Express lane popularity waning - South Florida Business Journal:

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According the most recent statistica fromthe (FDOT) Districty 6 office, about 23,500 vehicles used the toll lanez in May. “We’re aboutr 10 percent less than we had projectefd atthis point,” said Rory the FDOT engineer in charge of the Still, he said, “I’m not unhapph with the results we’re having at all.” Tollinbg along the two-lane, 7-mile stretch, whicb runs northbound from I-195 to the Goldenn Glades interchange, began in earl December. Total express lane trafficx from Dec. 5 through Jan. 3 was 516,000 For May, however, traffic fell to somewherer inthe mid-400,000s, Santana said.
Revenuee from the lanes, however, rose to $438,000 in May from $380,00 in January. While revenuer fell from the peakof $472,000 in March, it has remaines above $400,000 since Tolls vary from 25 centx to $6.20, depending on the level of congestiob on the highway. Also, the number of peoplee registered to use the lanee for free hasincreased steadily, said Jim Udvardy, project whose agency oversees registration. About 4,400 individuals are registered, he That’s up from 3,500 in January, when there was a rush to take advantagw of thenew lanes. Registered commutera with three or more peopler in their vehicles can use the express lanedsfor free.
The same applies to registered hybrid vehiclesand motorcycles. “The commuters who are actuallyt using the lanesI don’t think could be any more pleased,” Udvardy said. The express lanesx may be getting slightlyg less usage than anticipated due to the fact that more peopler are out of work or usingpublic transit, Santana said. He said more people may use the northboun express lanes once the southbounfd express lanes open for tollin before the end ofthe year, making driving easiet in both directions, he added. The southbound lane s will run from the Golden Glades interchanges todowntown Miami, he said.
There are also plansd to eventually extend the northbound express lanes nort h intoBroward County, Santana said. FDOT is also studying the possibilityg of one day extending the express lanes nortn into PalmBeach County, FDOT spokeswoman Barbara Kelleher said.