A major South Florida expressway is in the planning process of being widened by two lanes in both directions.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) are planning to widen the Sawgrass Expressway from six to ten lanes.
The Sawgrass connects I-595 with the Turnpike, and the construction corridor spans between north of Sample Road to west of US 441 including the big curve.
The construction will begin in 2026 and will be done in two segments with completion in five to six years.
The project is currently in the design phase which includes construction plans, specifications, and final estimates to build a project.
Part of the construction will connect Coral Ridge Drive with the Sawgrass via a divergent diamond exchange with bike lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians in the median.
The divergent diamond exchange reverses traffic patterns and is being used successfully in Boca Raton and Miami.
Noise Studies are underway and will be revisited if there is a major change in the roadway alignment that amplifies traffic sounds.
The hope is that widening the Sawgrass will enhance roadway safety and emergency evacuations along with improving increased traffic flow.