A total of 25.3 of the 381 miles of Interstate 95 is located in Broward County, which includes the metropolitan area for Fort Lauderdale. Interstate 95 was not the original limited-access freeway in Broward County, or Florida for that matter. Florida's Turnpike predated the earliest segments of Interstate 95 by two years, completed and opened in 1957. Construction on Interstate 95 began in 1959. By 1964, Interstate 95 was completed from the Dade County line to Florida 84. A section from Florida 84 to Davie Blvd was completed in 1968. North of there, construction began on remaining segments between 1969 and 1972. All of Interstate 95 in Broward County was completed and opened to traffic in 1977. Most segments were constructed with six lanes originally.
During the 1980s, congestion on Interstate 95 became severe, with more and more people commuting between Dade and Broward counties. Florida received generous Interstate funding in the early to mid-1980s, a portion of that went to expanding Interstate 95. Part of the design plans were to add extra lanes on Interstate 95, including one High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction that would continuously stretch from Interstate 195/Florida 112 in Miami north to Linton Boulevard in southern Palm Beach County. There would also be major interchange upgrades at the newly constructed Interstate 595, Florida 84, and Davie Boulevard. Sound barriers would be built in some places where it was deemed necessary to mitigate noise impacts.
Construction began in 1988, and soon construction would be along the entire length of Interstate 95 in Broward County. To lessen the construction impacts on traffic, Tri-Rail was implemented. Tri-Rail, a rail system named for three counties which it would service (Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) was to run using the existing railroad tracks parallel to Interstate 95. Service started in 1989 and was originally intended to stop once the tri-county Interstate 95 expansion ended, but it continues today. To improve service, a second track is currently being added to allow for more frequent service. Rail and commuter services are often implemented to relieve traffic in areas of extensive construction.
The Interstate 95/Interstate 595 interchange was fully opened on March 22, 1991, after three years of construction and $121 million. Today, Interstate 95 in Broward is a wide 10 and 12 lane road, with an eight-lane section from Deerfield Beach to Boca Raton in Palm Beach County. There are massive interchanges at Interstate 595, Florida 84, and Davie Blvd, which are on multi-levels and involve collector/distributor roads. Other than that, your typical Interstate 95 interchange in Broward is a diamond or partial cloverleaf. One interesting feature is the Commercial Blvd (Florida 870) interchange, which features a flyover ramp from westbound Commercial Boulevard to southbound Interstate 95.
The Broward section of Interstate 95 is the heaviest traveled section in all of South Florida and the entire state. Traffic volumes generally exceed well over 200,000 vehicles daily, and from Interstate 595 to Sunrise Blvd, traffic volumes range from 290,000 to 298,000 vehicles daily - nearly 300,000! This puts Interstate 95 traffic volumes at levels comparable to California 91/Riverside Freeway in Orange County, one of the busiest routes in Southern California.
Despite these traffic volumes, Broward commuters do not experience significant commute hour delays. There are short segments of stop and go traffic during rush hour, primarily between Interstate 595 and Sunrise Boulevard. But Interstate 95 generally moves at full speed, despite heavy traffic. The only exception is rain, an accident and/or rubberneckers. There are no plans to modify Interstate 95 for the meantime, so it's nothing but smooth sailing for Broward motorists, except for the occasional downpour or accident.
Southbound Interstate 95
Now looking southbound, we begin with Interstate 95 just south of the Interstate 595 interchange in Broward County near Fort Lauderdale. Broward County, home to 30 municipalities, and the developed area rests on the 409.80 square miles that have been developed or are planned for development. All of this land is located east of a levee that separates the populated areas from the vast Everglades. Since the total county has 1,196.90 square miles, the remaining 787.10 square miles are undeveloped and are not planned for development. Population has also increased dramatically, increasing from 1,255,488 people in 1990 to 1,623,018 in 2000. The ethnic majority of county residents is white (58% in 2000), but that is down from 75% in 1990.1 Photo taken 12/28/03.
The first exit along southbound Interstate 95 after the Interstate 595 interchange is Exit 23, Junction Florida 818, Griffin Road. The following exit is Exit 22, Junction Florida 848, Stirling Road. Stirling Road carries Florida 848 east to Dania Beach and west to Davie and Cooper City. Photo taken 12/28/03.
After Exit 22 (Stirling Road), Interstate 95 enters the city of Hollywood, "the City of the Future." Hollywood is home to 139,357 people as of the 2000 Census, and it the international airport and Port Everglades lie adjacent to or partially within the boundaries of the city. It was founded on November 28, 1925. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 21, Junction Florida 822, Sheridan Street. A wide variety of services, including food, lodging, and gas, is available at this interchange. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 20, Junction Florida 820, Hollywood Boulevard. Florida 820 follows Hollywood Boulevard east to Florida A1A in Hollywood and west to Pembroke Pines, and it is the only east-west state route to reach all the way to Interstate 75 (and to U.S. 27 beyond). Photo taken 12/28/03.
Southbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 20, Junction Florida 820, Hollywood Boulevard. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 19, Junction Florida 824. Florida 824 uses Pembroke Road to split the city of Hollywood to the north from the cities of Miramar, Pembroke Park, and Hallandale Beach to the south. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The final exit along southbound Interstate 95 in Broward County is Exit 18, Junction Florida 858/Hallandale Beach Boulevard, one-quarter mile. Photo taken 12/28/03.
