BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — We all know the frustrations of driving in traffic in South Florida. And a lot of the time, express lanes can be a solution.

But at what cost?

Many Broward County drivers have complained about the new express lanes on Interstate 95, ever since they opened up a few months ago.

There’s been slowdowns reported at entry and exit points from Commercial Boulevard to Sheridan Street.

Local 10’s Jackie Pascale brought drivers’ frustrations to the Florida Department of Transportation.

They say the project is years in the making and the goal is more regional -- getting drivers from county to county, quickly and safely.

It’s definitely tough on drivers to be sitting in traffic and then seeing the wide open express lanes next to them, just wishing they could’ve gotten in there.

Officials warn drivers not to go over the safety poles as it’s dangerous and drivers can be fined $165.

Mark Moshier, a senior construction project manager for FDOT, highlighted the new options for Broward County drivers after years of studies and construction.

“We’re almost done,” he said.

There’s now a direct connection from Interstate 595 to I-95, and a new express lane entrance and an exit around Sheridan Street are open, although it’s not all fully finished.

“We’re hoping to have all the construction work complete by the end of May of this year,” Moshier said.

That means the final signs are going up, and pavement markings and reflective markers are going in, as well as the final layer of asphalt, which was apparently delayed by the winter chill hitting South Florida this season.

“Under 50 degrees and that’s the limit,” Moshier said.

They’re about $1 million over their $457 million budget.

But once it’s all said and done, the toll signs that have said “zero dollars” for months will start going up.

Toll fees will eventually be decided by an algorithm based on traffic in the express lanes.

So if the cost is higher, it’s because they’re actually trying to deter you from getting on.

But for now, the tolls are cheaper.

“Broward County and Palm Beach County are 50 cents per segment,” Ryan Drendel, a freeway operations engineer for FDOT, said. “That will eventually probably change.”

The express segments are about 4 1/2 to 9 miles long, from entrance to exit.

And some drivers say maybe too long, since they can’t get on as soon as they’d like or have to get off too early to not go past their exit.

But Moshier says it was all decided by the data.

“That was done many, many years ago in the planning and development study, so it is what it is,” he said.

And to the drivers saying the express option is now causing backups on their daily commute…

“There’s just so much traffic in South Florida that you can’t really build anything wide enough so that nobody will ever have to experience some sort of delays,” Moshier said. “But if you’re over in the express lanes, you will be able to get through there a little bit quicker.”

So far, by the numbers, FDOT says express is a success.

“Depending on the time of year, 200,000 to 300,000 vehicles a day (drive) through this area,” Drendel said.

And that’s not just through this new section, but throughout the county.

In the 2025 fiscal year, Broward recorded 125 million transactions, generating $71 million in toll revenue.

“That money stays within the county,” Moshier said. “It’s used for operating and maintaining the existing facilities.”

“It does go into future projects for improving the express lanes,” Drendel added. “Things like our road rangers that serve the drivers every day.”

And whatever the cost, it could save you time and stress.

“That’s what they’re there for, is to provide that reliable option when you really have to get somewhere on time,” Drendel said.

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