With a planned 7 to 8 mile elevated reversible tool road, will the new structure be safe to drive? How will emergency vehicles reach stranded motorists in need in the crucial minutes following an accident? 

According to i-595.com, there will be three ways to access the skyway. One access point will be near 136th Street at its junction with I-595. Another entry/exit point will be just east of the 441/S.R. 7 junction with the interstate.  The only other place to get on and off the bridge will be at a planned connection between the Florida Turnpike and 595.

Currently, the Town of Davie is the main first emergency responder for accidents on the highway. With the current design, the existing fire rescue station at Nob Hill Road and S.R. 84 will not have quick access to the elevated lanes. To reach motorists, rescuers would have to travel several miles west or east to get on the road. At that point, depending upon where the accident is located, emergency responders could have to fight stopped or slowed traffic on the bridge to reach accident victims and then transport them to area hospitals.

Emergency response time worries local officials.

According to Davie Town Councilmember Susan Starkey, "I'm not sufficiently satisfied that the safety issue of the proposed elevated reversible lanes highway could be properly addressed when minutes mean lives."

In order to reach accident scenes, FDOT plans to stop skyway traffic from either direction so emergency vehicles can get through and exit the long bridge. The process of blocking traffic takes time and adds precious moments to any rescue scenario. In the absence of extra-wide shoulders (which are not on the current design and may not support wide fire rescue equipment) on either side of the elevated bridge, the first responder task is made even more difficult.

When emergency response and transport time is crucial, the design promoted by planners is unrealistic, and unsafe.

Posted 6/10/07

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