Toll lanes on Interstate-295 between Interstate-95 and the Buckman Bridge are in the final calibrating stage before going into operation within the few months.
The Florida Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it has finished installing the short, pole-like delineators that separate the express lanes from the regular lanes.
The orange poles are glued to the asphalt and spaced five feet apart, which the FDOT’s Hampton Ray said is safer than a solid wall. “In case there were an incident on the roadway which would require law enforcement or a fire truck or an ambulance, they could just drive over at a slow speed and then they’ll pop back up.”
Anyone else who tries to enter or leave the express lanes by driving over the delineators could be fined $250.
This is the first of two express lane projects currently under construction in Jacksonville. The second is on I-295 in the St. Johns Town Center area. It should be finished by the end of this year.
The FDOT has not announced a date yet for when it will begin charging drivers.
FDOT Time-lapse Video of I-295 Delineators
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter at @cydwjctnews.
