Flex Lanes now are active on a portion of State Road 429

If an incident occurs on State Road 429 between Tilden Road and the Florida’s Turnkpike, Flex Lanes will be able to help keep traffic moving. 

The Central Florida Expressway Authority’s new Flex Lanes system allows the left shoulder to open to traffic temporarily when an incident occurs in one or more of the right lanes, resulting in their closure. The Flex Lanes on S.R. 429 between Tilden Road and the Florida’s Turnpike became fully operational Monday, Dec. 16. The Flex Lanes between the Florida’s Turnpike and  S.R. 414 will be active in early to mid-2025.

There are 26 Flex Lane gantries stationed every half-mile along a 13-mile stretch on S.R. 429. 

Brian Hutchings, a spokesman with Central Florida Expressway, said Flex Lanes are commonly used around the U.S., but the lanes on S.R. 429 and S.R. 417 are unique because they were incorporated into the design of the widening of the roads rather than being retrofitted afterward. 

“These were actually baked into the design and were built with the construction project,” Hutchings said. “What we set out to do is to use technology to be able to better utilize the capacity that we have.”

Initially, Hutchings said the Flex Lanes only will be used in the case of incidents on the road. 

There will be screens over each lane with a green lane signifying the lane is open. A yellow ‘X’ signifies the lane will be closing, and a red ‘X’ means the lane is closed. 

The Flex Lanes will help drivers get around the accident safely while keeping traffic moving where a lane is blocked. Hutchings said oftentimes when an incident occurs, it causes traffic to back up which can result in secondary accidents. 

Hutchings said although the Flex Lanes are capable of being used to increase capacity during morning and evening rush hours, he doesn’t foresee the Flex Lanes being used during those times for years because S.R. 429 was just widened from two lanes on each side to three lanes. 

“West Orange and Lake County have seen tremendous growth,” Hutchings said. “We think it will be a number of years before we have to activate them for capacity improvement during morning and evening rush hour, but if we see the need, that’s something we’ll now have the capabilities to manage with the Flex Lane.”

Flex Lanes have been operational on S.R. 417 for a stretch of three miles since last fall. Hutchings said people have been using them as intended, so he expects the same for S.R. 429.

“We’re not seeing any cheaters that are using the closed flex shoulder lane,” he said. “It’s good that people are paying attention and abiding by the laws of the road.”

Florida Highway Patrol troopers will patrol the system to ensure motorists are abiding by the laws of the road, Hutchings said. 

The Regional Traffic Management Center manages the Flex Lanes.

“They have eyes on the road, so they can see when there’s been an accident and they’re the ones that actually activate the Flex Lanes,” Hutchings said. “They’ll be activating them, and if there’s concern that before we activate those Flex Lanes that the Flex Lane shoulders are free and clear, that there are no obstructions on those before we activate them to traffic. That’s an important safety component.”

Road Rangers will be able to help anyone who is broken down in the shoulders and on the road. 

Between Road Rangers, the Regional Traffic Management Center, Florida Highway Patrol and Central Florida Expressway Authority, Hutching said Flex Lanes are a team effort. 

‘We’re all working together to provide safe, efficient travel for the folks that live, work and travel here in Central Florida,” he said. 

The Flex Lanes are flexible in their use. If necessary, they can be used in other scenarios, such as if lanes need to be opened when people evacuate as a hurricane approaches.