Get ready to play red light/green light to get on I-95

Traffic flows along an Interstate 95 on-ramp signal at 125th Street in Miami. The signals are coming to Broward and southern Palm Beach counties. They are designed to pace the flow of traffic coming onto the interstate during heavy rush-hour periods.
Traffic flows along an Interstate 95 on-ramp signal at 125th Street in Miami. The signals are coming to Broward and southern Palm Beach counties. They are designed to pace the flow of traffic coming onto the interstate during heavy rush-hour periods. (Carline Jean / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Drivers trying to get on Interstate 95 will have to stop on entrance ramps to go faster on the highway.

Starting this summer, the state plans to turn on red light/green light signals near the ends of I-95 entrance ramps in Broward County as part of a five-year plan to add ramp signals to the 24 interchanges from Hallandale Beach Boulevard north to Linton Boulevard in Palm Beach County.


Similar signals have been used for the past decade on I-95 ramps in Miami-Dade County to improve the flow of rush-hour traffic, officials said.

Combined with the addition of express lanes to I-95, the ramp signals are designed to reduce congestion by smoothing out the flow of traffic onto the interstate. The signal plans are currently limited to I-95, in areas where express lanes have been approved, state transportation officials said.


Here’s what you need to know:

How do they work?

Drivers will have to stop at the red light, which will turn on automatically when traffic is heaviest. How long it takes for the red light to turn green depends on how heavy the traffic is on I-95. Once the light turns green, only one car is supposed to go through, with the next driver waiting through the following red light.

When completed in 2024, there will be toll lanes running on I-95 from I-395 in Miami to Linton Boulevard in Delray Beach.

The length of a red light can vary from two to 13 seconds, but officials say most of the time the red light will last about two seconds, to create a separation between vehicles.

The signals stop a long line of cars from trying to merge with the interstate traffic all at the same time.

The system also senses when traffic backs up on the ramp, which can affect the surface roads. If that happens, a signal will move the cars through more quickly until the backup disappears, or it could turn off completely if the backup is severe.

Why install red lights going onto I-95?

While you might think stopping at a red light would make for a longer commute, holding back and spacing out vehicles entering I-95 can actually make traffic on the interstate move faster. The signal system lets vehicles through one at a time, slowing down or speeding up the rate to match the traffic flow on the interstate.

“It’s sensing when traffic is in the way. It’s sensing when there are gaps in traffic,” said Jonathan Overton, a program engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation.

Where will the first lights be turned on?

State transportation officials expect to use the stoplights this summer on I-95 entrance ramps at Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano Beach, at Cypress Creek Road in Fort Lauderdale and at the Andrews Avenue on-ramp just south of Cypress Creek Road.

When will the signals operate?

The signals are fully automatic and will turn on as traffic warrants. Drivers will be warned by a sign with a flashing yellow light when the signals are in operation. The signals will mostly be used during morning and afternoon rush hours, but can click on anytime when traffic starts slowing down, such as for an accident.

“It only comes on when it needs to come on,” said Daniel Smith of the state transportation department.

When not operating, neither a red light nor a green light is illuminated.

Do the lights leave enough room for drivers to accelerate to match the traffic flow on I-95?

The signals are only active when traffic flow is at its worse. That means you’ll only have to match the speed of the existing traffic flow — likely less than the speed limit at rush hour. If traffic is flowing at normal speed, then the signals will be off.


Have the ramp signals made a difference in Miami-Dade County?

Transportation officials say the signals have increased travel speeds by 16 percent heading north and 13 percent heading south — about a 6 mph average increase in travel speeds. They increase safety by reducing stop-and-go traffic where ramp traffic is merging with the interstate traffic, Overton said.

What is the current schedule?

The state plans the signals in conjunction with work being done to create express lanes on I-95. The signals from Commercial Boulevard south to Davie Boulevard are expected to be in operation by the summer of 2020, along with the those on entrance ramps at Pembroke Road and Hallandale Beach Boulevard.

The signals for ramps from Palmetto Park Road south to Copans Road should be operating in 2021, from Linton Boulevard south to Glades Road in 2023, and from State Road 84 to Hollywood Boulevard in 2024.

Why so late for Hollywood interchanges?

Even though there are already express lanes on I-95 in Hollywood, there is still a major project planned to connect the I-95 express lanes with the Interstate 595 express lanes. The Hollywood ramp signals will be installed as part of that project, officials said.

These aren’t real stoplights, are they?

Yes, they are. You can be ticketed and face a fine for running a red ramp light just like any other red-light infraction. State transportation officials say most motorists in Miami-Dade are obeying the signals.

Are ramp signals used elsewhere in the country?

There are at least 50 other communities nationwide that use ramp signals, including Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Los Angeles and the Washington, D.C., area.

Have any places stopped using them?

Minneapolis discontinued its ramp signals for five weeks in 2000 because of driver dissatisfaction. The signals were turned back on, and a study found travel speeds of rush-hour afternoon traffic were higher using the signals. Travelers surveyed overwhelmingly said that traffic was worse without the signals. Crashes increased 26 percent without the signals.

The study determined the original wait times were too long for the ramp signals to turn green, so the signals were re-timed and complaints decreased.

Are there other uses for the signals?

Traffic controllers would also be able to use the signals in emergency situations. For example, they could turn the signals red if they’re aware that there’s a wrong-way driver on the interstate.

Will the signals solve congestion?

No. Increased traffic will lead to increased congestion. The signals help reduce or eliminate the “bottlenecks” caused when large number of cars are trying to merge into traffic at the same time.

Besides slowing down the outside lane of traffic, the merging cars have many interstate drivers shifting into other lanes to avoid them, causing other lanes to back up as well.

Will there be any advance notice of the lights?

When the new ramp signals begin, state transportation officials plan to operate them manually for the first two weeks. They will run them from 6 to 10 a.m. to familiarize drivers with the new signals. Off-duty Florida Highway Patrol troopers will be at the ramps to ensure motorists observe the change.

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