Highlights
Florida's Turnpike opened on Jan. 25, 1957 as a 110-mile highway between the Golden Glades interchange in Miami and Fort Pierce.
Today, Florida's Turnpike system consists of 460 miles of roads, including the mainline from Miami to I-75 north of Orlando; the Homestead Extension, and the Sawgrass Expressway, both in South Florida; the Seminole Expressway, the Beachline Expressway, the Southern Connector Extension of the Central Florida GreeneWay, all in the Orlando area; the Veterans Expressway and the Suncoast Parkway in the Tampa Bay area; and the Polk Parkway near Lakeland.
There are eight service plazas located approximately every 45 miles along the turnpike with facilities...
Today, Florida's Turnpike system consists of 460 miles of roads, including the mainline from Miami to I-75 north of Orlando; the Homestead Extension, and the Sawgrass Expressway, both in South Florida; the Seminole Expressway, the Beachline Expressway, the Southern Connector Extension of the Central Florida GreeneWay, all in the Orlando area; the Veterans Expressway and the Suncoast Parkway in the Tampa Bay area; and the Polk Parkway near Lakeland.
There are eight service plazas located approximately every 45 miles along the turnpike with facilities...
Florida's Turnpike opened on Jan. 25, 1957 as a 110-mile highway between the Golden Glades interchange in Miami and Fort Pierce.
Today, Florida's Turnpike system consists of 460 miles of roads, including the mainline from Miami to I-75 north of Orlando; the Homestead Extension, and the Sawgrass Expressway, both in South Florida; the Seminole Expressway, the Beachline Expressway, the Southern Connector Extension of the Central Florida GreeneWay, all in the Orlando area; the Veterans Expressway and the Suncoast Parkway in the Tampa Bay area; and the Polk Parkway near Lakeland.
There are eight service plazas located approximately every 45 miles along the turnpike with facilities ranging from gas stations and restaurants to picnic tables and restrooms.
On average, 1.8 million motorists use Florida's Turnpike each day. Annual toll revenues have grown from $3.6 million in 1957 on that original 110-mile stretch to $633 million in 2006 on the turnpike's expanded network of 460 miles of roads.
In 1999, SunPass was introduced, allowing drivers to pay tolls electronically from a prepaid account and avoid stopping at toll plazas to throw coins in a basket. SunPass relies on a windshield-mounted transponder about the size of a deck of cards. The toll rate on Florida's Turnpike falls slightly below the median when compared with other state toll road facilities, which range from two cents per mile to 18 cents per mile.
In March 2004, the Florida Legislature authorized a plan to raise turnpike toll rates to 7.5 cents per mile to keep up with inflation and fund the state's growing transportation needs. The increase, which amounts to about a quarter at each toll plaza, affects cash customers only. SunPass tolls remain at previous rates.
The turnpike was the fastest road construction project of its day. The first 110-mile stretch cost $62 million and took 18 months to open. That's a bargain compared with the nearly $500 million being spent to widen 26 miles of the turnpike through Broward, which is expected to take seven to 10 years.
When the first stretch of the turnpike was built, it didn't require the purchase of expensive property. Most of the land was rural. Cattle tunnels were built beneath the highway where the road split vast dairy lands in South Florida.
The original plan for the turnpike was to run near the route occupied today by I-95. But Hamilton Forman, a dairy farmer and one of Broward's most powerful political figures, had a different vision after he saw the impact of roads in Los Angeles.
Forman and other landowners sued because the turnpike would have left much of their land inaccessible. The state backed down and moved the turnpike west of U.S. 441. The change also allowed the state to build I-95 in eastern Broward and Palm Beach counties several years later.
Another route change would pave the way for Disney World several years later. Orlando attorney William H. "Billy" Dial, a member of the powerful State Road Board, persuaded then-Gov. Leroy Collins to divert the turnpike from Fort Pierce to Orlando after consultants said the new route would generate enough tolls to pay for the highway.
In 1963, Walt Disney and his staff flew over Central Florida to scout locations for his new theme park. They saw a giant X where the new turnpike crossed the future Interstate 4 and thousands of acres of undeveloped land to the south that would later become home to Disney World.
By the late '70s, the South Florida stretch of the turnpike carried more commuters headed to work than truckers or tourists. Coin-toss baskets replaced the old fare cards, and toll plazas were built on the highway in place of toll booths at every exit to ease backups.
In the mid '80s, legislators debated whether to discontinue the tolls because the original bonds had been paid off. In 1990, they voted to keep the tolls and use the money to build more than $1 billion in new toll roads and expand the turnpike in South Florida. That decision all but guaranteed that the turnpike will remain a toll road, fueling the addition of about 150 miles of new toll roads and positioning the turnpike to alter the landscape far into the future.
In 2001, the turnpike became Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, free of many bureaucratic rules. Under the new agency, projects must be paid off in 22 years instead of the previous 10 years.
Today, Florida's Turnpike system consists of 460 miles of roads, including the mainline from Miami to I-75 north of Orlando; the Homestead Extension, and the Sawgrass Expressway, both in South Florida; the Seminole Expressway, the Beachline Expressway, the Southern Connector Extension of the Central Florida GreeneWay, all in the Orlando area; the Veterans Expressway and the Suncoast Parkway in the Tampa Bay area; and the Polk Parkway near Lakeland.
There are eight service plazas located approximately every 45 miles along the turnpike with facilities ranging from gas stations and restaurants to picnic tables and restrooms.
On average, 1.8 million motorists use Florida's Turnpike each day. Annual toll revenues have grown from $3.6 million in 1957 on that original 110-mile stretch to $633 million in 2006 on the turnpike's expanded network of 460 miles of roads.
In 1999, SunPass was introduced, allowing drivers to pay tolls electronically from a prepaid account and avoid stopping at toll plazas to throw coins in a basket. SunPass relies on a windshield-mounted transponder about the size of a deck of cards. The toll rate on Florida's Turnpike falls slightly below the median when compared with other state toll road facilities, which range from two cents per mile to 18 cents per mile.
In March 2004, the Florida Legislature authorized a plan to raise turnpike toll rates to 7.5 cents per mile to keep up with inflation and fund the state's growing transportation needs. The increase, which amounts to about a quarter at each toll plaza, affects cash customers only. SunPass tolls remain at previous rates.
The turnpike was the fastest road construction project of its day. The first 110-mile stretch cost $62 million and took 18 months to open. That's a bargain compared with the nearly $500 million being spent to widen 26 miles of the turnpike through Broward, which is expected to take seven to 10 years.
When the first stretch of the turnpike was built, it didn't require the purchase of expensive property. Most of the land was rural. Cattle tunnels were built beneath the highway where the road split vast dairy lands in South Florida.
The original plan for the turnpike was to run near the route occupied today by I-95. But Hamilton Forman, a dairy farmer and one of Broward's most powerful political figures, had a different vision after he saw the impact of roads in Los Angeles.
Forman and other landowners sued because the turnpike would have left much of their land inaccessible. The state backed down and moved the turnpike west of U.S. 441. The change also allowed the state to build I-95 in eastern Broward and Palm Beach counties several years later.
Another route change would pave the way for Disney World several years later. Orlando attorney William H. "Billy" Dial, a member of the powerful State Road Board, persuaded then-Gov. Leroy Collins to divert the turnpike from Fort Pierce to Orlando after consultants said the new route would generate enough tolls to pay for the highway.
In 1963, Walt Disney and his staff flew over Central Florida to scout locations for his new theme park. They saw a giant X where the new turnpike crossed the future Interstate 4 and thousands of acres of undeveloped land to the south that would later become home to Disney World.
By the late '70s, the South Florida stretch of the turnpike carried more commuters headed to work than truckers or tourists. Coin-toss baskets replaced the old fare cards, and toll plazas were built on the highway in place of toll booths at every exit to ease backups.
In the mid '80s, legislators debated whether to discontinue the tolls because the original bonds had been paid off. In 1990, they voted to keep the tolls and use the money to build more than $1 billion in new toll roads and expand the turnpike in South Florida. That decision all but guaranteed that the turnpike will remain a toll road, fueling the addition of about 150 miles of new toll roads and positioning the turnpike to alter the landscape far into the future.
In 2001, the turnpike became Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, free of many bureaucratic rules. Under the new agency, projects must be paid off in 22 years instead of the previous 10 years.
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I-95 plaza bidder prompts questions
The state is poised to approve a 35-year deal with the U.S. unit of a Spanish hospitality company to rebuild and manage two travel plazas on Interstate 95 even as questions emerge about its track record and experience.
The Board of Public Works meets...Tags: Companies and Corporations, Maryland Department of Transportation, Port of Baltimore, Martin O'Malley, Cecil County
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Maryland's travel plazas are in good hands with Areas USA
Having worked for both HMSHost and Areas USA at travel plazas along the Florida Turnpike, I can assure Marylanders that Areas USA is the superior employer and operator ("Judge blocks award of travel plazas contract," Feb. 23). While I have the utmost...Tags: Trips and Vacations, Lake Worth
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Company challenges award of travel plaza contract
The multimillion-dollar contract to turn Maryland's travel plazas on Interstate 95 over to an out-of-state company is being challenged by a Bethesda-based firm that says the bidding process favored the eventual winner.
HMSHost has filed a protest with...Tags: Highway Transportation, Volleyball, Companies and Corporations, Bethesda (Montgomery, Maryland), Companies and Corporations
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Two I-95 travel plazas to be rebuilt in revenue-sharing plan
Maryland has taken the first step toward replacing its two travel plazas on Interstate 95 north of Baltimore with expansive, airy welcome centers filled with amenities and operated by a company with years of experience serving travelers.
The two-year,...Tags: Cecil County, Company Privatization, Annual Reports, Companies and Corporations, Trips and Vacations
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Back in Florida, with a chip on his shoulder
Special to baltimoresun.com"The two most important things in life are good friends and a strong bullpen." - Hall of Famer Bob Lemon The pilgrimage to Florida has begun and I'm excited about heading to spring training for the second time. My first trip was a magical experience back...Tags: Spring Training, Rafael Palmeiro, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Grapefruit League, Bike Week
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06/04: Business events
Chamber Winter Park: Winter Park Executive Women Speed Networking Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. June 4, Winter Park Welcome Center, 151 W. Lyman Ave., Winter Park. Cost: $20 for members; $25 nonmembers; Details: 407-644-8281 or winterpark.org. Winter Park:...
Tags: Sanford, Winter Park, Business, Electronics, Automotive Equipment
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Newsweek: I-64 at HRBT one of country's worst commutes
Hampton Roads was the recent recipient of another less-than-flattering honor related to the region's well-documented traffic woes: inclusion in a Newsweek list of the country's worst commutes. The Daily Beast web site — which serves as Newsweek...Tags: Toano, Highway Transportation, Hampton Roads, Transportation, James City County
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State finally signs off on Wekiva Parkway
Nearly a half-year after agreeing to help build the $1.66 billion Wekiva Parkway, the state has finally signed off on the deal.
Ananth Prasad, who runs the Florida Department of Transportation, on Tuesday put his signature to the contract, but the agency...Tags: Rick Scott, Highway Transportation, Orange County (Florida), Apopka, Tallahassee (Leon, Florida)
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Sachs launches bid for District 34 seat
Florida Sen. Maria Sachs kicked off her campaign for the state's District 34 seat at a political pep rally that featured an assortment of local Democrats and a team from Tallahassee that has called her race the most important in the state. Sachs is...Tags: Maria Lorts Sachs, Ellyn Bogdanoff, Boynton Beach, Rod Smith, Fort Lauderdale
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Turnpike's Okeechobee Blvd. exit closed this weekend for work on new SunPass lanes
More SunPass lanes are coming to two exits on Florida's Turnpike in Palm Beach County by the end of August. But the work will require some nighttime and weekend lane and ramp closures, starting this weekend with the complete closure of the Okeechobee...Tags: Palm Beach (Palm Beach, Florida), Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach
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05/28: Business events
Chamber Kissimmee/Osceola County: Downtown Kissimmee Area Council will host a Downtown Update, 7:45-9 a.m. May 30; Kissimmee Civic Center, 201 E. Dakin Ave., Kissimmee. Hear from civic and government leaders about the current, future and potential...
Tags: Winter Park, Sanford, Kissimmee, Business, Media Industry
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Here's how to register your carpool to drive in the I-95 express lanes for free
Q: How do you register for the new I-95 express lanes if you carpool? Mark Clarke, Davie A: You can register at 1800234ride.com or call 1-800-234-7433. Registered carpools of three or more people can use the express lanes for free. You'll be asked to...Tags: Road Transportation, Transportation, Key West, Florida City, Vehicles
Feb 15, 2012
|Story| Baltimore Sun
Feb 25, 2012
|Story| Baltimore Sun
Jan 31, 2012
|Story| Baltimore Sun
Jan 23, 2012
|Story| Baltimore Sun
Mar 6, 2007
|Story| Baltimoresun.com
Jun 3, 2012
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
Jun 3, 2012
|Column| Hampton Roads Daily Press
May 30, 2012
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
May 30, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 29, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 27, 2012
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
May 28, 2012
|Column| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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