115-822: Interstate 75 ( I-75 ) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from the Hialeah – Miami Lakes border, a few miles northwest of Miami , to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan . I-75 begins its national northward journey near Miami, running along the western parts of the Miami metropolitan area before traveling westward across Alligator Alley (also known as Everglades Parkway ), resuming its northward direction in Naples , running along Florida's Gulf Coast , and passing
230-535: A concurrency or overlap. For example, I‑75 and I‑85 share the same roadway in Atlanta ; this 7.4-mile (11.9 km) section, called the Downtown Connector , is labeled both I‑75 and I‑85. Concurrencies between Interstate and US Highway numbers are also allowed in accordance with AASHTO policy, as long as the length of the concurrency is reasonable. In rare instances, two highway designations sharing
345-555: A welcome center south of the state line. Exit 131 has a single facility accessible from both travel directions on I-75, as well as the intersecting highway. Exit 161 had a rest stop at the interchange's southeast quadrant, but it closed in 2015 because of low usage. Exit 191 also had a rest stop at the interchange's northeast quadrant that closed in the 1990s. Each rest area has restrooms, vending machines, picnic tables, dog walk areas, and nighttime security. The welcome center also has travel information and free orange juice ,
460-651: A 28-year-old brevet lieutenant colonel, accompanied the trip "through darkest America with truck and tank," as he later described it. Some roads in the West were a "succession of dust, ruts, pits, and holes." As the landmark 1916 law expired, new legislation was passed—the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 (Phipps Act). This new road construction initiative once again provided for federal matching funds for road construction and improvement, $ 75 million allocated annually. Moreover, this new legislation for
575-528: A West Coast Turnpike in 1964 from the Tampa Bay area south to Naples. Plans for the West Coast Turnpike (which would have been tolled) were canceled in 1968, when it was announced that US Secretary of Transportation Alan S. Boyd had approved an extension of I-75 south to Naples and then east to Miami. The federal government would pay for 90 percent of the extension using funds allocated by
690-412: A bill to the registered owner of the vehicle. The bill consists of the toll and an administrative fee. If the person fails to pay the toll and accompanying fees at all, the person would be fined $ 100 plus the tolls owed; in some cases, court costs, points against the driver's license, and the suspension of the license and registration would also be levied. SunPass is fully interoperable with E-Pass (from
805-476: A change in the numbering system as a result of a new policy adopted in 1973. Previously, letter-suffixed numbers were used for long spurs off primary routes; for example, western I‑84 was I‑80N, as it went north from I‑80 . The new policy stated, "No new divided numbers (such as I-35W and I-35E , etc.) shall be adopted." The new policy also recommended that existing divided numbers be eliminated as quickly as possible; however, an I-35W and I-35E still exist in
920-979: A general southeast–northwest trajectory, which is sustained to the Georgia state line and beyond. I-75 passes beneath the Cross Florida Greenway , which contains a land bridge built across the highway in 2001 between exits 341 and 350, before entering the city of Ocala , and passing by the cities of Gainesville and Lake City and crosses I-10 at an interchange before entering the state of Georgia, near Valdosta . I-75 runs closest to US 41 except between Tampa and High Springs . It runs closer to US 301 between Ellenton and Temple Terrace , and again from Dade City to Sparr . From Belleview to Lake City, it runs closest to US 441 . Original plans for I-75 called for its southern terminus to be in Tampa , where it would terminate at I-4 (at
1035-595: A national road grid with the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 . In 1926, the United States Numbered Highway System was established, creating the first national road numbering system for cross-country travel. The roads were state-funded and maintained, and there were few national standards for road design. United States Numbered Highways ranged from two-lane country roads to multi-lane freeways. After Dwight D. Eisenhower became president in 1953, his administration developed
1150-589: A numbering scheme in which primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, and shorter routes which branch off of longer ones are assigned three-digit numbers where the last two digits match the parent route. The Interstate Highway System is partially financed through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself is funded by a combination of a federal fuel tax and transfers from the Treasury's general fund. Though federal legislation initially banned
1265-491: A proposal for an interstate highway system, eventually resulting in the enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 . Unlike the earlier United States Numbered Highway System, the interstates were designed to be all freeways, with nationally unified standards for construction and signage. While some older freeways were adopted into the system, most of the routes were completely new. In dense urban areas,
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#17327902659941380-559: A report called Toll Roads and Free Roads , "the first formal description of what became the Interstate Highway System" and, in 1944, the similarly themed Interregional Highways . The Interstate Highway System gained a champion in President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was influenced by his experiences as a young Army officer crossing the country in the 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy that drove in part on
1495-409: A single digit prefixed to the two-digit number of its parent Interstate Highway. Spur routes deviate from their parent and do not return; these are given an odd first digit. Circumferential and radial loop routes return to the parent, and are given an even first digit. Unlike primary Interstates, three-digit Interstates are signed as either east–west or north–south, depending on the general orientation of
1610-431: A somewhat literal meaning. The state moved to officially adopt the "Alligator Alley" name in 1966. As a two-lane road, Alligator Alley suffered from poor construction and environmental planning. It was also notorious for high-speed accidents including both head-on collisions and collisions with wildlife. The need to improve the road was one of the factors considered in the decision to reroute I-75 onto Alligator Alley, which
1725-801: A speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) because it is a parkway that consists of only one lane per side of the highway. On the other hand, Interstates 15, 80, 84, and 215 in Utah have speed limits as high as 70 mph (115 km/h) within the Wasatch Front , Cedar City , and St. George areas, and I-25 in New Mexico within the Santa Fe and Las Vegas areas along with I-20 in Texas along Odessa and Midland and I-29 in North Dakota along
1840-460: A speed limit of 80 mph (130 km/h). Other Interstates in Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming also have the same high speed limits. In some areas, speed limits on Interstates can be significantly lower in areas where they traverse significantly hazardous areas. The maximum speed limit on I-90 is 50 mph (80 km/h) in downtown Cleveland because of two sharp curves with
1955-474: A suggested limit of 35 mph (55 km/h) in a heavily congested area; I-70 through Wheeling, West Virginia , has a maximum speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) through the Wheeling Tunnel and most of downtown Wheeling; and I-68 has a maximum speed limit of 40 mph (65 km/h) through Cumberland, Maryland , because of multiple hazards including sharp curves and narrow lanes through
2070-506: A toll collector who was murdered on the job on January 30, 1974. In April 2008, FDOT proposed a 72-mile (116 km) section of Alligator Alley to be leased to private operators. The additional revenue the state would receive was one of primary motives to privatize this section of Alligator Alley. However, the motion failed in May 2009 when no bids were received that met the required terms. FDOT contracted Prince Contracting in 2015 to construct
2185-647: Is 70 mph (110 km/h) for its entire length in Florida. The portion of I-75 from Tampa northward was a part of the original 1955 Interstate Highway plans, with I-75's southern terminus at I-4 's current western terminus. Planning to extend the Interstate south to Miami began in 1968 after massive growth in Southwest Florida , which resulted in I-75 being realigned to travel on the eastern fringes of
2300-543: Is also commonly believed the Interstate Highway System was built for the sole purpose of evacuating cities in the event of nuclear warfare . While military motivations were present, the primary motivations were civilian. The numbering scheme for the Interstate Highway System was developed in 1957 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The association's present numbering policy dates back to August 10, 1973. Within
2415-515: Is an electronic toll collection system within the state of Florida, United States. It was created in 1999 by the Florida Department of Transportation 's (FDOT's) Office of Toll Operations, operating now as a division of Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). The system utilizes windshield-mounted RFID transponders manufactured by TransCore and lane equipment designed by companies including TransCore , SAIC , and Raytheon . SunPass
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#17327902659942530-569: Is the Mackinac Bridge in northern Michigan). Tolls are $ 3.75 for a two-axle vehicle as of July 1, 2023, and are collected in both directions. The highway's toll plazas accept both cash and transponders in the SunPass network and are located at either entrance to Alligator Alley. The toll facilities along Alligator Alley and toll revenue collected from them are overseen by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). There are two interchanges along
2645-480: Is to have the highway route extend from Tamaulipas , Mexico to Ontario , Canada. The planned I-11 will then bridge the Interstate gap between Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada , and thus form part of the CANAMEX Corridor (along with I-19 , and portions of I-10 and I-15 ) between Sonora , Mexico and Alberta , Canada. Political opposition from residents canceled many freeway projects around
2760-737: The Central Florida Expressway Authority ), O-Pass (from Osceola County , which has been folded into E-Pass), LeeWay (from Lee County toll bridges) and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) toll roads. SunPass, like other electronic toll collection (ETC) systems in Florida, was not initially compatible with systems outside of Florida. The federal MAP-21 transportation bill passed in July 2012 required all toll facilities to have interoperable road tolling systems by October 1, 2016, but it
2875-474: The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas, and an I-35W and I-35E that run through Minneapolis and Saint Paul , Minnesota, still exist. Additionally, due to Congressional requirements, three sections of I-69 in southern Texas will be divided into I-69W , I-69E , and I-69C (for Central). AASHTO policy allows dual numbering to provide continuity between major control points. This is referred to as
2990-552: The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. Under the act, the federal government would pay for 90 percent of the cost of construction of Interstate Highways. Each Interstate Highway was required to be a freeway with at least four lanes and no at-grade crossings. The publication in 1955 of the General Location of National System of Interstate Highways , informally known as the Yellow Book , mapped out what became
3105-489: The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968 , which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson . In preparation for the extension, I-75's designation was extended along the preexisting route of I-4 over the Howard Frankland Bridge into St. Petersburg by the end of 1969 (I-4's designation would be truncated to its current terminus at this time). From St. Petersburg, I-75 was proposed to continue south over
3220-630: The Grand Forks area have higher speed limits of 75 mph (120 km/h). As one of the components of the National Highway System , Interstate Highways improve the mobility of military troops to and from airports, seaports, rail terminals, and other military bases. Interstate Highways also connect to other roads that are a part of the Strategic Highway Network , a system of roads identified as critical to
3335-530: The Hialeah – Miami Lakes border, near Miami. As it curves around the border of Miami Lakes, I-75 serves some of the western fringes of South Florida as an eight-lane highway. After an exit with SR 860 , I-75 has an interchange with the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike before crossing into Broward County . There, it continues through the western suburbs of Pembroke Pines , Weston , Miramar , Davie , and Southwest Ranches . At
3450-730: The Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike , the Sawgrass Expressway , and the Veterans Expressway to open road tolling , utilizing the SunPass transponders, in September 2010, February 2011, April 2014, and June 2014 respectively, ceasing cash collection. This allows free-flowing movement on both toll roads, moving through toll gantries at the former toll plazas. Motorists without a SunPass are billed through toll by plate . Toll-by-Plate uses cameras and sends
3565-802: The Interstate Highway System , or the Eisenhower Interstate System , is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States . The system extends throughout the contiguous United States and has routes in Hawaii , Alaska , and Puerto Rico . In the 20th century, the United States Congress began funding roadways through the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , and started an effort to construct
Interstate 75 in Florida - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-556: The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway (SR 618) and I-4 . Within the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, many interchanges are far more complex than mere diamond , cloverleaf , or even single-point urban interchanges. Aside from the large turbine interchange with I-4 (exit 261), there are interchanges with SR 582 (Fowler Avenue; exit 265) and SR 579 (Fletcher Avenue/Morris Bridge Road; exit 266) that contain both loops and flyovers. A flyover ramp
3795-529: The Lincoln Highway , the first road across America. He recalled that, "The old convoy had started me thinking about good two-lane highways... the wisdom of broader ribbons across our land." Eisenhower also gained an appreciation of the Reichsautobahn system, the first "national" implementation of modern Germany's Autobahn network, as a necessary component of a national defense system while he
3910-596: The Sunshine Skyway Bridge and continue south along a new freeway roughly parallel to the Tamiami Trail ( US 41 ) along the lower Gulf Coast to Naples. As the extension was planned in 1968, plans were also made for a freeway bypassing Tampa Bay to the east. The bypass was initially planned to be designated Interstate 75E ( I-75E ), and was to split from I-75 near Wesley Chapel and rejoin it just north of Ellenton . However, in 1972, it
4025-524: The Tampa Bay area metropolis consisting of Tampa and St. Petersburg . North of Ellenton , I-275 splits from I-75 to serve St. Petersburg and Pinellas County via the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Tampa via the Howard Frankland Bridge . I-75 parallels the eastern shore of Tampa Bay as a bypass route of the Tampa Bay area , as it passes by the communities of Brandon , Temple Terrace , and New Tampa . Two expressways access Downtown Tampa from I-75:
4140-506: The US Department of Defense . The system has also been used to facilitate evacuations in the face of hurricanes and other natural disasters. An option for maximizing traffic throughput on a highway is to reverse the flow of traffic on one side of a divider so that all lanes become outbound lanes. This procedure, known as contraflow lane reversal , has been employed several times for hurricane evacuations. After public outcry regarding
4255-470: The US Highways , which increase from east to west and north to south). This numbering system usually holds true even if the local direction of the route does not match the compass directions. Numbers divisible by five are intended to be major arteries among the primary routes, carrying traffic long distances. Primary north–south Interstates increase in number from I-5 between Canada and Mexico along
4370-553: The West Coast to I‑95 between Canada and Miami, Florida along the East Coast . Major west–east arterial Interstates increase in number from I-10 between Santa Monica, California , and Jacksonville, Florida , to I-90 between Seattle, Washington , and Boston, Massachusetts , with two exceptions. There are no I-50 and I-60, as routes with those numbers would likely pass through states that currently have US Highways with
4485-735: The 75-mile (121 km) tolled portion of Alligator Alley in addition to three rest areas and a number of scenic outlook points as the highway crosses the Everglades. I-75 enters Collier County along Alligator Alley just west of the Snake Road exit (exit 49) and passes through the Big Cypress National Preserve between the Collier County border and SR 29 (exit 80). Several small bridges along Alligator Alley allow wildlife to pass safely under
4600-576: The Congress Hotel in Chicago. In the plan, Mehren proposed a 50,000-mile (80,000 km) system, consisting of five east–west routes and 10 north–south routes. The system would include two percent of all roads and would pass through every state at a cost of $ 25,000 per mile ($ 16,000/km), providing commercial as well as military transport benefits. In 1919, the US Army sent an expedition across
4715-530: The Dolphin Expressway, with its left exits and narrow lanes, was not being built to Interstate Highway standards , with the costs to upgrade it being too expensive. By using this route, I-75 would run along the alley to the proposed Port Everglades Expressway, where it would turn south along a new freeway through the western suburbs of Weston and Pembroke Pines to Miami. It was still planned to continue east to I-95, but, due to local opposition, I-75
Interstate 75 in Florida - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-985: The I-75 and SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) corridors, from just south of the SR ;836 (Dolphin Expressway), in Miami-Dade County , to I-595 in Broward County . The project completed another section of the South Florida managed lanes network for all motorists and improves mobility, relieves congestion, provides additional travel options, and accommodates future growth in the area. The 75 Express Lanes project extends 15 miles (24 km) along I-75 from Northwest 170th Street, in Miami-Dade County, to I-595, in Broward County. Work
4945-515: The Interstate Highway System. Assisting in the planning was Charles Erwin Wilson , who was still head of General Motors when President Eisenhower selected him as Secretary of Defense in January 1953. Some sections of highways that became part of the Interstate Highway System actually began construction earlier. Three states have claimed the title of first Interstate Highway. Missouri claims that
5060-493: The Interstate Highway program. The Interstates of Alaska and Puerto Rico are numbered sequentially in order of funding without regard to the rules on odd and even numbers. They also carry the prefixes A and PR , respectively. However, these highways are signed according to their local designations, not their Interstate Highway numbers. Furthermore, these routes were neither planned according to nor constructed to
5175-709: The Mini. Customers must establish an opening account of at least $ 10 to fund their tolls. Unused toll fees are only refunded if the user closes the account or takes advantage of a money-back guarantee . SunPass-only toll lanes on most toll roads in Florida allow a vehicle to proceed through the tollbooth at speeds of up to 25 mph (40 km/h) as a safety precaution. The Turnpike utilizes all-electronic tolling (AET) and toll by plate which handles highway speeds. The mainline toll barriers have dedicated lanes capable of full-speed automatic toll collection at up to 65 mph (105 km/h). Florida's Turnpike Enterprise converted
5290-785: The Palmetto Expressway in 1986. The Alligator Alley segment of I-75 extends from a toll plaza just east of Naples to an interchange with I-595 and the Sawgrass Expressway (SR 869) in Sunrise just west of Fort Lauderdale . The highway previously existed as a two-lane tollway connecting the two coasts of Florida. Initially known as the Everglades Parkway ( SR 84 ), it opened for traffic on February 11, 1968, after four years of construction. Built by H. L. Mills Construction Company, it had been called
5405-711: The SunPass Plus program. The Mini was introduced on July 1, 2008, and became available at retail locations. The Mini is a RFID passive transponder, about the size of a credit card, and requires no batteries. The transponder must be mounted on the glass windshield of the vehicle to work properly and, once applied, cannot be removed from a windshield without destroying the pass. The SunPass Mini sticker will not work on motorcycle windshields as they are not made of glass. SunPass Portable (or SunPass Pro) transponders can be transferred between vehicles. The Sunpass Pro portable transporter offers E-ZPass interoperability, unlike
5520-544: The Sunshine State Parkway) in Wildwood . Segments of the original route that are now part of I-275 near Tampa would begin opening in 1966, and construction of the full route would be completed by 1969. Due to major growth in Southwest Florida (particularly Fort Myers and Naples), it was becoming clear that this part of the state would soon need a freeway. Florida's state government first proposed to build
5635-520: The Tampa Bay area, and the last portion of the highway was opened in 1993. For Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) inventory purposes, it is designated as State Road 93 (SR 93) for most of its length in Florida (with exception to the Tampa Bay area, where SR 93 follows I-275 , while SR 93A travels with I-75 in the latter's bypass of the area). I-75 begins its northward journey at an interchange with SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) and SR 924 (Gratigny Parkway) on
5750-854: The US to determine the difficulties that military vehicles would have on a cross-country trip. Leaving from the Ellipse near the White House on July 7, the Motor Transport Corps convoy needed 62 days to drive 3,200 miles (5,100 km) on the Lincoln Highway to the Presidio of San Francisco along the Golden Gate . The convoy suffered many setbacks and problems on the route, such as poor-quality bridges, broken crankshafts, and engines clogged with desert sand. Dwight Eisenhower , then
5865-631: The United States, including: In addition to cancellations, removals of freeways are planned: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has defined a set of standards that all new Interstates must meet unless a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is obtained. One almost absolute standard is the controlled access nature of the roads. With few exceptions , traffic lights (and cross traffic in general) are limited to toll booths and ramp meters (metered flow control for lane merging during rush hour ). Being freeways , Interstate Highways usually have
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#17327902659945980-482: The Withlacoochee State Forest itself. The Withlacoochee State Trail runs beneath I-75 between US 98 / SR 50 (exit 301) and the Hernando–Sumter county line, where it also crosses over the Withlacoochee River . All of I-75 from the Georgia border to Tampa is three lanes in each direction, unless closed for construction. This is to accommodate for the immense number of tourists and vacationers that come to Florida. After Florida's Turnpike, I-75 changes into
6095-413: The act was signed, and paving started September 26, 1956. The state marked its portion of I-70 as the first project in the United States completed under the provisions of the new Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The Pennsylvania Turnpike could also be considered one of the first Interstate Highways, and is nicknamed "Grandfather of the Interstate System". On October 1, 1940, 162 miles (261 km) of
6210-437: The adjoining interchange with Florida's Turnpike (exit 328). This included adding a collector–distributor ramp in each direction along I-75 leading to the interchange northbound, and leading from SR 44 to the southbound Turnpike, as well as widening I-75 to six lanes in each direction leading to the interchange, and adding another access point from the northbound Turnpike to SR 44 (exit 307). The project, which
6325-399: The cancellation of the Somerset Freeway . This situation was remedied when the construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project started in 2010 and partially opened on September 22, 2018, which was already enough to fill the gap. However, I-70 remains discontinuous in Pennsylvania , because of the lack of a direct interchange with the Pennsylvania Turnpike at
6440-406: The choice of routing destroyed many well-established neighborhoods, often intentionally as part of a program of " urban renewal ". In the two decades following the 1956 Highway Act, the construction of the freeways displaced one million people, and as a result of the many freeway revolts during this era, several planned Interstates were abandoned or re-routed to avoid urban cores. Construction of
6555-426: The cities of Fort Myers , Punta Gorda , Venice , and Sarasota . The freeway passes through the Tampa Bay area before turning inward toward Ocala , Gainesville , and Lake City before leaving the state and entering Georgia . I-75 runs for 471 miles (758 km) in Florida, making it the longest Interstate in the state and also the longest in any state east of the Mississippi River . The Interstate's speed limit
6670-538: The city. In some locations, low speed limits are the result of lawsuits and resident demands; after holding up the completion of I-35E in St. Paul, Minnesota , for nearly 30 years in the courts, residents along the stretch of the freeway from the southern city limit to downtown successfully lobbied for a 45 mph (70 km/h) speed limit in addition to a prohibition on any vehicle weighing more than 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) gross vehicle weight . I-93 in Franconia Notch State Park in northern New Hampshire has
6785-401: The collection of tolls, some Interstate routes are toll roads , either because they were grandfathered into the system or because subsequent legislation has allowed for tolling of Interstates in some cases. As of 2022 , about one quarter of all vehicle miles driven in the country used the Interstate Highway System, which has a total length of 48,890 miles (78,680 km). In 2022 and 2023,
6900-431: The construction and improvement of highways. The nation's revenue needs associated with World War I prevented any significant implementation of this policy, which expired in 1921. In December 1918, E. J. Mehren, a civil engineer and the editor of Engineering News-Record , presented his "A Suggested National Highway Policy and Plan" during a gathering of the State Highway Officials and Highway Industries Association at
7015-407: The contiguous United States, primary Interstates—also called main line Interstates or two-digit Interstates—are assigned numbers less than 100. While numerous exceptions do exist, there is a general scheme for numbering Interstates. Primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, while shorter routes (such as spurs, loops, and short connecting roads) are assigned three-digit numbers where
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#17327902659947130-417: The converted Alligator Alley was the final link of the I-75 extension. The segment was signed I-75 on November 25, 1992, completing the highway from Miami to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan . The highway is well known for its predominantly flat character and the extraordinarily linear path the highway follows. In January 2000, the west end toll plaza of Alligator Alley was dedicated to the memory of Edward J. Beck,
7245-449: The current interchange between I-4 and I-275, with I-4, which was completed in the Tampa Bay area by 1962, continuing west along what is now I-275 over the Howard Frankland Bridge into St. Petersburg ). Plans for I-75 from Tampa to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan , were authorized as part of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 , signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower , which created the Interstate Highway System . Construction of
7360-404: The decision to shift I-75's proposed route to cross the Everglades along Alligator Alley over environmental concerns related to upgrading the Tamiami Trail, which runs along the northern border of Everglades National Park . Additionally, Alligator Alley itself needed upgrading, as the then-narrow toll road was dangerous to both motorists and wildlife (most notably the Florida panther ) alike, and
7475-567: The discontinuity, but they have been blocked by local opposition, fearing a loss of business. The Interstate Highway System has been expanded numerous times. The expansions have both created new designations and extended existing designations. For example, I-49 , added to the system in the 1980s as a freeway in Louisiana , was designated as an expansion corridor, and FHWA approved the expanded route north from Lafayette, Louisiana , to Kansas City, Missouri . The freeway exists today as separate completed segments, with segments under construction or in
7590-448: The dissemination of public information. As a result, the 2005 evacuation of New Orleans, Louisiana, prior to Hurricane Katrina ran much more smoothly. According to urban legend , early regulations required that one out of every five miles of the Interstate Highway System must be built straight and flat, so as to be usable by aircraft during times of war. There is no evidence of this rule being included in any Interstate legislation. It
7705-445: The eastern end of the concurrency near Breezewood . Traveling in either direction, I-70 traffic must exit the freeway and use a short stretch of US 30 (which includes a number of roadside services) to rejoin I-70. The interchange was not originally built because of a legacy federal funding rule, since relaxed, which restricted the use of federal funds to improve roads financed with tolls. Solutions have been proposed to eliminate
7820-450: The economy. Not just as a public works measure, but for future growth. Clay's committee proposed a 10-year, $ 100 billion program ($ 1.13 trillion in 2023), which would build 40,000 miles (64,000 km) of divided highways linking all American cities with a population of greater than 50,000. Eisenhower initially preferred a system consisting of toll roads , but Clay convinced Eisenhower that toll roads were not feasible outside of
7935-411: The end of that year, along with Peach Pass in 2021. On May 28, 2021, the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise announced that its SunPass facilities would begin accepting E-ZPass. In addition, E-ZPass facilities began accepting SunPass Pro transponders (but not earlier SunPass transponders such as the SunPass Portable and SunPass Mini). On February 27, 2023, it was announced that SunPass was now compatible with
8050-439: The existing, largely non-freeway, United States Numbered Highways system. By the late 1930s, planning had expanded to a system of new superhighways. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave Thomas MacDonald , chief at the Bureau of Public Roads, a hand-drawn map of the United States marked with eight superhighway corridors for study. In 1939, Bureau of Public Roads Division of Information chief Herbert S. Fairbank wrote
8165-426: The federal government, Interstate Highways are owned by the state in which they were built. With few exceptions , all Interstates must meet specific standards , such as having controlled access, physical barriers or median strips between lanes of oncoming traffic, breakdown lanes , avoiding at-grade intersections , no traffic lights , and complying with federal traffic sign specifications. Interstate Highways use
8280-515: The first three contracts under the new program were signed in Missouri on August 2, 1956. The first contract signed was for upgrading a section of US Route 66 to what is now designated Interstate 44 . On August 13, 1956, work began on US 40 (now I-70) in St. Charles County. Kansas claims that it was the first to start paving after the act was signed. Preliminary construction had taken place before
8395-614: The first time sought to target these funds to the construction of a national road grid of interconnected "primary highways", setting up cooperation among the various state highway planning boards. The Bureau of Public Roads asked the Army to provide a list of roads that it considered necessary for national defense. In 1922, General John J. Pershing , former head of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during
8510-715: The freeway, especially along the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge east of SR 29. Extensive fencing also prevents wildlife from interfering with traffic. As it approaches Naples at County Road 951 (exit 101), Alligator Alley ends. The interstate is toll-free for the rest of its length in Florida and makes a sharp turn north, resuming its south–north trajectory, and as it parallels Florida's west coast, it becomes six lanes. As it continues north, I-75 passes near Bonita Springs , Fort Myers , Punta Gorda , Port Charlotte , Venice , Sarasota , and Bradenton before reaching
8625-619: The highest speed limits in a given area. Speed limits are determined by individual states. From 1975 to 1986, the maximum speed limit on any highway in the United States was 55 miles per hour (90 km/h), in accordance with federal law. Typically, lower limits are established in Northeastern and coastal states, while higher speed limits are established in inland states west of the Mississippi River . For example,
8740-553: The highly populated coastal regions. In February 1955, Eisenhower forwarded Clay's proposal to Congress. The bill quickly won approval in the Senate, but House Democrats objected to the use of public bonds as the means to finance construction. Eisenhower and the House Democrats agreed to instead finance the system through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself would be funded by a gasoline tax. In June 1956, Eisenhower signed
8855-617: The highway now designated I‑70 and I‑76 opened between Irwin and Carlisle . The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania refers to the turnpike as the Granddaddy of the Pikes, a reference to turnpikes . Milestones in the construction of the Interstate Highway System include: The initial cost estimate for the system was $ 25 billion over 12 years; it ended up costing $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 425 billion in 2006 or $ 618 billion in 2023 ) and took 35 years. The system
8970-402: The inefficiency of evacuating from southern Louisiana prior to Hurricane Georges ' landfall in September 1998, government officials looked towards contraflow to improve evacuation times. In Savannah, Georgia , and Charleston, South Carolina , in 1999, lanes of I-16 and I-26 were used in a contraflow configuration in anticipation of Hurricane Floyd with mixed results. In 2004, contraflow
9085-534: The junction of SR 869 (Sawgrass Expressway) and I-595 , I-75 (while maintaining its south–north status) enters a west–east trajectory as it crosses the Everglades by way of Alligator Alley, a toll road that runs from the Collier Boulevard (exit 101) toll plaza to the U.S. Highway 27 (US 27) toll plaza (exit 23). It was originally constructed as a two-lane highway before it
9200-478: The junction with Florida's Turnpike (exit 328, accessible from southbound I-75 only (although northbound travelers can access the Turnpike from I-75's exit 329 and follow SR 44 to the Turnpike's exit 304)). Widened median segments exist in northern Pasco, Hernando, and Sumter counties north of County Road 476B (exit 309). Some of these median segments are actually considered part of
9315-431: The last two digits match the parent route (thus, I-294 is a loop that connects at both ends to I-94 , while I-787 is a short spur route attached to I-87 ). In the numbering scheme for the primary routes, east–west highways are assigned even numbers and north–south highways are assigned odd numbers. Odd route numbers increase from west to east, and even-numbered routes increase from south to north (to avoid confusion with
9430-454: The mainline. Some auxiliary highways do not follow these guidelines, however. The Interstate Highway System also extends to Alaska , Hawaii , and Puerto Rico , even though they have no direct land connections to any other states or territories. However, their residents still pay federal fuel and tire taxes. The Interstates in Hawaii, all located on the most populous island of Oahu , carry
9545-753: The maximum speed limit is 75 mph (120 km/h) in northern Maine, varies between 50 and 70 mph (80 and 115 km/h) from southern Maine to New Jersey, and is 50 mph (80 km/h) in New York City and the District of Columbia. Currently, rural speed limits elsewhere generally range from 65 to 80 miles per hour (105 to 130 km/h). Several portions of various highways such as I-10 and I-20 in rural western Texas, I-80 in Nevada between Fernley and Winnemucca (except around Lovelock) and portions of I-15 , I-70 , I-80 , and I-84 in Utah have
9660-583: The morning of January 18, 2023. Another diverging diamond interchange with SR 56 (exit 275) was initially proposed in May 2018; construction on the revamped intersection began in February 2019, and it was completed in 2022. Several rest area facilities exist along I-75 throughout the state. In addition, there are separate facilities for each direction of the Interstate in Hamilton and Suwannee counties, southbound and northbound, respectively, and
9775-500: The most controversial roadway ever built in Florida during its initial construction. The name "Alligator Alley" was given by the American Automobile Association (AAA) while it was being planned as they believed it would be useless to cars and merely an "alley for alligators ". However, as alligators often frequent the waterways beside the road, and occasionally the roadway itself, the nickname has developed
9890-404: The number of fatalities on the Interstate Highway System amounted to more than 5,000 people annually, with nearly 5,600 fatalities in 2022. The United States government's efforts to construct a national network of highways began on an ad hoc basis with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , which provided $ 75 million over a five-year period for matching funds to the states for
10005-405: The official Interstate Highway standards . On one- or two-digit Interstates, the mile marker numbering almost always begins at the southern or western state line. If an Interstate originates within a state, the numbering begins from the location where the road begins in the south or west. As with all guidelines for Interstate routes, however, numerous exceptions exist. SunPass SunPass
10120-472: The option of renumbering I-75E into I-75W was scrapped, with the I-75E designation instead being renumbered to what is known today as I-275, and both the I-75 and I-275 designations were swapped into their current configuration in 1973. I-75 reached as far south as 38th Avenue North in St. Petersburg when the designations were switched. Despite the designation switch, both freeways' hidden designations still reflect
10235-561: The original Interstate Highway System was proclaimed complete in 1992, despite deviations from the original 1956 plan and several stretches that did not fully conform with federal standards . The construction of the Interstate Highway System cost approximately $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 618 billion in 2023). The system has continued to expand and grow as additional federal funding has provided for new routes to be added, and many future Interstate Highways are currently either being planned or under construction. Though heavily funded by
10350-463: The original route from the Georgia border to Tampa via Gainesville and Ocala lasted through most of the 1960s. The first segment of I-75 to open in Florida was from the Georgia border to SR 6 just south of Jennings , which opened in 1963. It would reach US 90 in Lake City later that year. By mid-1964, I-75 opened from Lake City to the newly completed Florida's Turnpike (known then as
10465-754: The originally planned routing, with I-75's SR 93 designation following I-275, and the current route of I-75 on the bypass being designated SR 93A. Construction on the bypass segment of I-75 began in 1979. The initially favored proposal for I-75 to reach Miami from Naples was to have I-75 run along the Tamiami Trail (US 41) across the Everglades to just east of the SR ;826 (Palmetto Expressway) where it would continue along SR 836 (Dolphin Expressway) and terminate at I-95 and I-395 in Downtown Miami . However, in 1973, planners made
10580-656: The planning phase between them. In 1966, the FHWA designated the entire Interstate Highway System as part of the larger Pan-American Highway System, and at least two proposed Interstate expansions were initiated to help trade with Canada and Mexico spurred by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Long-term plans for I-69 , which currently exists in several separate completed segments (the largest of which are in Indiana and Texas ),
10695-411: The prefix H . There are three one-digit routes in the state ( H-1 , H-2 , and H-3 ) and one auxiliary route ( H-201 ). These Interstates connect several military and naval bases together, as well as the important communities spread across Oahu, and especially within the urban core of Honolulu . Both Alaska and Puerto Rico also have public highways that receive 90 percent of their funding from
10810-424: The rising maintenance cost and the availability of newer technology. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are used throughout the Interstate. ITS is a fiber optic system of traffic cameras, overhead message signs, microwave vehicle detectors, travel time sensors, road and weather information sensors, and highway advisory radios. FDOT has a data-share agreement with Waze which provides real-time information for
10925-537: The route, without regard to the route number. For instance, I-190 in Massachusetts is labeled north–south, while I-195 in New Jersey is labeled east–west. Some looped Interstate routes use inner–outer directions instead of compass directions, when the use of compass directions would create ambiguity. Due to the large number of these routes, auxiliary route numbers may be repeated in different states along
11040-419: The same numbers, which is generally disallowed under highway administration guidelines. Several two-digit numbers are shared between unconnected road segments at opposite ends of the country for various reasons. Some such highways are incomplete Interstates (such as I-69 and I-74 ) and some just happen to share route designations (such as I-76 , I-84 , I‑86 , I-87 , and I-88 ). Some of these were due to
11155-503: The same roadway are signed as traveling in opposite directions; one such wrong-way concurrency is found between Wytheville and Fort Chiswell , Virginia, where I‑81 north and I‑77 south are equivalent (with that section of road traveling almost due east), as are I‑81 south and I‑77 north. Auxiliary Interstate Highways are circumferential, radial, or spur highways that principally serve urban areas . These types of Interstate Highways are given three-digit route numbers, which consist of
11270-696: The segment from US 301 in Manatee County south to River Road near Venice opened, which would be completed south to the southern segment in Punta Gorda later that year. It would reach Alligator Alley in Naples by 1984. The route from Tampa to Naples would be complete by 1986 as segments of the Tampa bypass were opened from 1982 to 1986. In the Miami area, I-75 was opened from US 27 to its terminus at
11385-586: The state's 5-1-1 service, ITS, and to Waze users. FDOT transitioned existing interchange exit numbers on all Interstate Highways from sequential exits to mileage-based exits in January 2002. All exits are unnumbered. In John D. MacDonald 's novel, The Long Lavender Look , part of his series about fictional detective Travis McGee , the story takes place on Alligator Alley and in nearby towns accessible from it. Interstate Highway System [REDACTED] The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways , commonly known as
11500-544: The state's first diverging diamond interchange at the University Parkway (exit 213) interchange. The $ 74.5-million (equivalent to $ 91.1 million in 2023) project started construction in August 2015 and completed in September 2017. The interchange handles more than 80,000 vehicles per day and reduced intersection delays by 50 percent. FDOT implemented express lanes along 28 miles (45 km) of
11615-438: The state's official state beverage . Motorist-aid call boxes were installed starting in 1973, initially from the Georgia line to Lake City, eventually being installed on both outside shoulders of the road every one mile (1.6 km) to allow drivers to indicate the need for gasoline, repair (tire or engine), or emergency services (police, ambulance, or fire). The majority of the call boxes were removed in late 2013 because of
11730-495: The war, complied by submitting a detailed network of 20,000 miles (32,000 km) of interconnected primary highways—the so-called Pershing Map . A boom in road construction followed throughout the decade of the 1920s, with such projects as the New York parkway system constructed as part of a new national highway system. As automobile traffic increased, planners saw a need for such an interconnected national system to supplement
11845-575: Was built from southbound SR 581 (Bruce B. Downs Boulevard; exit 270) to southbound I-75. At the Hillsborough – Pasco county line (south of SR 56 (exit 275)), I-275 rejoins I-75 (at exit 274, southbound only) and I-75 changes into a southwest–northeast trajectory as it passes through Pasco, Hernando , and Sumter counties where it runs through parts of the Withlacoochee State Forest on its way to
11960-454: Was completed in four segments to minimize the effects on the public. Construction began in early 2014 and was completed in 2018. The total project cost $ 481 million (equivalent to $ 575 million in 2023). In 2015, the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX), FDOT, and FTE announced a $ 68.5-million (equivalent to $ 86.1 million in 2023) project to make several improvements to I-75's interchange with SR 44 (exit 329) and
12075-524: Was converted to a four-lane highway meeting Interstate Highway standards. At this point, I-75 loses a lane in each direction, heading west, losing another lane west of the US ;27 interchange. The Alligator Alley section of I-75 runs due east–west between exit 19 in Sunrise and exit 101 just east of Naples and is one of only two sections along the Interstate's entirety that is tolled (the other
12190-566: Was determined that maintaining the main route of I-75 through Downtown Tampa would eventually require major improvements to the existing infrastructure to handle through traffic. As a result, it was decided that I-75 would be re-routed and instead follow the bypass route. FDOT could have renumbered I-75E into what could have possibly been Interstate 75W ( I-75W ), but, due to a 1973-based American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) rule indicating that suffixed routes were to be renumbered to reduce motorist confusion,
12305-500: Was employed ahead of Hurricane Charley in the Tampa, Florida area and on the Gulf Coast before the landfall of Hurricane Ivan ; however, evacuation times there were no better than previous evacuation operations. Engineers began to apply lessons learned from the analysis of prior contraflow operations, including limiting exits, removing troopers (to keep traffic flowing instead of having drivers stop for directions), and improving
12420-448: Was handled by Middlesex Construction, began construction in September 2016. The new northbound offramp to SR 44 was completed on September 19, 2019, and the new southbound onramps to the Turnpike and I-75 were completed in early November 2019. The project overall was completed in January 2020. An additional interchange was planned for Overpass Road north of SR 54 , connecting to County Road 530 . The interchange opened to traffic
12535-403: Was introduced on April 24, 1999, and by October 1 of the same year, more than 100,000 SunPass transponders had been sold. In early 2009, all Easy Pay customers automatically became SunPass Plus customers if they opt-in and have the privilege of using their transponders to pay for airport parking at Tampa , Orlando , Palm Beach , Fort Lauderdale and Miami airports. Customers can opt out of
12650-529: Was made with Georgia's Peach Pass , allowing SunPass holders to utilize the I-85 Express lanes and any future toll roads or lanes in the state. The C-Pass system operated by Miami-Dade County Public Works on the Rickenbacker and Venetian Causeways was replaced by SunPass and pay-by-plate on September 23, 2014. In July 2020, E-ZPass announced that SunPass would be compatible with E-ZPass by
12765-720: Was not built past its current terminus at SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) in Hialeah . With this new route, the Port Everglades Expressway was then planned to be built as an Interstate highway designated I-595 to provide an Interstate connection between I-75 and I-95. The first piece of the south extension of I-75 to open was a short segment just east of Fort Myers from SR 78 south to Corkscrew Road in 1979. This piece would extend north to Tucker's Grade just south of Punta Gorda in early 1980 and south to Immokalee Road in North Naples by 1981. Also in 1981,
12880-562: Was not met. SunPass announced in 2012 for plans to eventually become interoperable with E-ZPass . As a step towards this, the older battery-powered SunPass transponders were phased out by the end of 2015; new batteryless models can work with tolling equipment in other states. On July 29, 2013, Florida's Turnpike Enterprise made an interoperability agreement with North Carolina Turnpike Authority and its NC Quick Pass, allowing SunPass holders to utilize North Carolina's toll roads and lanes. On November 12, 2014, an interoperability agreement
12995-422: Was proclaimed complete in 1992, but two of the original Interstates— I-95 and I-70 —were not continuous: both of these discontinuities were due to local opposition, which blocked efforts to build the necessary connections to fully complete the system. I-95 was made a continuous freeway in 2018, and thus I-70 remains the only original Interstate with a discontinuity. I-95 was discontinuous in New Jersey because of
13110-399: Was rebuilt as a four-lane Interstate Highway between 1986 and 1992. Many bridges and culverts designed to let water and wildlife pass underneath the roadway and permit the natural flow of the Everglades' waters were built as part of the upgrade. This helped to reduce the environmental impact of the highway somewhat, especially upon the severely endangered Florida panther . The completion of
13225-494: Was serving as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II . In 1954, Eisenhower appointed General Lucius D. Clay to head a committee charged with proposing an interstate highway system plan. Summing up motivations for the construction of such a system, Clay stated, It was evident we needed better highways. We needed them for safety, to accommodate more automobiles. We needed them for defense purposes, if that should ever be necessary. And we needed them for
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