Rainbow Interchange

Rainbow Interchange
Lauderloop
Rainbow Interchange during the morning commute.
Location
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Coordinates 26°04′55″N 80°10′07″W / 26.08196°N 80.168722°W / 26.08196; -80.168722 (Rainbow Interchange)Coordinates: 26°04′55″N 80°10′07″W / 26.08196°N 80.168722°W / 26.08196; -80.168722 (Rainbow Interchange)
Roads at
junction		 I-95
I-595
Construction
Type Stack interchange
Opened March 22, 1991 (1991-03-22)[1]
Maintained by Florida Department of Transportation

The Rainbow Interchange is a four–level stack interchange located within southeastern Florida near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale.

History

The Rainbow Interchange opened to traffic on March 22, 1991. The cost of constructing the interchange was $121 million (equivalent to $195.4 million in 2016).[1] Jim Weinberg designed the color scheme for the overpasses. He used Art Deco-stylized shades of color for the overpasses: winter blue, mural pink, cockleshell, natural grain, sailor`s sky, and hazy sun.[1]

In 1990, while the interchange was still under construction, the Miami Herald ran a contest in which its readers were requested to submit names for the soon-to-be important connection between two Interstate highways. The winning name was the Lauderloop, an ironic choice as four-level stack interchanges do not incorporate loops in their design. The contest was a short-term joke as virtually nobody in the local media referred to "Lauderloop" in their articles and reports involving the interchange, choosing the Rainbow moniker instead.[2] In 2002, the Florida Department of Transportation decided to repaint the interchange in bold colors.[3]

Description

The Rainbow Interchange marks the southern end of a segment of I-95 that sees traffic levels of roughly 300,000 automobiles per day in its 14 lanes, making it the busiest stretch of highway in the State of Florida;[4] Interstate 595 carries half that load in its eight lanes just west of the colorful junction of two Interstate highways.

Future

Due to Phase 3 of the I-95 Express Lanes extension, the interchange will be expanded with more overpasses and flyover ramps. The existing overpasses and flyover ramps will remain open since they will stay, but they will be repainted blue. The construction of the new overpasses and flyover ramps and the repaint of the existing ones are scheduled to begin by 2019 and expected to be completed by 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kernicky, Kathleen (March 22, 1991). "I-595 Project Nears End Of Road". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  2. ↑ History of Interstate 595
  3. ↑ Seemuth, Mike (May 2002). "Color me crowded - Transportation". Business Library. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  4. ↑ History of Interstate 95 in South Florida
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