By: Commissioner Steven L. Abrams, District 4
BOCA RATON — The new interchange for I-95 between Spanish River Boulevard and Yamato Road in Boca Raton is moving forward. The Florida Department of Transportation has had this roadway improvement on the drawing board for several years, since my time as mayor, and is now anticipating construction to begin by September 2013.
The interchange will provide needed relief for traffic on Glades Road while providing drivers with quicker access to Florida Atlantic University and the surrounding area. The recent opening of the university football stadium has accelerated the design and construction schedules of the new interchange which will connect I-95 with the FAU campus.
Traffic will exit and enter I-95 between Spanish River Boulevard and Yamato Road and connect to the campus on FAU Boulevard (NW 8th Avenue). It will also alleviate the backups on the Glades Road and Yamato Road off-ramps.
The design is under way and will hopefully be completed by December 2012. Right of way acquisition (consisting primarily of the FAU Fish Farm) is expected to be complete by February 2013. The project is currently scheduled to be bid for construction by May 2013 with physical construction commencing by September 2013.
The project includes the following three major improvements:
- A full interchange at Spanish River Boulevard and I-95 including ramps to and from the north and south
- An additional lane northbound and southbound on I-95 from the Glades Road interchange to the Yamato Road interchange, and from the Yamato Road interchange to the Congress Avenue interchange
- Widening of the Spanish River Boulevard Bridge over I-95 from three lanes to four.
The project has been closely coordinated with the City of Boca Raton and FAU.
Please contact me if I can be of assistance or if you have any comments and/or suggestions. I can be reached at sabrams@pbcgov.org or in my office at 561-355-2204 (West Palm Beach) or 561-276-1220 (Delray Beach).
Also, please visit my website at http://www.pbcgov.com/countycommissioners/district4/ for updates and links to county divisions and other governmental agencies.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A community awareness meeting concerning the I-95 Interchange at Spanish River Boulevard and Florida Atlantic University will be held Thursday, March 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Marleen and Harold Forkas Alumni Center on the FAU campus, from 6-8 p.m. It will be an open house format, with no formal presentation; just questions and answers. In addition to the interchange, plans call for the addition of one lane in each direction on I-95; a new bridge spanning I-95 on Spanish River Boulevard and improvements to Yamato Road from the CSX Railroad tracks to Fourth Avenue.