The new I-95 exit at Glades Road is near completion. Here’s an inside look at the progress.

BOCA RATON — South Floridians soon will see long-awaited highway improvements in Boca Raton, with traffic relief expected from I-95′s newly redesigned Glades Road exit, as well as the reopening of the Clint Moore Road bridge.

On a recent cloudy day, the Florida Department of Transportation gave a behind-the-scenes look at the construction zones to demonstrate the significant progress underway. Construction workers in hard hats and yellow vests remained busy laying steel and rebar, not far from where thousands of cars on I-95 sped by underneath.

The highway overhaul, which began construction in 2019, is part of a $148 million project — the majority of which is expected to be completed in the coming months. Here’s a look at the efforts.

The newly revamped Glades Road exit is on track to open this fall. And just this past week, the final pilings were being hammered into the ground to support widened lanes for Glades Road over Military Trail and the railroad tracks. Military Trail and the Tri-Rail tracks run parallel to I-95, immediately west of the highway under the Glades Road overpass.

[ This new I-95 exit at Glades Road will soon debut in Boca Raton. It may take some getting used to the odd shape.  ]

The Glades Road revamp calls for the direction of traffic being reversed over I-95 in an effort to make entrance and exit ramps and intersections safer, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. It’s a configuration known as a “diverging diamond interchange.”

In the prior configuration, eastbound drivers traveling across the overpass stayed on the south side of Glades Road the entire time. Under the new configuration, eastbound drivers are diverted to the north side of Glades Road to keep heading eastbound or to get on I-95. Drivers going west will take a similar, but opposite route.

There also are safety-oriented improvements on the way: Before the changes, people would use sidewalks and bike lanes that were right next to the car lanes. Now, a new pathway is situated between the eastbound and westbound lanes — with a new safety fence that will help keep pedestrians and bicyclists apart from cars.

[ RELATED: What are Diverging Diamond Interchanges? ]

As the work progresses, there have been lots of logistics to consider. Under Glades Road, a tall electrical pole sends thousands of volts alongside the road, requiring coordination with Florida Power and Light, and businesses, to disable the power at times that have the lowest impact on businesses, according to project spokeswoman Andrea Pacini.

A railroad safety worker also is required to oversee work that takes place in close proximity to a train track, meaning more coordination with the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which runs the Tri-Rail.

The north side of Glades Road also will need to be widened to accommodate the off-ramp in that area. That widening over Military Trail on the north end of Glades Road will need to be completed before the diverging diamond interchange can be fully opened, according to FDOT.

As the new interchange nears its opening, the public will have a chance to get even more details: Project managers will have a public meeting about it at the Spanish River Library, 1501 Spanish River Blvd., from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 14.

The bridge at Clint Moore Road is expected to be done and reopened by the end of the summer. The bridge over the highway and railroad tracks is being completely rebuilt, because the former bridge had been there for about 50 years.

The bridge, which runs east and west over the train tracks and I-95, is just north of Yamato Road. On the east, Clint Moore Street ends just east of Northwest Second Avenue. At the west side, the bridge is closed just east of Park of Commerce Boulevard. The bridge has been closed since March 2021, forcing commuters to take detours through the area, mostly using Yamato Road.

[ RELATED: Clint Moore Road overpass at I-95 will close for over a year  ]

At the Clint Moore Road bridge, crews were wrapping up installing rebar and stay-in-place bars, which help keep concrete in place as it dries and hardens.

About half the job was done, with around 1,000 cubic yards of concrete having already been poured, and an additional 1,030 cubic yards that still needed pouring, construction workers said.

That should be complete by June 12, and at least two weeks after that, crews will grind and groove the deck to ensure a smooth ride for motorists and bicyclists.

On the bridge, a pathway will offer 7 feet on one side for bicycles, pedestrians and others, with a safety fence on the guard rail.

Construction officials expect the bridge to reopen toward the end of July or early August.

Austen Erblat can be reached at aerblat@sunsentinel.com, 954-599-8709 or on Twitter @AustenErblat.