Rainbow Interchange
Encyclopedia
One of two named interchanges in southeastern Florida
(the other being Miami's
Golden Glades Interchange
), the Rainbow Interchange is a four-level stack interchange
near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
. The local media dubbed the interchange between Interstate 95
(State Road 9
) and Interstate 595
(SR 862) Rainbow because each overpass
bridge is painted in a different color.
While the eastern segment of I-595 was officially opened on October 21, 1989, and I-595 was given Interstate highway status, on June 11, 1990, the Rainbow Interchange was not completed until March 22, 1991 (cost of building the interchange: $121 million).
In 1990, which 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.
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
; Interstate 595 carries half that load in its eight lanes just west of the colorful junction of two Interstate highways.
South Florida metropolitan area
The South Florida metropolitan area, also known as the Miami metropolitan area, and designated the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area by the U.S...
(the other being Miami's
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
Golden Glades Interchange
Golden Glades Interchange
The Golden Glades Interchange, located in Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach, Florida, United States, is the confluence of five major roads serving eastern and southern Florida.-Description:The five highways the come together at the interchange are U.S...
), the Rainbow Interchange is a four-level stack interchange
Stack interchange
A stack interchange is a free-flowing grade separated junction between two roads.In countries where one drives on the right, left turns are handled by semi-directional flyover/under ramps...
near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport is an international commercial airport located in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, three miles southwest of the central business district of Fort Lauderdale...
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
. The local media dubbed the interchange between Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Florida
Interstate 95 is the main Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States; it serves the Atlantic coast of Florida. It begins at a partial interchange with U.S. Highway 1 just south of downtown Miami, and heads north past Daytona Beach and Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the St...
(State Road 9
State Road 9 (Florida)
State Road 9 is a state road in the U.S. state of Florida. While SR 9 is mainly used as a "hidden" state designation for Interstate 95 from the Georgia border to the Golden Glades Interchange in Miami Gardens, a 13.7-mile-long signed SR 9 extends to the southwest as I-95 continues southward with...
) and Interstate 595
Interstate 595 (Florida)
Interstate 595 , also known as the Port Everglades Expressway and as the unsigned State Road 862, is a Interstate highway that connects Interstate 75 and Alligator Alley in the west with Florida's Turnpike, Interstate 95, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, US 1, and SR A1A before...
(SR 862) Rainbow because each overpass
Overpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
bridge is painted in a different color.
While the eastern segment of I-595 was officially opened on October 21, 1989, and I-595 was given Interstate highway status, on June 11, 1990, the Rainbow Interchange was not completed until March 22, 1991 (cost of building the interchange: $121 million).
In 1990, which 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
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
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.
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
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
; Interstate 595 carries half that load in its eight lanes just west of the colorful junction of two Interstate highways.