Construction on I-95 to move north
By CHUCK McGINNESS | Thursday, May 29, 2008
Copyright 2008 The Palm Beach Post
The highway construction that has made the daily drive quite miserable for tens of thousands of commuters on Interstate 95 through central and southern Palm Beach County is moving north.
Beginning June 16, the first of three projects is scheduled to begin to widen I-95 to 10 lanes from PGA Boulevard to Indiantown Road and repave a 1.5-mile section
A public information meeting on the work is set for 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at the state Department of Transportation's field office, 11641 Kew Gardens Ave., Suite 101, in Palm Beach Gardens.
First up is the Indiantown resurfacing which will extend from Florida's Turnpike to Chasewood Plaza. During the seven-month project, every effort will be made to maintain access to homes and businesses along the road, said DOT spokeswoman Alicia De Fago.
The construction on I-95 will be done in two 4-mile pieces. The section south of Donald Ross Road will get under way in September or October, a few months before the northern segment.
Tall noise walls will be installed next to the three communities along the east side of the highway - Garden Lakes, Westwood Gardens and Westwood Lakes - before the heavy pounding begins on I-95, De Fago said. There are no plans for noise barriers on the west side where Florida's Turnpike runs adjacent to I-95.
Entrance and exit ramps at the three interchanges along the 8-mile stretch will be rebuilt. No businesses or homes will have to be moved because the state owns the land needed for the expansion
The widening will take about three and a half years, but that could change because of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances, De Fago said.
A 10-lane highway will meet the area's transportation needs through 2031, the DOT predicts. Currently, an average of 101,500 cars a day travel I-95 north of PGA Boulevard.
Construction to widen I-95 through the county began eight years ago in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach and has gradually moved north.
