If you commute or run deliveries on Interstate 95 in Miami, mark Friday, Dec. 5 on your calendar.
That’s when the state will start charging a toll for the new express lanes north of downtown.
“We will be coming out with further details soon, but we are really pushing for commuters to look into carpooling and our new 95 express buses,” said Brian Rick, regional public outreach media specialist for the Florida Department of Transportation.
The express lanes start just north of downtown and continue 7 miles to the Golden Glades interchange. There are no exits once a motorist enters the lanes. Up until Dec. 5, there’s no charge.
Starting around 5 a.m., Dec. 5, only motorists with SunPass or high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) decals can use the lanes. The decals can be obtained for hybrid vehicles or registered carpools with three or more occupants.
The toll along the stretch will fluctuate between 25 cents and $2.50 in an attempt to keep 95 Express from becoming congested with vehicles. The toll goes up or down, depending on traffic volume.
Businesses are being encouraged to start new programs for employees. FDOT has an entire program, South Florida Commuter Services, dedicated to helping motorists and businesses sign up for carpooling.
“These are free programs from the state designed to get people out of their single-occupancy vehicle and try carpooling or transit,” said Jim Udvardy, director of South Florida Commuter Services. “One of our services is to work with large employers and building a transportation program. And they can use that as a benefit for their employees in retention and recruitment.”
The commuter services program has a Web site at www.1800234ride.com. The site has online registration.
Carpools are checked out by the program to make sure members are actually in the carpool, and software helps determine if the carpool is legitimate, partly by judging the distances between registrants’ addresses.
Only the northbound lanes of I-95 have the new express lanes now, but the southbound lanes will be added next year.
source: South Florida Business Journal
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http://southflorida.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2008/11/17/daily54.html
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