Florida State Road 589

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State Road 589
Length:	55 mi (88 km)
Formed:	1994 (extended 2001)
South end:	SR 60 in Tampa
Major junctions:	SR 580 in Tampa SR 568/SR 597 in Lutz SR 54 in Odessa SR 52 near San Antonio SR 50 in Brooksville
North end:	US 98 near Chassahowitzka (current) US 19/US 98 in Crystal River (future)
Florida State and County Roads < SR 586 SR 590 >

The Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway (State Road 589) is a north-south toll road near the Florida Gulf Coast ^{[1] [2]}. Maintained and operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, this 57-mile transportation corridor was built to accommodate the increasing commuter traffic in the Tampa-St. Petersburg metropolitan area, with an extension of the Suncoast Parkway (to US 19/98 north of Crystal River in Citrus County) in the planning and development stage ^[3].

[edit] The Veterans Expressway

Completed in October 1994, the 15-mile-long Veterans Expressway (originally known as the Northwest Hillsborough Expressway)extends 15 miles from SR 60 (the Courtney Campbell Causeway) west of Tampa International Airport to SR 597 (Dale Mabry Highway) in northern Hillsborough County. The southern two miles, between Courtney Campbell Causeway and Hillsborough Avenue (on the west side of Tampa International Airport), upgraded Eisenhower Boulevard to expressway standards with frontage roads and is not tolled. North of Hillsborough Avenue, the remaining 13 miles are within new right-of-way.

Between Courtney Campbell Causeway and Dale Mabry Highway, intermediate interchanges are provided at Independence Parkway, Memorial Highway, Hillsborough Avenue, Waters Avenue, Anderson Road, Linebaugh Avenue/Wilsky Boulevard, Gunn Highway, Erlich Road, Hutchison Road and Van Dyke Road. There are two mainline barrier plazas (Anderson and Sugarwood) and six ramp plazas. The "N minus 1" formula is used for truck toll rate schedule.

[edit] Financial Problems

As part of the Northwest Hillsborough Expressway, an endeavor by the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority. The Veterans Expressway was supposed to have been a beltway bypassing Tampa from the northwest. Further aspirations may have led to a full beltway around the city. Unfortunately, community opposition and rising construction and land costs cancelled the beltway plan. And the ordering by the state to build the Veterans Expressway in the early 1990s shelved an improvement project for the airport interchanges and depleted the THCEA of funds to complete the Veterans. As a result, Florida's Turnpike constructed the highway and gained ownership of the facility upon completion.

[edit] The Suncoast Parkway and SR 568

Opened in 2001, the 42-mile-long Suncoast Parkway (SR 589) proceeds north from the Veterans Expressway to US 98 in Hernando County, Florida, USA, near Chassahowitzka. Drivers of automobiles traveling the entire length of the Suncoast Parkway pay $3.00 US toll.

With the completion of the Suncoast Parkway, the stub of the Veterans Expressway from Exit 13 to Dale Mabry Highway was designated State Road 568.

[edit] Suncoast Parkway Extension

With the Suncoast Parkway extension in Citrus County still up in the air, ten different alignments, with four southern segments, twelve central segments, and one northern segment, have been brought to attention regarding the parkway's routing. Regardless of the alignment (if selected and built), the proposed interchanges is a follows. ^[4]

Intersecting Roadway	Notes
U.S. Route 98 Permanent Interchange.	Four alignments are proposed for this interchange
Cardinal Street	Four alignments are proposed for this interchange
State Road 44	Three alignments are proposed for this interchange
CR 495 (Citrus)	One alignment is proposed for this interchange
U.S. Route 98/U.S. Route 19	One alignment is proposed for this interchange

[edit] Controversy

Critics of the Suncoast Parkway extension believe that such a plan would disrupt the quiet, undisturbed sections of Citrus County and bring forth more urban sprawl to the county. Furthermore, impacted residents fear that the parkway alignments come too close to their residences and will cause excessive noise and decreased property values.

[edit] Reconstruction and other improvements

A portion of the Veterans Expressway Construction site. The high flyover in the background will carry traffic from George J Bean Pkwy to southbound SR 589.

In August 2005, a massive reconstruction project began on the interchanges between I-275 and Memorial Hwy, near Tampa International Airport after being shelved for over fifteen years. The project will consist of a four-level stack interchange at the Spruce St Interchange, a three-level interchange at the Courtney Campbell Causeway, and an extensive auxiliary exit ramp system stretching from Independence Pkwy to just north of I-275. Even though thru traffic will be separated from local and airport traffic on the northbound lanes, the southbound thru lanes will not be built until a later phase in 2012+. The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in 2010 with a cost of $202 million. The second phase currently in the early design stages and there is currently no timetable set for construction. ^[5]

As of July 2006, a study is being performed on a project that would widen the Veterans Expressway to eight lanes between Memorial Highway and Van Dyke Road.^[6]

[edit] Exit list

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• The Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway utilize FDOT's mileage-based exit number system.

• WARNING! The toll rates need verification! Expert input may be needed.
• As of September 1st, 2006, commuters using the Anderson Road exit ramp will have to pay exact change or use a SunPass transponder.^[7]

Mile	Exit #	Intersecting Roadway	Cash Tolls (Automobile)	SunPass (Automobile)	Major Destinations	Notes
Memorial Highway (Free)
	0A (Unsigned)	State Road 60 East/Kennedy Boulevard Begin Cosign			WestShore Plaza, WestShore Business District, Downtown Tampa, Florida	southbound exit and northbound entrance
	0B (Unsigned)	Interstate 275 (Florida) Northbound			Downtown Tampa, Orlando via	southbound exit and northbound entrance
	0C (Unsigned)	Interstate 275 (Florida) Southbound			St Petersburg	southbound exit and northbound entrance
	1 (Unsigned)	State Road 616 East/Spruce Street/North/George J. Bean Parkway			Tampa International Airport, International Plaza and Bay Street, Raymond James Stadium	no northbound access to Spruce Street
Veterans Expressway (Toll)
	2A	State Road 60 West/Courtney Campbell Causeway End Cosign.			Rocky Point, Clearwater	stoplight at northbound interchange exit/entry ramps.
	2B	Independence Parkway			Rocky Point Golf Course	northbound exit and southbound entrance
	3	CR 576/Memorial Highway			Town 'n' Country, Oldsmar
	4	State Road 580/Hillsborough Avenue	50¢	25¢	Town 'n' Country, Oldsmar, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Florida State Fairgrounds
	6A	Waters Avenue	50¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance	25¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance
		Anderson barrier toll	$1.00	75¢
	6B	Anderson Road	$1.00 EXACT CHANGE ONLY	75¢	Serves Linebaugh Avenue EASTBOUND.	northbound exit and southbound entrance. Left exit from/entry to expressway.
	7	Linebaugh Avenue WESTBOUND			northbound exit and southbound entrance
	8	Linebaugh Avenue via Wilsky Boulevard	50¢	25¢		southbound exit and northbound entrance
	9	CR 587/Gunn Highway	50¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance	25¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance	Citrus Park, Westfield Citrus Park, Busch Gardens
	10	Ehrlich Road	Toll Free exit and entrance ramps	Toll Free exit and entrance ramps	Citrus Park, Northdale
		Sugarwood barrier toll	75¢	50¢
	12	Hutchison Road	50¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance	25¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance
	13	State Road 568/Veterans Expressway TO State Road 597 Dale Mabry Highway		Lutz, Land O' Lakes	northbound exit and southbound entrance
Suncoast Parkway (Toll)
	14	CR 685A/Van Dyke Road	50¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance	25¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance	Lutz
	16	CR 582/Lutz-Lake Fern Road (Future)			Lutz, Land O' Lakes, Tarpon Springs
	19	State Road 54	25¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance	25¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance	Land O' Lakes, Odessa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills
		Anclote barrier toll	$1.00	$1.00
	24	CR 524 (Pasco)/Ridge Road (Future)	??	??	New Port Richey, Land O' Lakes
	27	State Road 52	Toll Free exit and entrance ramps	Toll Free exit and entrance ramps	Hudson, Dade City, San Antonio
		Shady Hills barrier toll	$1.00	$1.00
	37	CR 578 County Line Road	25¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance	25¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance	Masaryktown
	41	CR 574 (Hernando)/Spring Hill Drive	Toll Free exit and entrance ramps	Toll Free exit and entrance ramps	Hernando County Municipal Airport
	46	State Road 50	25¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance	25¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance	Weeki Wachee, Brooksville
		Chassahowitzka barrier toll	$1.00	$1.00
	54	U.S. Route 98			Chassahowitzka, Crystal River, Tallahassee

[edit] Other former sections

In addition to the current State Toll Road 568, there were two other roads that once carried the SR 589 designation. Originally, State Road 589 was multiplexed with State Road 60 between Exit 2A and Exit 1, then extended to West Spruce Street and Boy Scout Boulevard. These roads were redesignated as SR 616

The SR 60/589 multiplex was planned to be extended southward to I-275, where SR 589 would branch off onto the West Crosstown Expressway and become part of the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway, at Exit 4. The West Crosstown was canceled due to a freeway revolt, and the SR 589 and SR 449 desigantions were eliminated from the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway.

[edit] References

1. ^ Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, Veterans Expressway
2. ^ Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, Suncoast Parkway
3. ^ Suncoast Parkway 2
4. ^ Suncoast Parkway 2 Map
5. ^ Tampa Airport Interchanges project
6. ^ FDOT, Veterans Expressway Widening Project Information
7. ^ St. Petersburg Times/tbt*, Technology takes toll on takers

[edit] External links

• Tampa Airport Interchanges Project Page
• Suncoast Parkway Proposed Extension Project Page
• Florida Route Log(SR 589)