Changing lanes is about to take on a whole new meaning.

This time it is not the drivers who are shifting but rather the lanes themselves as Interstate 595 gets ready to debut reversible lanes in late March – a first for South Florida.

Broward's only east-west expressway will have three tolled lanes in its median, offering drivers extra help when they need it most - eastbound in the morning and westbound at night.

Because reversible lanes are such a novelty, officials are planning a big push to educate drivers on how to use them. The effort kicks off with an open house Thursday at the Signature Grand in Davie.

Here's what you need to know:

Q: What will prevent drivers from going the wrong way?

Warning lights and overhead message signs will say when the reversible lanes are open or closed. A series of gates will close off the lanes to prevent cars from entering the wrong way. The first three to four gates can be broken through before drivers reach a final locked-down steel arm meant to stop a vehicle.

Q: Who can use the reversible lanes?

The lanes are open to all motor vehicles, including large trucks. But you need SunPass to use them.

Q: How much will the tolls be?

Fluctuating from 50 cents to $2, depending on congestion.

Q: When will they be open?

Eastbound, 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. Westbound, 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday. On weekends, eastbound all day. The lanes will be closed for maintenance from 1 to 2 p.m. weekdays and from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. nightly.

Q: Where can I enter and exit?

Eastbound drivers will enter west of 136th Avenue and exit either to Florida's Turnpike or continue east to I-95. Westbound drivers will enter west of I-95 or from the turnpike and exit after 136th Avenue before the I-75/Sawgrass interchange.

Q: What is the speed limit?

70 mph in the reversible lanes, 65 mph in the free lanes.

Q: I can't use the reversible lanes because of where the entrances are located. How do drivers in the free lanes benefit?

The reversible lanes are designed to move long-distance commuters, not drivers only traveling a few exits. Long-distance drivers who use them should free up capacity in the free lanes.

Q: Who is charged?

Everyone, including hybrids, motorcycles and carpools.

Q: Where are tolls deducted?

A toll gantry east of Flamingo Road. No cash is allowed.

Q: How will emergency vehicles access the reversible lanes without driving to the entrance on either end?

There are five emergency access gates -- three westbound and two eastbound. The gates can be opened remotely or cranked open on-site. Smaller gates will block the shoulders of the reversible lanes ahead of the emergency access gates so emergency vehicles can enter without having to merge with traffic already in the lanes.

Q: How much money will the tolls generate?

Up to $6 million in the first full year of operation, with the money used to repay the project's construction cost and an express bus service. By 2035, officials say the lanes will raise up to $21 million a year.

Q: How wide are the reversible lanes?

The standard width of 12-foot travel lanes and 10-foot shoulders.

Q: How much traffic is expected to use the reversible lanes?

About 23,000 to 28,000 commuters a day. I-595 currently moves about 206,000 vehicles a day in its busiest stretch west of the turnpike.

Q: How much was spent to build the lanes?

About a third of the $1.2 billion cost to rebuild I-595 was spent on the reversible lanes.

Q: I-595 was built with taxpayer money. How can they charge tolls in the reversible lanes?

Congress OK'd it in 2005. Regular highway lanes cannot be converted to toll lanes. But states have gotten around that by converting carpool lanes into toll lanes or building new lanes, which can be tolled.

Q: Are we the only place with reversible lanes on an interstate?

No, they exist on I-5 in Seattle, I-15 north of San Diego, I-64 in Norfolk, Va., I-70 in St. Louis, I-93 in Boston, I-95 and I-395 in Washington, D.C., and Chicago's Kennedy Expressway (I-90 and I-94). In Florida, Tampa's Lee Roy Selmon Expressway has reversible lanes on a bridge above the free lanes.

mturnbell@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4155, Twitter @MikeTurnpike, Facebook at SunSentinel.com/concreteideas

If you go

What: I-595 reversible lanes open house. Officials will be available to answer questions and project displays will be shown.

When: 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday

Where: Signature Grand, 6900 State Road 84, Davie.