Major I-95 SB lane shift for your drive

It was just a few months ago we saw a major traffic shift on I-95 heading in to Downtown- now, the reverse route is going through a big change as well.

All lanes of I-95 southbound are shifting off of the existing lanes between the Fuller Warren Bridge and the San Diego Road overpass, which is north of Emerson. The shift is in effect starting with your Saturday morning drive.

VIDEO: WOKV rides through I-95 SB lane shift, part 1

VIDEO: WOKV rides through I-95 SB lane shift, part 2

The change starts just south of the Fuller Warren Bridge. Currently, there is an ‘exit only’ lane from I-95 SB to the Beaches. That will now be the point where all travel lanes leave the main highway.

Traffic will continue southbound, and the two lanes from the bridges Downtown will meet around the same point where they do now to the right of the lanes, to make the highway five lanes wide for a brief period of time. The left lane will become ‘exit only’ for the Beaches- using the existing flyover- and the second from the left lane will be an option to either exit or continue on I-95. The right lane will become ‘exit only’ for Philips Highway. This is the first time in months that access from I-95 SB to Philips has been restored, and FDOT says it will also now be a signalized interchange.

GALLERY: Step-by-step ride through of I-95 SB traffic shift

After the exits, the traffic will merge on to what are currently the old, empty lanes of I-95 Northbound.

I-95 Northbound traffic is currently shifted to accommodate the demolition and reconstruction of those lanes, but a stretch of the old northbound lanes have remained intact to facilitate the southbound shift. Southbound traffic will shift to the old northbound lanes from just south of Philips to the San Diego Road overpass area north of Emerson, at which point traffic will return to the existing highway.

GALLERY: I-95 NB lane shift construction

The demolition and reconstruction of I-95 is all part of the Overland Bridge project, which is currently slated for completion early 2017. The overhaul is the result of the age of the highway and the need to accommodate more traffic.

After the main highway lanes are rebuilt, the lanes being used both northbound and southbound for the shifts will become special “connector” lanes. For example, I-95 northbound will be a direct connection to Downtown with no other exit point. That means, around San Diego Road, you will decide if you’re going Downtown- and will then take the connector lanes- or if you’re going to other areas north of the River- for which you will use the newly rebuilt main highway lanes. There will be a similar connector route for the southbound side as well.

During this construction, the speed limit is 45 miles per hour. When you add that to drivers getting used to the traffic changes, FDOT is warning you to use caution. Your GPS will also not likely recognize the route changes.

WOKV will continue to follow major changes on the road and the impact on your drive. Be sure to tune in for the most frequent traffic reports through the week and follow us on Twitter to learn about anything tying up your commute. The FDOT also has a dedicated project website with details about the full scope of the project.