JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Big changes are coming for drivers who take the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 approaching downtown Jacksonville. The stretch of highway near the downtown exits will be shifting to the right, starting Friday night.
The changes begin north of Emerson Street and traffic will merge back to the existing lanes just after the downtown exits.
The exits going to the Main Street Bridge, Acosta Bridge and Prudential Drive will be closed in preparation of that starting this weekend, weather permitting.
The public information officer for Florida Department of Transportation, Ron Tittle, is warning everyone to pay attention and drive the speed limit.
"There is natural confusion and that's why we have the 45 mph. We encourage people to try and stick around that miles per hour because there's ongoing adjustments as you drive through this area," said Tittle.
Changes to the highway as part of the Overland Bridge construction project have been going on for years, but Tittle says the biggest change is coming.
“We've done a little bit of the shift when we put the traffic going over the bridge to Atlantic Boulevard. We did that and that was a little bit of a milestone. Now we are approaching the major milestone of trying to convert some of the traffic and detouring around on 95 North," said Tittle.
Beginning Friday evening, FDOT will close the exits to the bridges and Prudential Drive and shift traffic to a new service road. Northbound onramps from Atlantic Boulevard and Philips Highway will be closed during the shift.
On Saturday evening, I-95 northbound will be reduced to two lanes. The Main Street, Prudential Drive and Acosta Bridge exits will reopen on the new roadway between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. and then close again beginning at 8 p.m. The northbound Atlantic Boulevard and Philips Highway on ramps will be closed with traffic detoured.
On Sunday, northbound traffic will continue to be reduced to two lanes. Main Street/Prudential Drive and Acosta Bridge exits will reopen on the new service roadway between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. and then close again beginning at 8 p.m. The northbound Atlantic Boulevard and Philips Highway onramps again be closed overnight.
By early Monday morning, all I-95 northbound traffic will be shifted to the new service road and all entrances and exits will reopen.
“So at this point they would be merged over and as we approach going up to the new structure that would be the decision points where you have merging of Phillips Highway from the left and then you're going to have Atlantic from the right," Tittle said.
Tittle said the goal is to make driving easier for everyone, which is why drivers just have to bear through the construction a little while longer. Eventually the old roadway will be torn down and crews will get started on the southbound lanes.