June 30: HOT Signs Bring Back Bad Memories

By Sylvia Gurinsky

Whew, I feel better. Sort of.

So those gargantuan signs actually deal with only a couple of lanes on I-95:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/587860.html

Actually, I already knew that, but the size of that sign at I-95 northbound and the Dolphin Expressway eastbound almost fooled me. And it will fool plenty of other drivers into thinking they're being charged for driving on ANY lane of I-95.

It brings back bad memories of the "Sunburst" signs. Remember those? It was Dade County's $2.7 million boondoggle in the mid-1990s to keep tourists from heading into areas considered dangerous after the murder of a German tourist. The signs worked so "well" that they're no longer in use.

Money from the gas tax was diverted from road improvements. What could $2.7 million have paid for back then?

(And speaking of road improvements, when is FDOT going to repair, or at least put a barricade, on that piece of I-95 barrier just north of the Dolphin that looks like it's going to collapse completely?)

Anyway, FDOT is getting ready to explain all the changes to the public (including the "metered" lanes at I-95 exits, which makes it sound like motorists will be charged for those, too, even though they won't).

They'd better explain - over and over. They might start with why such a large sign that covers all of I-95 is needed for what amounts to two lanes. And how much that will cost.