Jacksonville's scrambled I-10/I-95 intersection transforming traffic until 2011

The intersection of interstates 10 and 95 has been a mess for as long as anyone can remember, mostly because of the clash of local traffic and those motorists just passing through Jacksonville.

A $152 million construction project scheduled to conclude early next year is supposed to make it a lot better, the Florida Department of Transportation says.

But motorists like UPS driver Carl Strickland remain wary and can't imagine what the area will look like when construction ends.

"All I really see right now is a mass of construction," he said. "I have to drive it every day and it's just crazy."

Be patient, Fred Dorman said.

As the department's project administrator, Dorman said once construction concludes, the interchange will be able to handle more cars so traffic will run more smoothly while eliminating most of the cross-lane maneuvers drivers must use now. 

"One of the problems that's existed at this interchange for years is that local and through traffic have to take the same lanes, and that leads to traffic backups," he said. "We want to eliminate a situation where cars have to cross over three lanes of traffic to get to where they have to go."

Dorman said when construction is finished, there will be separate lanes for through and local traffic, and specific lanes for people getting on and off the interstate. That should allow the region's busiest intersection to move more than 100,000 cars a day on each road, with traffic backups only occurring with accidents or bad weather.

An example involves traffic getting on I-10 eastbound at Stockton Street. Before this project began, motorists wanting to get onto I-95 northbound had to get on I-10 eastbound at Stockton and then race across three lanes with only about a hundred yards available.

That will be eliminated with the new project because a new, separate flyover lane will take motorists from Stockton to I-95 northbound, or to the downtown area via Forest Street. 

"If we can get the traffic separated that makes it a lot better," Dorman said.

The state also is building new lanes from I-10 eastbound to I-95 southbound for through traffic. The existing lanes that go from I-10 eastbound to I-95 southbound will only be available to local traffic, such as people getting on I-10 at Stockton Street and U.S. 17.

At the end of August, motorists on I-10 eastbound will have to decide before reaching Stockton Street if they are taking I-95 northbound or southbound. A barrier will be erected so that people can't switch after passing Stockton.

This is being done because people often change lanes at the last minute right at the intersection of the interstates, leading to accidents and traffic congestion, FDOT spokesman Mike Goldman said.

Temporary asphalt I-95 northbound lanes that are now being used will also be torn out and replaced with concrete lanes that are now being built. A new exit ramp from I-95 southbound to Forest Street is also being constructed.

"It's been a hard project to do because we've had to keep traffic moving while this has been going on," said Goldman. "The construction crew has also had to work in a much more enclosed space than you see in most projects."

FDOT says it expects all lanes to be open by the end of this year and for the construction project to conclude in early 2011 after some painting and landscaping work is completed.

Goldman said there will always be some congestion problems because of the high volume of traffic. But when construction is complete, even areas that aren't directly affected should have better traffic flow.

For example, traffic is often slow from I-10 to the Fuller Warren Bridge. Although the new lanes will help, the lack of construction might also help traffic flow because people won't be as hesitant without construction, Goldman said.

The latest FDOT traffic counts from 2009 have about 114,000 cars on I-10 just west of I-95 on an average day. The traffic counts for I-95 at the intersection only have 60,000 cars using it per day. But the number of cars just north of the intersection is 148,000 and about 172,000 cars go over the Fuller Warren Bridge south of the intersection each day.

Goldman said motorists are trying to avoid the intersection now. About 130,000 motorists used that section of I-95 in 2005 right before construction began.

larry.hannan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4470