Free Ride Over On I-595 Express Lanes

FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - The free ride is over on the I-595 Express Lanes.

Beginning Wednesday morning, a toll of 50-cents went into effect. Anyone wanting to use the lanes must have a SunPass transponder and an associated pre-paid account.

The 50-cent toll will be in place for the next two weeks. After that the toll will go up depending on amount of traffic, the maximum toll will be two dollars which drivers may see at peak rush hours.

The express lanes are open on weekdays to eastbound traffic between 4:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. From 2:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., the lanes are open for westbound drivers. The express lanes are closed from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m and from 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. for maintenance.

On weekends the lanes are only open in the eastbound direction.

The express lanes are part of the I-595 Express Corridor Improvements Project. The $1.2 billion mega project was financed and built by a private company.

For more information, click here.