'It's Not Good': Drivers Not Convinced Palmetto Changes Will Make A Difference
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Driving the Palmetto Expressway often means going nowhere fast.
Paid express lanes added in 2019 were supposed to help ease congestion, but some believe it made it worse.
Shannon Green said she stopped driving the Palmetto after the express lanes were added.
"It's too much traffic," she said.
Because of that, some South Florida lawmakers wanted to throw out the new express lanes altogether.
Legislation was drafted, but then Gov. Ron DeSantis stepped in.
Now the Florida Department of Transportation has come up with a plan to ease congestion.
Planned changes include:
- Adding an additional general-purpose lane in the southbound direction.
- Reducing the express lanes in the northbound direction from two to one.
- Creating an access point into the express lanes at Northwest 122nd Street.
Some drivers believe that's a roadmap to nowhere.
"It's not good. There will be a lot more traffic," a driver told CBS4.
Details on when the work will start are being determined.
Tolls are expected to be reduced during construction.