert.org has learned that FDOT has already submitted the "at grade" plan to Washington for ratification.

Concerned citizens from central Broward, the non-profit group Broward Citizens for a Better 595, Inc. and 595Alert.org worked tirelessly with municipal, county, state and federal officials to deter the building of the elevated bridge based upon safety, design, health, environmental and financial concerns. The grass roots effort, which has been on-going since May, 2007, also reached out to FDOT officials for a dialogue. We are grateful for the support of elected officials in securing a far superior solution to moving people and goods across Broward County.

This web site also applauds the creative and flexible solution now embraced by FDOT. We look forward to a continuing dialogue with Department officials and all levels of government to ensure the success of the new plan and for smart solutions to make I-595 as safe as possible, environmentally innovative and a model for smart mass transit solutions. We all wait for the thumbs up sign from Washington.

This is a case where government officials listened to the public and responded in a major way. All engaged in an on-going dialogue about concerns, consequences and solutions. Many thought the odds were against those who advocated against the elevated lanes. We have reached this point, however, by maintaining a constructive and analytical approach, and by FDOT's willingness to hear, and serve, the public.

The challenge ahead is for citizens to continue voicing their thoughts and to keep the line of communication open to District 4 and the entire state Department of Transportation.

As further details are released by FDOT, we will post them on this site.

The content which appears below and on the linked pages explains some of the arguments against the now discarded plan.

E-mail 595Alert.org by clicking here. Please send us your comments.

Concerned Broward Citizens Organize To Modify The I-595 Expansion Project

A Dialogue About Concerns, Consequences and Solutions

 

The Issue: FDOT plans to build elevated toll lanes above existing I-595 in Central Broward County, stretching for miles.

Our Position: We oppose the plan based upon safety, economic, environmental, design and health reasons. We offer reasonable alternatives and seek to work with FDOT toward responsible solutions.

Photo of 15 mile long Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway in Hillsborough County, Florida courtesy Wikipedia and SPUI.

As plans roll forward to significantly expand Interstate 595 in Central Broward County, it is time to take a hard look at the Florida Department of Transportation's design to modify the freeway by creating an elevated reversible toll highway. We are against the elevated skyway and believe there is a better way. Our group exists to inject common sense in the renovation process and provide reasonable alternatives to FDOT's blueprints.

We started our effort with one simple question. With construction commencing as early as 2009, what are the consequences for Central Broward County if the skyway is built above existing 595? Considering the overwhelmingly negative environmental, health, community, safety, and financing ramifications of the project, FDOT's plans need serious, and immediate, change.

The 10.5 mile stretch of highway between Interstates 75 and 95 borders diverse neighborhoods which will bear the brunt of the construction and be affected by the impact of the 595 $1.5 billion mega project. From single family and mobile homes to apartments, to large businesses and small, the anticipated results of changing the 595 corridor need to be carefully examined and scrutinized by all.

But time is running out. FDOT is moving rapidly ahead with its plans.

That's why we are here...to broadcast the negative ramifications of creating another level above the existing roadway, to provide analysis about the plans for public transit along the highway corridor, and to insure the future of the highway is consistent with the best interests of the residents of Broward County.

The more we probed, additional questions were raised.  Should I-595 evolve into the only major east-west corridor in Central Broward County? Will the design create more traffic jams? How will the Town of Davie and the cities of Plantation, Sunrise, Fort Lauderdale and Weston be affected? What will happen at intersections which flow under the existing 595? Will a private corporation control all or part of the highway, and if so, at what cost to taxpayers and under what scrutiny? What does the proposed "Public-Private Partnership" really mean?

Is State Road 84 being used to its fullest capacity? Have municipal leaders and officials been fully advised about FDOT's plans over the past several years? Is the engineering sound? Does the re-designed highway make sense in light of new data and population trends? Have the health and environmental effects been fully and properly explored?

Will an "elevated reversible lanes bridge" be user friendly? Will miles of an elevated toll road even be safe? What effects will the project have on local property values and businesses? Will certain communities bear the brunt of the impact without benefit as others prosper? What are the consequences for law enforcement? Will design modification act as a catalyst for further urban growth in already highly dense areas? Are FDOT's projections correct?

Why have plans as originally presented morphed into something much greater? Will sound barriers produce any effective results? Will impacted municipal economies prosper or suffer from an entirely different 595? Will the public transit corridor component be used by commuters? If so, where will riders park to access the system? Is FDOT moving forward without a thorough, complete and candid discussion about the  project?

While public workshops have been conducted on this issue since 2005, most people are unaware of the scope of the project, its projected costs, and what it means to their municipalities. The State has posted a website to tell the public about the project at www.i-595.com.

At 595Alert.org, we provide a forum for an intelligent discussion about the road project with the goal of creating a better 595. See our "Solutions" page for our 5 point plan. This web space is designed to explore the concerns of the community in an on-going forum addressing the issue that is not limited to just a few public meetings.

Let's take a careful and reasoned look at whether the money FDOT plans to spend and attract from private interests is going to be used in the most effective manner.

Please join us in our discussion and opposition to the current 595 Corridor Improvement plan. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or would like to volunteer, contact us by clicking here.

595Alert.org is a grassroots, but strong and determined effort. By providing a dialog and solutions addressing all concerns, the final outcome can benefit the entire community in a reasonable and responsible way.

Please explore the links to the left of this page for more details about this controversial project, which is opposed by the City of Plantation, the Town of Davie and many elected officials.

 

E-mail 595Alert.org by clicking here. Please send us your comments.

Analysis of what a corporate toll road may mean for I-595. What the "P3" means to you. Click here.

A 7 to 8 mile long elevated lane bridge threatens emergency response time. Click here for article.

 

New: South-Florida Sun Sentinel editorial praises FDOT's decision to build at grade level. See Editorial Board comments here.

New: Readers take issue with Miami Herald Editorial. Click here.

Broward County Commission unanimously opposes an elevated 595. Click here.

Editorial endorsing FDOT's plan to eliminate elevated toll lanes over 595. Click here.

FDOT considers plan to scrap elevated highway above I-595. Decision expected by end of September. Click here.

 Click picture to play video of 9.5.07 Davie Town Council meeting. More information on 595Alert.org News page.

Require any corporate control over 595 to pay developmental impact fees for mass transit. See editorial.

Is FDOT's data on population trends correct? Does current information support rushing to build and lease an elevated 595? See article in our new "Data" section here.

Visit our "Solutions" page for our 5 point plan to bring common sense to the 595 project. Click here. 

The Danger of "Included Traffic" and the need to get the data right. Click here.

Preserving Florida's transportation infrastructure and the danger of "Shadow Tolls." Click here.

Obtain flyers from 595Alert.org. Click here.

Discussion of Health Effects and an Elevated 595. Click here.

Contact your elected officials. Click here.

Miami Herald reports on the 595 controversy. Click here for 595Alert.org article and link to Herald report.

 
   

© Copyright 2007, Broward Citizens For A Better 595, Inc., a non-profit corporation. No claim to governmental works.

Mitchell A. Chester, Website Editor
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