117-608: State Road 417 ( SR 417 ), also known as the Central Florida GreeneWay , Seminole County Expressway (depending on the location), Eastern Beltway and Orlando East Bypass , is a controlled-access toll road forming the eastern beltway around the city of Orlando, Florida , United States . It is owned and maintained by the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) and Florida's Turnpike Enterprise . The CFX section
234-616: A divided surface road. Additionally, to handle traffic from downtown Orlando, SR 15 (Hoffner Avenue) between Conway Road and Goldenrod Road would be rebuilt. Concurrently, the SRD was extending Lake Barton Road (now SR 436 , Semoran Boulevard ) south to the Jetport, where it would meet the Bee Line, which opened in 1969. In November 1964, the OOCEA and SRD signed an agreement where
351-663: A dual highway ) in 1932 between Cologne and Bonn . It then rapidly constructed the first nationwide system of such roads. The first North American freeways (known as parkways) opened in the New York City area in the 1920s. Britain, heavily influenced by the railways, did not build its first motorway , the Preston By-pass ( M6 ), until 1958. Most technologically advanced nations feature an extensive network of freeways or motorways to provide high-capacity urban travel, or high-speed rural travel, or both. Many have
468-466: A median separates the opposite directions of traffic. This strip may be as simple as a grassy area, or may include a crash barrier such as a " Jersey barrier " or an "Ontario Tall Wall" to prevent head-on collisions . On some freeways, the two carriageways are built on different alignments; this may be done to make use of available corridors in a mountainous area or to provide narrower corridors through dense urban areas . Control of access relates to
585-567: A $ 49 million (equivalent to $ 68.1 million in 2023 ) project to widen the Beachline from the Turnpike to McCoy Road to four lanes in each direction began. Improvements include widening the existing bridge structures at US 441, Landstreet Road, CSX Transportation , CSX Taft Yard, Orange Avenue and McCoy Road, with a new bridge being constructed for the access ramp over CSX. In 2011, an accident involving an exploding fuel truck destroyed
702-519: A $ 49 million project to reconstruct the Lake Jesup toll plaza, allowing for the inclusion of SunPass/E-PASS express lanes. The project was completed in April 2011. On December 14, 2011, the northern terminus of SR 417 was extended from Interstate 4 to International Parkway. The $ 11.4 million project began construction on November 29, 2010. The Turnpike Enterprise and OOCEA (now CFX) agreed to build
819-569: A barrier toll just east of the GreeneWay, and has interchanges with Innovation Way and Dallas Boulevard, followed by one more barrier toll. East of the toll plaza, SR 528 reaches SR 520 , the last interchange before the Orange – Brevard county line, ending CFX maintenance and tolls. Turnpike maintenance begins at the eastern end of the SR ;520 interchange, and SR 528 crosses
936-561: A class of highways with somewhat less isolation from other traffic. In countries following the Vienna convention , the motorway qualification implies that walking and parking are forbidden. A fully controlled-access highway provides an unhindered flow of traffic, with no traffic signals , intersections or property access . They are free of any at-grade crossings with other roads, railways, or pedestrian paths, which are instead carried by overpasses and underpasses . Entrances and exits to
1053-707: A cloverleaf and trumpet interchange when it opened in 1937, and until the Second World War , boasted the longest illuminated stretch of roadway built. A decade later, the first section of Highway 401 was opened, based on earlier designs. It has since gone on to become the busiest highway in the world. The word freeway was first used in February 1930 by Edward M. Bassett . Bassett argued that roads should be classified into three basic types: highways, parkways , and freeways. In Bassett's zoning and property law -based system, abutting property owners have
1170-739: A connection to the Kennedy Space Center to the east. A bill creating the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) was signed into law in 1963, which, unlike the State Road Department (SRD), could raise money for new roads using tolls . Its immediate goal was to build a road to the Kennedy Space Center, but the law was written with the intent of a larger expressway network. The OOCEA wanted to build
1287-468: A cost of $ 273 million. It was during the construction of this section that the Orange County portion of the beltway project was renamed the Central Florida GreeneWay . From 2015 through 2016, a limited interchange was completed with SR 417 and Florida's Turnpike . The remaining ramps to complete the full interchange were opened May 21, 2021. The Seminole Expressway , the northern leg of SR 417,
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#17328024153681404-442: A decade before during a resurfacing project. At that point, the Bee Line became completely limited-access from I-4 to SR 401 . In 2003, a new interchange was completed at George J. King Blvd at Port Canaveral, extending the freeway beyond SR 401. While SR 528 officially ends at SR 401, signage continues it along SR A1A to the new interchange at the city limits of Cape Canaveral . Between 2003 and 2011,
1521-553: A freeway all the way from I-4 to Cape Canaveral, but ran into several problems. It had issues with raising money for the road; traffic projections fell short of necessary to pay for the large bond issue required. It also did not have the authority to build in Brevard County , and many Brevard residents opposed the roads, as it would draw business away from the Cape Canaveral area to Orlando. The setbacks resulted in
1638-620: A freeway, specialized pedestrian footbridges or tunnels may also be provided. These structures enable pedestrians and cyclists to cross the freeway at that point without a detour to the nearest road crossing. Access to freeways is typically provided only at grade-separated interchanges , though lower-standard right-in/right-out (left-in/left-out in countries that drive on the left) access can be used for direct connections to side roads. In many cases, sophisticated interchanges allow for smooth, uninterrupted transitions between intersecting freeways and busy arterial roads . However, sometimes it
1755-676: A lane dedicated to ETC and exact change only, with no change provided. While both E-Pass and SunPass are accepted at all interchanges along the toll road, portions maintained by CFX are signed as E-Pass and portions maintained by FTE are signed as SunPass. The first phase of SR 417, then termed the Eastern Beltway , extended from what was the east end of the East–;West Expressway northward to SR 426 (Aloma Avenue) in Seminole County . It allowed commuters to bypass
1872-434: A larger number of guide signs than other roads, and the signs themselves are physically larger. Guide signs are often mounted on overpasses or overhead gantries so that drivers can see where each lane goes. Exit numbers are commonly derived from the exit's distance in miles or kilometers from the start of the freeway. In some areas, there are public rest areas or service areas on freeways, as well as emergency phones on
1989-499: A legal status which limits the types of vehicles that can use a highway, as well as a road design that limits the points at which they can access it. Major arterial roads will often have partial access control , meaning that side roads will intersect the main road at grade, instead of using interchanges, but driveways may not connect directly to the main road, and drivers must use intersecting roads to access adjacent land. At arterial junctions with relatively quiet side roads, traffic
2106-527: A milepost system but does not use milepost markers. In Europe and some other countries, motorways typically have similar characteristics such as: Two-lane freeways , often undivided, are sometimes built when traffic volumes are low or right-of-way is limited; they may be designed for easy conversion to one side of a four-lane freeway. (For example, most of the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway in eastern Kentucky
2223-596: A more direct connection to westbound Beachline via the Consulate ramps, and incidentally to Orange Blossom Trail . This ramp is used primarily by commuters; cash customers, mostly tourists, must exit at Turnpike exit 254 to make this connection. Consulate is a partial interchange, to and from westbound Beachline only. East of SR 15, similar connections have been built with International Corporate Park Boulevard and Dallas Boulevard. The interchange with SR 417 (the Eastern Beltway ) opened June 26, 1990, resulting in
2340-447: A motorway is understood as a public road with dual carriageways and at least two lanes each way. All entrances and exits are signposted and all interchanges are grade separated. Central barrier or median present throughout the road. No crossing is permitted, while stopping is permitted only in an emergency. Restricted access to motor vehicles, prohibited to pedestrians, animals, pedal cycles, mopeds, agricultural vehicles. The minimum speed
2457-751: A much shorter expressway route running from SR 15 (Narcoosee Road) east of the McCoy Jetport east to SR 520 in east Orange County. This was known as the Bithlo Cutoff , as it allowed traffic from southern Orlando to reach SR 520 without going north and east to Bithlo . West of SR 15, the existing SR 528 was to carry traffic to I-4. A new alignment would be built between Orange Blossom Trail and Orange Avenue ( SR 527 ), directly connecting Sand Lake Road to McCoy Road ( SR 482 ), and McCoy Road east from Daetwyler Drive (the Jetport entrance) to SR 15 would be widened as
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#17328024153682574-777: A national-level or even international-level (e.g. European E route ) system of route numbering . There are several international standards that give some definitions of words such as motorways, but there is no formal definition of the English language words such as freeway , motorway , and expressway , or of the equivalent words in other languages such as autoroute , Autobahn , autostrada , autocesta, autoput , that are accepted worldwide—in most cases these words are defined by local statute or design standards or regional international treaties. Descriptions that are widely used include: One green or blue symbol (like [REDACTED] ) appears at motorway entry in countries that follow
2691-464: A new interchange between SR 429 (Wekiva Parkway), SR 417, and Interstate 4 , and was completed in 2024 to finish the beltway around Orlando. The OOCEA 2030 Master Plan suggested widening the entire expressway to six lanes from International Drive to the Seminole County line. Florida's Turnpike Enterprise has also completed a project development & environment study (PD&E) to evaluate
2808-600: A number of patterns. The actual pattern is determined by a number of factors including local topology, traffic density, land cost, building costs, type of road, etc. In some jurisdictions feeder/distributor lanes are common, especially for cloverleaf interchanges ; in others, such as the United Kingdom, where the roundabout interchange is common, feeder/distributor lanes are seldom seen. Motorways in Europe typically differ between exits and junctions. An exit leads out of
2925-624: A park and where intersecting streets crossed over bridges. The Southern State Parkway opened in 1927, while the Long Island Motor Parkway was closed in 1937 and replaced by the Northern State Parkway (opened 1931) and the contiguous Grand Central Parkway (opened 1936). In Germany, construction of the Bonn-Cologne Autobahn began in 1929 and was opened in 1932 by Konrad Adenauer , then
3042-509: A partial interchange between SR 417 and Florida's Turnpike in the late 2000s, after negotiations dating back to a 1991 field study. The interchange was built in two phases. The first phase, built by CFX, added ramps from southbound SR 417 to southbound Florida's Turnpike and from northbound Florida's Turnpike to northbound SR 417. Construction on the first phase began in September 2013 and opened on January 26, 2015. The second phase to complete
3159-457: A private venture, was the world's first limited-access roadway. It included many modern features, including banked turns , guard rails and reinforced concrete tarmac . Traffic could turn left between the parkway and connectors, crossing oncoming traffic, so it was not a controlled-access highway (or "freeway" as later defined by the federal government's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices ). Modern controlled-access highways originated in
3276-609: A reduction in deaths in a range from 20% to 50% on those sections. Speed, in Europe, is considered to be one of the main contributory factors to collisions. Some countries, such as France and Switzerland, have achieved a death reduction by a better monitoring of speed. Tools used for monitoring speed might be an increase in traffic density; improved speed enforcement and stricter regulation leading to driver license withdrawal; safety cameras; penalty point; and higher fines. Some other countries use automatic time-over-distance cameras (also known as section controls ) to manage speed. Fatigue
3393-541: A separate roadway or altogether eliminates it. In some parts of the world, notably parts of the US , frontage roads form an integral part of the freeway system. These parallel surface roads provide a transition between high-speed "through" traffic and local traffic. Frequent slip-ramps provide access between the freeway and the frontage road, which in turn provides direct access to local roads and businesses. Except on some two-lane freeways (and very rarely on wider freeways),
3510-510: A similar system of express and local lanes for a maximum width of 21 lanes on a 2-mile (3.2 km) segment between Interstate 805 and California State Route 56 . In Mississauga , Ontario, Highway 401 uses collector-express lanes for a total of 18 lanes through its intersection with Highway 403 / Highway 410 and Highway 427 . These wide freeways may use separate collector and express lanes to separate through traffic from local traffic, or special high-occupancy vehicle lanes , either as
3627-411: A special restriction on the innermost lane or a separate roadway, to encourage carpooling . These HOV lanes , or roadways open to all traffic, can be reversible lanes , providing more capacity in the direction of heavy traffic, and reversing direction before traffic switches. Sometimes a collector/distributor road , a shorter version of a local lane, shifts weaving between closely spaced interchanges to
Florida State Road 417 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-563: Is considered as a risk factor more specific to monotonous roads such as motorways, although such data are not monitored/recorded in many countries. According to Vinci Autoroutes , one third of accidents in French motorways are due to sleepy driving. Florida State Road 528 State Road 528 ( SR 528 ), alternatively named the Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway (with parts previously named
3861-735: Is controlled mainly by two-way stop signs which do not impose significant interruptions on traffic using the main highway. Roundabouts are often used at busier intersections in Europe because they help minimize interruptions in flow, while traffic signals that create greater interference with traffic are still preferred in North America. There may be occasional interchanges with other major arterial roads. Examples include US 23 between SR 15 's eastern terminus and Delaware, Ohio , along with SR 15 between its eastern terminus and I-75 , US 30 , SR 29 / US 33 , and US 35 in western and central Ohio. This type of road
3978-507: Is impossible to travel over it without incurring a toll elsewhere. The Toll SR 528 shield is also used on this stretch of road as well as on exit signs along I-95. The current toll rates took effect in July 2012. Two managed lanes in each direction were opened in 2019 and 2020 for the eight miles between I-4 and McCoy Road near Orlando International Airport . They were originally built as Express Lanes with congestion-based tolling, but
4095-669: Is located in Seminole County and is owned and operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. The section south of Aloma Avenue to the county line (less than one mile) was acquired from the Seminole County Expressway Authority in April 1990 as part of Florida's Turnpike Expansion Program authorized by Senate Bill 1316. The initial stretch, from just south of Aloma to US 17 / 92 opened in phases in 1994. The final six miles (10 km) connect to Interstate 4 near Sanford / Lake Mary , and opened to traffic on September 15, 2002, approximately seven months ahead of
4212-655: Is necessary to exit onto a surface road to transfer from one freeway to another. One example in the United States (notorious for the resulting congestion) is the connection from Interstate 70 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike ( Interstate 70 and Interstate 76 ) through the town of Breezewood, Pennsylvania . Speed limits are generally higher on freeways and are occasionally nonexistent (as on much of Germany's Autobahn network). Because higher speeds reduce decision time, freeways are usually equipped with
4329-450: Is not lower than 50 km/h [31 mph] and the maximum speed is not higher than 130 km/h [81 mph] (except Germany where no speed limit is defined). Motorways are designed to carry heavy traffic at high speed with the lowest possible number of accidents. They are also designed to collect long-distance traffic from other roads, so that conflicts between long-distance traffic and local traffic are avoided. According to
4446-533: Is now SR 524 and east across US 1 , the Indian River Lagoon , Merritt Island and the Banana River , was dedicated on October 11, 1963, as a two-lane toll bridge and road. It was assigned the SR 528 number over its whole length. At the same time, the present SR 401 north of SR 528 was also built. The causeway was named in honor of Emory L. Bennett , recipient of
4563-506: Is now complete. The new mainline toll plaza features two electronic (E-pass/SunPass) at-speed express lanes in each direction in the middle of the roadway (with capability to add another when the roadway proper is widened), and four staffed lanes in each direction to accommodate cash customers. The OOCEA had a similar reconstruction of the Beachline main toll plaza just east of the Greeneway between January 2008 and July 2009. In June 2008,
4680-431: Is provided with separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic). Principal arterials may cross through urban areas, serving suburban movements. The traffic is characterized by high speeds and full or partial access control (interchanges or junctions controlled by traffic lights). Other roads leading to a principal arterial are connected to it through side collector roads. In this view, CARE's definition stands that
4797-407: Is sometimes called an expressway . Freeways are usually limited to motor vehicles of a minimum power or weight; signs may prohibit cyclists , pedestrians and equestrians and impose a minimum speed. It is possible for non-motorized traffic to use facilities within the same right-of-way, such as sidewalks constructed along freeway-standard bridges and multi-use paths next to freeways such as
Florida State Road 417 - Misplaced Pages Continue
4914-480: Is specially sign-posted as a motorway and is reserved for specific categories of road motor vehicles." Urban motorways are also included in this definition. However, the respective national definitions and the type of roads covered may present slight differences in different EU countries. The first version of modern controlled-access highways evolved during the first half of the 20th century. The Long Island Motor Parkway on Long Island , New York , opened in 1908 as
5031-545: Is the result of several changes, including infrastructure safety and road user behavior (speed or seat belt use), while other matters such as vehicle safety and mobility patterns have an impact that has not been quantified. Motorways are the safest roads by design. While accounting for more than one quarter of all kilometres driven, they contributed only 8% of the total number of European road deaths in 2006. Germany's Federal Highway Research Institute provided International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) statistics for
5148-408: Is two lanes, but work has begun to make all of it four-lane.) These are often called Super two roads. Several such roads are infamous for a high rate of lethal crashes; an outcome because they were designed for short sight distances (sufficient for freeways without oncoming traffic, but insufficient for the years in service as two-lane road with oncoming traffic). An example of such a "Highway to Hell"
5265-671: The Bee Line Expressway ), is a partially- tolled freeway in the U.S. state of Florida; it is maintained by the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE), the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX), and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning approximately 53 miles (85 km) along a west–east axis, it connects Interstate 4 (I-4) in Orlando with I-95 , Titusville , and Cape Canaveral on
5382-629: The Dartford Crossing (the furthest downstream public crossing of the River Thames ) or where it was not economic to build a motorway alongside the existing road such as the former Cumberland Gap . The A1 is a good example of piece-wise upgrading to motorway standard—as of January 2013, the 639-kilometre-long (397 mi) route had five stretches of motorway (designated as A1(M)), reducing to four stretches in March 2018 with completion of
5499-693: The International Drive interchange. Between the International Drive interchange and the Orange – Seminole county line, the tollway is known as the Central Florida GreeneWay, and is operated by CFX. The Seminole Expressway section of the tollway begins at the county line. This section, also run by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise is 17-mile-long (27 km), extends to an interchange with I-4 in Sanford at
5616-486: The Kennedy Space Center . The main line headed southeast from the split and then east across I-95 to join the Bennett Causeway approach just west of US 1 . The causeway was widened, with a new eastbound side added c. 1970–1971, and the extension of the Bee Line to connect with the two causeways opened February 16, 1974. The former Bennett Causeway approach west of the new road became SR 524 . While
5733-714: The Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War , and is part of the Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway . SR 528 was initially opened in 1967 and named "The Bee Line Expressway," because it "beelined" east to Interstate 95. The Bee Line Expressway's southern fork was the mainline SR 528 and went to Interstate 95 and then Bennett Causeway to Cocoa Beach, while its northern fork, also designated SR 407, went northeast to I-95 and SR 405 (Columbia Boulevard) at Titusville. (Note: Beeline simply meant
5850-649: The Space Coast . It passes close to the tourist areas of Orlando, including SeaWorld and Universal Orlando , and serves the north entrance to Orlando International Airport . Near its east end, it passes over the Intracoastal Waterway on the Emory L. Bennett Causeway, and ends at SR A1A and SR 401 near Port Canaveral . Martin Andersen, a retired publisher, used his influence to get
5967-595: The St. Johns River into Brevard County at mile 35.775. Just east of the Brevard County line, the road veers southeast at the interchange with SR 407 . It then enters the Space Coast development area before the interchange with I-95 at exit 205 (signed as exit 42AB on SR 528). It continues east, with interchanges with SR 501 / SR 524 and US 1 before crossing over the Intracoastal Waterway on
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#17328024153686084-813: The Suncoast Trail along the Suncoast Parkway in Florida . In some US jurisdictions, especially where freeways replace existing roads, non-motorized access on freeways is permitted. Different states of the United States have different laws. Cycling on freeways in Arizona may be prohibited only where there is an alternative route judged equal or better for cycling. Wyoming , the second least densely populated state, allows cycling on all freeways. Oregon allows bicycles except on specific urban freeways in Portland and Medford . In countries such as
6201-538: The United Kingdom new motorways require an Act of Parliament to ensure restricted right of way. Since upgrading an existing road (the "King's Highway") to a full motorway will result in extinguishing the right of access of certain groups such as pedestrians, cyclists and slow-moving traffic, many controlled access roads are not full motorways. In some cases motorways are linked by short stretches of road where alternative rights of way are not practicable such as
6318-424: The United Kingdom , do not distinguish between the two, but others make a distinction; for example, Germany uses the words Kreuz ("cross") or Dreieck ("triangle") for the former and Ausfahrt ("exit") for the latter. In all cases one road crosses the other via a bridge or a tunnel, as opposed to an at-grade crossing . The inter-connecting roads, or slip-roads , which link the two roads, can follow any one of
6435-490: The shoulder at regular intervals. In the United States, mileposts usually start at the southern or westernmost point on the freeway (either its terminus or the state line). California , Ohio and Nevada use postmile systems in which the markers indicate mileage through the state's individual counties. However, Nevada and Ohio also use the standard milepost system concurrently with their respective postmile systems. California numbers its exits off its freeways according to
6552-574: The 6.4-mile (10.3 km) extension from the GreeneWay to I-4 in 1994 and completed construction in mid 1996. The project cost almost $ 153 million, with $ 74 million coming from contributions from the private parties involved in building this route, making it possible to get from Walt Disney World to the Orlando International Airport without ever driving on Interstate 4. In 2008, the Turnpike Enterprise began
6669-501: The A1(M) through North Yorkshire . The most frequent way freeways are laid out is by building them from the ground up after obstructions such as forestry or buildings are cleared away. Sometimes they deplete farmland, but other methods have been developed for economic, social and even environmental reasons. Full freeways are sometimes made by converting at-grade expressways or by replacing at-grade intersections with overpasses; however, in
6786-595: The Airport interchange opened July 2, 1983. In 2016, the Airport Toll Plaza was removed replacing it with four ramp tolls on exits 8 and 9. The spaces left for interchanges on the section west of the Turnpike have since been used by junctions with Orangewood Boulevard and Universal Boulevard, John Young Parkway and a partial interchange at Consulate. The Turnpike constructed a southbound SunPass-only off-ramp at milepost 255 to Consulate Drive, which provides
6903-584: The Beachline's free movement sections is between SR 436 and with SR 15 just east of the airport. Three miles (4.8 km) east of the airport, it intersects with the SR ;417 (Central Florida GreeneWay), heading out of Orlando, with the road straightening out as a beeline for the rest of its journey in Orange County. From the GreeneWay to I-95 , the Beachline Expressway travels through mostly uninhabited marshlands. It intersects with
7020-483: The Bennett Causeway's eastbound bridge over the Indian River Lagoon was replaced. The name of the entire road, except between US 1 and SR 3 (where it is the Emory L. Bennett Causeway), was officially designated as the Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway by the 2005 Florida Legislature. This was done after lobbying by Brevard County, which wanted the shortest route to the Atlantic Ocean from
7137-659: The Dallas Boulevard and SR 520 interchanges, with a toll of $ 0.75, ending the previous free movement section of the expressway. This also dropped the previous toll of the Beachline Main Toll Plaza to $ 0.75, from $ 1.00 previously. The expressway remains toll-free east of the SR-520 exit to Cape Canaveral. East of the GreeneWay, a new interchange at Innovation Way opened on March 5, 2018. On September 1, 2018, CFX started accepting E-ZPass on
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#17328024153687254-436: The Dallas Boulevard off ramp has a dedicated ETC lane along with an exact change lane, the other two ramp toll plazas only have a combined ETC/Exact Change lane, with no change provided. The Central Florida Expressway Authority, which operates part of the Beachline from McCoy Road, just east of the airport, to SR 520, accepts E-ZPass . FTE, which operates the Beachline from McCoy road west, also accepts E-ZPass. Tolls on
7371-431: The Emory L. Bennett Causeway, followed by interchanges with SR 3 and Banana River Drive before ending at SR A1A and SR 401 near Port Canaveral . There are three mainline toll plazas on the tollway and each of them have at least two express lanes dedicated to SunPass for electronic toll collection , which do not require motorists to stop at a booth, as well as lanes dedicated to cash collection. While
7488-474: The Jetport (which became Orlando International Airport once the expansion was complete in September 1981). To help pay for the upgrade, the OOCEA raised tolls at the Bee Line toll plaza (east of SR 15) from 35 cents to 50 cents (equivalent to $ 1.29–1.85 in 2023 ) Bonds were sold in January 1981, and the finished SR 436/Airport interchange was dedicated on January 21, 1983. The toll plaza just west of
7605-406: The OOCEA would build the road, and then turn it over to the SRD, which would operate and maintain it, giving toll revenue to the OOCEA. Construction of the $ 6.8 million (equivalent to $ 48.8 million in 2023 ) project began in early 1966, with groundbreaking at the location of the present Dallas Boulevard interchange (exit 24). The 17.4-mile (28.0 km) road was dedicated on July 14, 1967, at
7722-466: The Orlando area designated as such. An organization representing businesses on the Space Coast has put up billboards calling it "Orlando's closest beach". During 2006 construction began on a redesigned interchange with SR 436 at the entrance to Orlando International Airport . It was completed in early 2008. A new flyover ramp was built from the Beachline westbound into the airport, eliminating
7839-530: The SR 520 interchange were added August 19, 1999. The last at-grade interchange on the original Bee Line alignment, a connection on the westbound side to a derelict portion of the McCoy Road frontage, was finally eliminated in 2002 as part of the Goldenrod Road extension project. The break in the frontage allowing eastbound traffic to cross over to McCoy Road at that point had been closed about
7956-556: The Sanford/Heathrow area. Although SR 417 is signed north–south throughout its entire route, it runs east–west between Celebration and CR 15. After the latter road, it runs north–south through the rest of its route. The Southern Connector as well as the beltway begins at an interchange with I-4 in Celebration . This section, run by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise is 6.4-mile-long (10.3 km), extending to
8073-684: The Southeastern Beltway, from Colonial Drive to the Beachline Expressway in January 1989, and opened ahead of schedule in July 1990. The 7.6-mile (12.2 km) route cost $ 72 million, with an estimated $ 13 million being spent on acquiring the right-of-way . The "Southern Connector" was to become a route extending from SR 528 all the way to SR 535 . The OOCEA began construction of the 22-mile (35 km) road in November 1991 and completed construction July 1, 1993, at
8190-409: The US, any at-grade intersection that ends a freeway often remains an at-grade intersection. Often, when there is a two-lane undivided freeway or expressway, it is converted by constructing a parallel twin corridor, and leaving a median between the two travel directions. The median-side travel lane of the old two-way corridor becomes a passing lane. Other techniques involve building a new carriageway on
8307-484: The United States, allow for limited exceptions: some movable bridges , for instance the Interstate Bridge on Interstate 5 between Oregon and Washington , do require drivers to stop for ship traffic. The crossing of freeways by other routes is typically achieved with grade separation either in the form of underpasses or overpasses . In addition to sidewalks (pavements) attached to roads that cross
8424-712: The Vienna Convention. Exits are marked with another symbol: [REDACTED] . The definitions of "motorway" from the OECD and PIARC are almost identical. In the European Union , for statistical and safety purposes, some distinction might be made between motorway and expressway . For instance a principal arterial might be considered as: Roads serving long distance and mainly interurban movements. Includes motorways (urban or rural) and expressways (road which does not serve properties bordering on it and which
8541-463: The additional tolls were never implemented, and they have now officially been converted to Thru Lanes. Although drivers will pay the same toll as for the general use lanes, a SunPass or compatible transponder is required to use the Thru Lanes. Eastbound drivers can enter from the general use lanes just east of I-4, and can exit shortly before Consulate Drive and Florida's Turnpike , or just before
8658-477: The airport, is known as the Beachline West Expressway and is FTE owned. The section of the expressway is most famous for providing the link for tourists between Orlando International Airport and Orlando area attractions such as SeaWorld and Universal Orlando , and Walt Disney World via I-4. The Beachline begins at an interchange with I-4 (exit 72), and heads east, with interchanges with
8775-738: The airport. Westbound drivers can enter just west of the airport or the Turnpike, and exit only at I-4. Prior to the construction of the Bee Line, State Road 528 was a surface road connecting Interstate 4 with the McCoy Jetport (now Orlando International Airport) and SR 15 (Narcoossee Road). It ran along Sand Lake Road (now State Road 482 ) from I-4 east to Orange Blossom Trail ( US 17 / US 92 / US 441 , SR 500 / SR 600 ), where it turned south to reach Landstreet Road. Landstreet Road took SR 528 to Orange Avenue ( SR 527 ) at Taft , where SR 528 turned back north to McCoy Road . McCoy Road led east past
8892-472: The area at the west end of SR 528 was basically empty, and the land was a part of the extensive Martin-owned Orlando Central Park, covering roughly the area bounded by I-4 to the west/northwest, the Florida Turnpike to the northeast/east, and SR 482 (West Sand Lake Road) to the south. The Emory L. Bennett Causeway and approaches, running from SR 520 west of Cocoa northeast on what
9009-793: The bridge. The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge / Dartford tunnel at London Orbital is an example of this. London Orbital or the M25 is a motorway surrounding London , but at the last River Thames crossing before its mouth, motorway rules do not apply. (At this crossing the London Orbital is labeled A282 instead.) A few of the more common types of junction are shown below: There are many differences between countries in their geography, economy, traffic growth, highway system size, degree of urbanization and motorization, etc.; all of which need to be taken into consideration when comparisons are made. According to some EU papers, safety progress on motorways
9126-492: The common European definition, a motorway is defined as "a road, specially designed and built for motor traffic, which does not serve properties bordering on it, and which: (a) is provided, except at special points or temporarily, with separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic, separated from each other, either by a dividing strip not intended for traffic, or exceptionally by other means; (b) does not cross at level with any road, railway or tramway track, or footpath; (c)
9243-465: The crowded Semoran Boulevard , as well as give expressway access to the University of Central Florida . The OOCEA began construction of phase I in July 1987 and the road was opened to the public on December 16, 1988, at a cost of $ 105 million, with $ 35 million being spent on acquiring the right-of-way for the 6-mile (9.7 km) route. Phase II, the "Southeastern Beltway", was considered one of
9360-517: The early 1920s in response to the rapidly increasing use of the automobile , the demand for faster movement between cities and as a consequence of improvements in paving processes, techniques and materials. These original high-speed roads were referred to as " dual highways " and have been modernized and are still in use today. Italy was the first country in the world to build controlled-access highways reserved for fast traffic and for motor vehicles only. The Autostrada dei Laghi ("Lakes Motorway"),
9477-517: The east-pointing ramps at SR 520 are collected by FDOT, and 25 cents of the $ 1.25 CFX barrier toll east of the airport also goes to FDOT. There are no toll roads in Brevard County so technically the 25 cents is only for use of the FDOT road section in Orange County . Nonetheless, most road maps show the Brevard County section from the Orange County line to I-95 to be a toll road because it
9594-555: The eastern section, originally known as the Central Florida Expressway , by December 1971. The road ran east from SR 520 past a toll booth to the St. Johns River , where it crossed into Brevard County. Shortly after crossing, it split, with a two-lane spur ( SR 407 ) heading northeast, intersecting I-95 , and ending at SR 405 west of the Orsino Causeway for access to the central part of
9711-404: The end of the beltway. There are six mainline toll plazas on the tollway and have at least one express lane dedicated to E-Pass / SunPass for electronic toll collection (ETC), which do not require motorists to stop at a booth, as well as lanes dedicated to cash collection. The Celebration toll plaza has one ETC lane, and all of the others have at least two ETC lanes. The ramp toll plazas have
9828-634: The existing Bee Line and Bennett Causeway and forming a continuous route from the Turnpike to the Atlantic Ocean, with a spur (now SR 407 ) to the Orsino Causeway . Enabling legislation was signed into law in July 1967. However, inflation caused problems with that plan. In December 1968, bonds were sold for a joint project—FTA would build from McCoy Jetport west to the Turnpike (at the existing Orlando-South interchange with Orange Blossom Trail ), and Orange and Brevard Counties would fund
9945-567: The express lanes, is a "free movement" section, requiring no tolls. The expressway continues east to the Beachline West barrier toll and then to SR 482 (McCoy Road/Sand Lake Road) (exit 8), ending FTE maintenance at the northwest edge of the airport. CFX maintenance begins at the northwest corner of the airport, with a free movement section between exits 8 and 9 (Tradeport Drive/Conway Road), followed by two airport-access interchanges with SR 436 and Goldenrod Road . The last of
10062-489: The extension from SR 520 east to the Bennett and Orsino Causeways, in addition to a four-laning on the Bennett Causeway. An interchange at SR 15 replaced an at-grade crossing c. 1971. The FTA planned to build from the Turnpike east past the Jetport to SR 15, upgrading the existing SR 528 (McCoy Road) with frontage roads from west of the Jetport to SR 15. An interchange would be provided with
10179-412: The final schedule. This leg features only one mainline toll plaza (just south of CR 427 ), but it is also the priciest toll plaza on SR 417 at $ 2.50 per vehicle. This section also features the only "free movement" on SR 417. No toll is collected for motorists traveling between I-4 and Rinehart Road (whose interchange with SR 417 is used for travelers on SR 46 and CR 46A to get to and from SR 417). Due to
10296-485: The first built in the world, connecting Milan to Lake Como and Lake Maggiore , and now parts of the A8 and A9 motorways, was devised by Piero Puricelli and was inaugurated in 1924. This motorway, called autostrada , contained only one lane in each direction and no interchanges. The Bronx River Parkway was the first road in North America to utilize a median strip to separate the opposing lanes, to be constructed through
10413-412: The first half of the 20th century. Italy was the first country in the world to build controlled-access highways reserved for fast traffic and for motor vehicles only. Italy opened its first autostrada in 1924, A8 , connecting Milan to Varese . Germany began to build its first controlled-access autobahn without speed limits (30 kilometres [19 mi] on what is now A555 , then referred to as
10530-504: The highway are provided at interchanges by slip roads (ramps), which allow for speed changes between the highway and arterials and collector roads . On the controlled-access highway, opposing directions of travel are generally separated by a median strip or central reservation containing a traffic barrier or grass. Elimination of conflicts with other directions of traffic dramatically improves safety, while increasing traffic capacity and speed. Controlled-access highways evolved during
10647-528: The interchange was built by the FTE, with construction beginning in late 2014 and completed in 2017, several years ahead of its original completion date. In January 2015, the speed limit along the entire highway was raised to 70 mph (110 km/h) from the previous 65 mph (105 km/h) speed limit. The increase followed a study that found 85% of drivers on the highway already drove between 70–80 mph (110–130 km/h). In 2019, construction started on
10764-469: The mayor of Cologne . The German Autobahn became the first nationwide highway system. In Canada , the first precursor with semi-controlled access was The Middle Road between Hamilton and Toronto , which featured a median divider between opposing traffic flow, as well as the nation's first cloverleaf interchange . This highway developed into the Queen Elizabeth Way , which featured
10881-602: The most direct path from one point to another) Martin Andersen, then owner of the Orlando Sentinel , helped form the Central Florida Development Commission to ensure that Orlando would prosper, with one of its goals being developing an "adequate road system". With the completion of Florida's Turnpike and I-4 in 1963 and 1965, Orlando had freeway connections to the northwest, southwest, southeast and northeast, but lacked such
10998-588: The most important parts of the Eastern Beltway because motorists could use this portion to travel from downtown Orlando to the Orlando International Airport without ever getting off the expressway system. This portion of the GreeneWay had passed through some of the most barren portions of Orange County . It skirts the Econlockhatchee River marshes that cover some of eastern Orange and northern Osceola . The OOCEA began construction of
11115-400: The motorway system, whilst a junction is a crossing between motorways or a split/merge of two motorways. The motorway rules end at exits, but not at junctions. However, on some bridges, motorways, without changing appearance, temporarily end between the two exits closest to the bridge (or tunnel), and continue as dual carriageways . This is in order to give slower vehicles a possibility to use
11232-682: The multiple entities involved, which included OOCEA, Walt Disney World , Osceola County, private landowners, the Reedy Creek Improvement District , and the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, building the southernmost 6.4-mile (10.3 km) between I-4 and the GreeneWay became a complex task. Eventually, they agreed on the Southern Connector Extension , as well as the 12.4-mile (20.0 km) Osceola Parkway . Florida's Turnpike began construction of
11349-454: The new SR 436 , planned to open in 1969. However, Governor Claude Kirk insisted that the new road continue west past the Turnpike to I-4 , and so the FTA did not have enough money to upgrade the road past the Jetport. (The FTA merged into the new Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in 1969.) The piece from west of the Jetport to the Turnpike opened in late July 1973, and the rest of
11466-480: The north entrance to the Jetport to SR 15; part of this is now SR 482, while part of McCoy Road from about one mile (1.6 km) east of SR 527 now serves as a frontage road to the Beachline Expressway. An interchange at SR 528 and Kirkman Road ( SR 435 ) was built c. 1958 to serve the new Martin Marietta complex (now Lockheed Martin ) just to the south of that junction. At that time,
11583-461: The original stretch of road (from SR 520 to Orlando International Airport) built in the 1960s. The entire Beachline is compatible with the SunPass , E-Pass , Peach Pass , NC Quick Pass , and E-ZPass electronic toll collection transponders on both mainline plazas and interchange tolls. The westernmost eight miles (13 km) of the Beachline Expressway, from I-4 to SR 482 near
11700-439: The other. Other methods involve constructing a service drive that shortens the long driveways (typically by less than 100 metres (330 ft)). An interchange or a junction is a highway layout that permits traffic from one controlled-access highway to access another and vice versa, whereas an access point is a highway layout where traffic from a distributor or local road can join a controlled-access highway. Some countries, such as
11817-617: The overpass at SR 3 . Traffic was forced to exit the highway around the damage. The overpass was replaced, high priority, within 30 days, for $ 2.2 million (equivalent to $ 2.94 million in 2023 ). Sightseers wishing to view the final launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2011, caused a 40-mile (64 km) backup from Cape Canaveral. On March 19, 2012, the Beachline Dallas Boulevard Toll Plaza went into service, in between
11934-504: The portions of the Beachline that it manages citing some 35 million out of state visitors that use E-ZPass tolling devices. The westernmost few miles of the Beachline, operated by FTE, became compatible with E-ZPass in 2021. The Turnpike began a massive widening project between I-4 and the Turnpike mainline in fiscal year 2016 to include two express lanes in each direction. The project was completed July 2019. The Cocoa to Orlando segment of Brightline 's rail line between Miami and Orlando
12051-477: The rate is higher than the risk on urban roads. Speeds are higher on rural roads and autobahns than urban roads, increasing the severity potential of a crash. According to ETSC, German motorways without a speed limit, but with a 130 km/h (81 mph) speed recommendation, are 25% more deadly than motorways with a speed limit. Germany also introduced some 130 km/h (81 mph) speed limits on various motorway sections that were not limited. This generated
12168-643: The rights of light , air and access to highways, but not parkways and freeways; the latter two are distinguished in that the purpose of a parkway is recreation, while the purpose of a freeway is movement. Thus, as originally conceived, a freeway is simply a strip of public land devoted to movement to which abutting property owners do not have rights of light, air or access. Freeways, by definition, have no at-grade intersections with other roads, railroads or multi-use trails . Therefore, no traffic signals are needed and through traffic on freeways does not normally need to stop at traffic signals. Some countries, such as
12285-476: The road to I-4 opened in December. The road had one toll booth lying between the Turnpike and Jetport. The rest of the road to I-4 was free; initially there were no interchanges except at International Drive , just east of I-4, but overpasses were built at roughly one-mile intervals which would eventually provide exits for Orangewood Boulevard and John Young Parkway . At the same time, construction had begun on
12402-505: The sections west and east of the Jetport were freeways , the piece along McCoy Road, from west of the Jetport to SR 15, was a four-lane divided surface road. It had two major intersections—Daetwyler Drive (the Jetport entrance) and Semoran Boulevard ( SR 436 ), and a number of minor access points. Adding to the need for an upgrade was the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority 's plans for expanding
12519-432: The side of a divided highway that has a lot of private access on one side and sometimes has long driveways on the other side since an easement for widening comes into place, especially in rural areas. When a third carriageway is added, sometimes it can shift a directional carriageway by 20–60 metres (50–200 ft) (or maybe more depending on land availability) as a way to retain private access on one side that favors over
12636-506: The toll booth east of SR 15 being moved several miles east. Tolls were removed on the Bennett Causeway on June 29, 1990, as the bonds were paid off, making the road free east of the SR 520 interchange. With the startup of the Disney Cruise Line from Port Canaveral in 1998, Disney started running buses along the Bee Line for tourists going between Walt Disney World and the port. SR 528 east of SR 436
12753-641: The toll plaza just east of SR 15, and the remaining section (Orange Blossom Trail to Orange Avenue) opened nine days later. The OOCEA board had voted to name it after Martin Andersen in December 1966, and in 1967 the Florida Legislature passed this designation into law. In early 1967, the Florida State Turnpike Authority (FTA) announced plans for an expansion of the Turnpike System, including taking over
12870-411: The tourist-driven International Drive , Orangewood Boulevard, and John Young Parkway . The highway then jogs north to a massive combined interchange with Florida's Turnpike and US 17 / US 92 / US 441 ( Orange Blossom Trail ) at exit 4; this interchange serves The Florida Mall to the north of the road. The section of the Beachline Expressway from exit 0 to exit 4, with the exception of
12987-407: The weaving of cars entering and leaving the airport from/to the Beachline. The mainline toll plazas east and west of the airport remain subject to traffic congestion because of the high percentage of tourists at those plazas who must pay with cash since they don't have access to SunPass , E-Pass or other acceptable electronic toll collection transponders. The interchange at exit 13 ( SR 15 )
13104-712: The widening of the Seminole Expressway, the portion of SR 417 north of University Boulevard. Construction between University Boulevard and SR 434 was scheduled to begin in 2020, but hasn't started yet as of 2023. Controlled-access highway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway , motorway , and expressway . Other similar terms include throughway or thruway and parkway . Some of these may be limited-access highways , although this term can also refer to
13221-406: The year 2010, comparing overall fatality rates with motorway rates (regardless of traffic intensity): The German autobahn network illustrates the safety trade-offs of controlled access highways. The injury crash rate is very low on autobahns, while 22 people died per 1,000 injury crashes—although autobahns have a lower rate than the 29 deaths per 1,000 injury accidents on conventional rural roads,
13338-443: Was European route E4 from Gävle to Axmartavlan , Sweden. The high rate of crashes with severe personal injuries on that (and similar) roads did not cease until a median crash barrier was installed, transforming the fatal crashes into non-fatal crashes. Otherwise, freeways typically have at least two lanes in each direction; some busy ones can have as many as 16 or more lanes in total. In San Diego, California , Interstate 5 has
13455-619: Was designated the Kennedy Space Center Highway in 1998 by the Florida Legislature . The 20-cent FDOT toll booth east of SR 520 was rounded up to 25 cents in July 1996 to improve efficiency. After an agreement signed May 8, 1998 by the OOCEA and FDOT, it was removed May 11, and replaced with an additional 25 cents at the $ 1 (originally 35-cent) OOCEA toll east of SR 417. The extra 25 cents goes to FDOT, as traffic that exits at SR 520 now has to pay an extra quarter—the 25-cent ramp tolls pointing eastward at
13572-444: Was posthumously named after former Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority chairman Jim Greene. SR 417 was originally planned to be a full beltway around Orlando. Eventually, the beltway was divided, with the west side being designated SR 429 , and the east side retaining the SR 417 designation. Until 2024, the two expressways were non-continuous. SR 429 is now extended via Wekiva Parkway to meet SR 417 in
13689-405: Was reconstructed between September 2007 and July 2009, which expanded the interchange ramps and replaced the old bridges with wider ones, and did not eliminate free movement that exists between that exit and exit 11 ( SR 436 ). In May 2007, the FTE began Phase I of a project to widen the Beachline West. It encompasses the reconstruction of the mainline toll plaza located near milepost 5, which
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