Jacksonville commuters will see three portions of Interstate 295 expanded to include toll lanes, called “managed lanes,” within the next 10 years, the Florida Department of Transportation announced Thursday.
The three areas will be, in order of construction: a 5.7 mile stretch from Buckman Bridge to Interstate 95, to be constructed by 2017 with a $40 million construction estimate; a 5 mile stretch from I-295 to Butler
Boulevard to be constructed by 2018 with a $44.3 million construction estimate; and a 7 mile stretch from the Dames Point Bridge to I-95 to be constructed by 2019 with a $69.5 million construction estimate. Figures do not include rights-of-way acquisition.
The projects will expand each stretch from their current six lanes to eight lanes, with the two additional lanes becoming managed lanes that will offer commuters the choice to use the new dedicated lanes for a fee and more reliability in avoiding traffic in what has become a limited roadway capacity, James Bennett, FDOT District Two urban transportation development manager told attendees of Thursday’s North Florida Transportation Planning Organization monthly meeting.
All existing lanes will remain free and the additions will be a way to improve reliability, he said.
The lanes will be constructed using taxpayer funding — no private dollars are included — and have already been assigned for construction as part of the department’s five-year plan work plan.
The toll lane method provides a funding source for roadway improvements and a better alternative than the gas tax, which Bennett said is not sustainable in the current environment due to lack of inflation adjustment, lack of adjustment for increased fuel mileage and taxed only on gasoline and diesel.
The department is currently studying the pricing structure for the toll lanes, but it will likely vary depending on the time of day and/or fluctuate depending on how many people use the lanes.
Officials said the installation of the new lanes and the choice people make to use them will also have a positive impact on the general purpose lanes. When motorists move to the new lanes, it will create less traffic in the general purpose lanes, thus decreasing overall traffic within them and improving reliability.
If enough people converted to the managed lanes, the price could be increased for the reliability factor, which would theoretically alter usage back to the general purpose lanes and keep the intent of the managed lane intact, Bennett said.
The collection method to use the lanes will be automated and not feature toll booths, instead relying on the SunPass system. SunPass is a prepaid toll system the department uses in Orlando and Miami, where motorists can buy a transponder or sticker for their windshield that links to their credit card for automatic deduction when such toll lanes or toll roads are used. They are available at several local retailers and there are currently 50,000 SunPass users in Northeast Florida, according to Bennett’s presentation.
Bennett said that revenues generated from the express lanes will be used to operate and maintain the roads and that excess revenues will be used on other transportation project in the Northeast Florida area.
“The majority of the money will go back on to the system,” Bennett said. “If there does become excess revenue, it will stay in this area. If our citizens here are paying it, it ought to stay here and we absolutely agree with that.”
Greg Evans, FDOT District 2 secretary, said that the third project will assist trucks coming to-and-from the port to assist in the expedited moving of goods and that the Jacksonville Port Authority has indicated its support for such a project.
“Time is money,” Evans said.
Evans said that though the portions of public sentiment might be negative initially, he is confident that it will see the benefit and they will be satisfied with results.
In a presentation preceding Bennett’s, Andrew Smith, director of planning services for HNTB’s Atlanta office, said that similar projects across the U.S. have been overall successes in both results and public response.
Smith said the keys to success for such projects include not taking existing capacity from motorists, being realistic with expectations and the use of electronic toll collection, among others.
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