Cars drive through the intersection of Military Trail and Northlake Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens on August 27, 2015. (Richard Graulich / The Palm Beach Post)

Traffic at rush hour backs up onto I-95 from the Northlake Boulevard exit ramps, and the Florida Department of Transportation’s spending a lot of time and money to figure out how to fix that.

The department has been studying the section of Northlake between Military Trail and Sunrise/Sandtree Drive in Palm Beach Gardens for at least a year and has floated a few options aimed at fixing the congestion. Representatives will be available to discuss the choices and answer questions at an open house-style workshop 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Marriott Hotel, 4000 RCA Blvd.

Here’s what they’re considering.

Option 1:

-Additional through lanes along Northlake Boulevard from Military Trail to Sunrise/Sandtree Drives.

-Sidewalk and bicycle lane improvements.

-I-95 exit ramps with triple left turn lanes and triple right turn lanes.

Option 2:

All of the above improvements, with a diverging diamond interchange configuration that eliminates opposing left turns.

Option 3:

-All of the Option 1 improvements, with elevated I-95 entrance ramps.

No build:

No improvements are constructed.

Traffic conditions are projected to worsen until the average vehicle is waiting at stop lights for two to three minutes if no improvements are built, according to FDOT.

There will be a public hearing next spring, after which the environmental and engineering documents will be finalized.

The interchange is one of 17 FDOT is studying in Palm Beach County as part of the I-95 interchange master plan. The plan will recommend short-term and long-term improvements to the interchanges based on traffic and new design standards, according to FDOT.

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