Glades Road interchange ready to open; what about the rest of I-95 in south Palm Beach County?

North and southbound ramps at exit number 45 to and from the intersection of Interstate 95 and State Road 808 in Boca Raton, Fla., will be closed as work is completed on the new traffic pattern at the exchange. Photographed on January 24, 2023. Glades Road will reopen on Jan. 30 at 6 a.m. after closing on Jan. 27 at 11 p.m.
North and southbound ramps at exit number 45 to and from the intersection of Interstate 95 and State Road 808 in Boca Raton, Fla., will be closed as work is completed on the new traffic pattern at the exchange. Photographed on January 24, 2023. Glades Road will reopen on Jan. 30 at 6 a.m. after closing on Jan. 27 at 11 p.m.

BOCA RATON — After much anticipation, Palm Beach County’s first diverging diamond interchange is here. The reconfigured Glades Road exit will debut Monday, Jan. 30.

But ahead of that grand opening, there will be a major inconvenience at the exit as the interchange will be closed for three days.

Starting at 11 p.m. Friday, all access to and from Glades Road at Interstate 95 will be restricted for implementation of the interchange; and this includes eastbound and westbound Glades Road traffic at the interchange. The interchange will reopen to vehicles at 6 a.m. on Monday.

How will the diverging diamond interchange affect traffic?

The reconfigured interchange will allow for both directions of traffic on the interstate to momentarily cross to opposite sides of the road. While it may sound complicated, motorists will not need special instructions to navigate the diverging diamond, per the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

Rather than following GPS instructions, drivers are encouraged to read overhead signage and pavement markings, follow directions given by traffic signals as they cross through it and slow down using caution as they approach it.

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Overhead signage will have lane designation arrows to guide traffic through the interchange. According to the FDOT, driver confusion is always a concern with any new traffic pattern, but if motorists follow the signals, striping and signage like they would on any other roadway, confusion should be minimal.

Law enforcement officers, including Florida Highway Patrol, will be on site to assist motorists as they navigate the new configuration beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, I-95 Project spokesperson Andrea Pacini Baynham said. Officers will have continuous presence throughout the implementation weekend and after it. For the first two weeks after the interchange opens, officers will be on site daily from 11 p.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to ensure drivers follow the new traffic pattern.

North and southbound ramps at exit number 45 to and from the intersection of Interstate 95 and State Road 808 in Boca Raton, Fla., will be closed as work is completed on the new traffic pattern at the exchange. Photographed on January 24, 2023. Glades Road will reopen on Jan. 30 at 6 a.m. after closing on Jan. 27 at 11 p.m.
North and southbound ramps at exit number 45 to and from the intersection of Interstate 95 and State Road 808 in Boca Raton, Fla., will be closed as work is completed on the new traffic pattern at the exchange. Photographed on January 24, 2023. Glades Road will reopen on Jan. 30 at 6 a.m. after closing on Jan. 27 at 11 p.m.

For overhead sign installation, all I-95 northbound lanes at Glades Road have been closed until Thursday. Traffic has been redirected via the northbound exit ramp to Glades Road, Federal Highway and Yamato Road.

During the time the interchange is closed, traffic will be detoured at both northbound and southbound entrance and exit ramps to and from Glades Road. FHP officers will assist with this navigation, too.

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Motorists can visit this FDOT site for detour maps and details. A live countdown to the diverging diamond implementation can be also be found there.

The $148 million Glades Road interchange: Why it was constructed

Construction on the existing partial cloverleaf interchange at Glades Road and I-95 started in November 2019. The project cost $148 million and was supposed to open last fall, but because of Hurricanes Ian and Nicole will be opening next week.

It’s expected to reduce the number of serious crashes associated with lefthand turns against oncoming traffic by eliminating the movement completely. FDOT officials project a 9% crash reduction along Glades Road and a 33% crash reduction at the interchange itself, once implemented.

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The project also includes the extension of existing express lanes north from just south of Glades Road to south of Linton Boulevard in Delray Beach.

One lane is being added, and the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane will be converted into two express lanes in each direction. Drivers will need to pay a toll to use these and construction is expected to be finished by late 2023.

Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@pbpost.com and follow her on Twitter at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: First diverging diamond interchange to open in Palm Beach County