I-75 and Pines Boulevard: The Intersection Design That Made Everything Else Possible

Sometimes the hardest engineering problem on a project isn’t the biggest piece of infrastructure. It’s the one that’s been blocking everything behind it. The Florida Department of Transportation needed to relocate the northbound-to-eastbound exit ramp at the I-75 and Pines Boulevard Interchange to clear the southeast quadrant for a planned Express Bus Hub and Park & Ride. The relocation also needed to address traffic demands, reduce congestion, and improve mobility, safety, evacuation routes, and truck access. Previous planning efforts by other consultants had been unable to meet Federal Highway Administration Level of Service standards for the interchange. The project was stuck.

Our highway design team found the way through. We developed a unique solution: an Echelon Intersection at the relocated ramp terminal. By separating turning movements across two levels, the design increased green time and successfully achieved the required LOS that had eluded prior efforts. That single design decision unlocked the site for future transit infrastructure and allowed the broader project to move forward.

Clearing the Way for Regional Transit

The implications extend well beyond the ramp itself. With the interchange redesigned and the southeast quadrant freed, FDOT can now advance the Express Bus Hub and Park & Ride that will serve the Pines Boulevard corridor for years to come. The project’s multimodal enhancements align with FDOT’s broader goals for integrated regional transit, positioning this corridor to accommodate future growth and increased commuter demand. For a project that other teams couldn’t crack at the LOS level, the solution turned out to be less about adding capacity and more about rethinking how movements flow through the space.