Interstate 75 in Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (November 2006)
Interstate 75
Main route of the Interstate Highway System
South end: SR 826/924 near Miami
Major
junctions:		 I-595/SR 869 in Weston
I-275 near Parrish
I-4 near Temple Terrace
I-275 near Lutz
Florida's Turnpike near Wildwood
I-10 near Lake City
North end: I-75 near Lake Park, GA
Florida State and County Roads

Interstate 75 is one of the interstate highways in the midwest and southeastern United States, and the primary north-south interstate highway along the west coast and southern end of the state of Florida.

Contents

[edit] Route description

Cities
(Population > 2,000)
Bold cites are AASHTO control cities.[1]

Interstate 75 begins its northward journey at SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) near Miami.[2] It is also the national southern terminus of the interstate highway that runs to the Canadian border at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Leaving Hialeah, Interstate 75 crosses into Broward County and continues through the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale suburbs of Pembroke Pines, Weston, Miramar, Davie, and Southwest Ranches. At the junction of FL 869 (Sawgrass Expressway) and Interstate 595, Interstate 75 (while maintaining its north/south status) enters an east/west trajectory as it crosses the Everglades by way of Alligator Alley, a toll road which was constructed originally as a two-lane highway before it was converted to a four-lane highway meeting interstate standards. Part of Alligator Alley runs through Collier County, and the Big Cypress National Preserve.

Once near Naples at Collier County Road 951 (Exit 101), Interstate 75 once again assumes its north/south trajectory. Interstate 75 runs parallel with the southwest coast of Florida and passes near Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Sarasota and Bradenton before reaching the Tampa Bay area metropolis consisting of Tampa and St. Petersburg.

In Ellenton, (a small community northeast of Bradenton) Interstate 275 splits from Interstate 75 to serve St. Petersburg and Pinellas County via the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Tampa via the Howard Frankland Bridge. Interstate 75 parallels the eastern shore of Tampa Bay as it passes by the communities of Brandon, Temple Terrace and New Tampa. Tampa is accessed from Interstate 75 by way of either the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway (FL 618) or Interstate 4. Interstate 75 as it passes east of Tampa is considered the bypass route while Interstate 275 serves the downtowns of Tampa and St. Petersburg. Within the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Area, many interhcanges are far more complex than mere diamond, cloverleaf, or even SPUI interchanges. Besides the massive catherine wheel intterchange with Interstate 4(Exit 261), there are interchanges with Fletcher Avenue(Exit 265) and Fowler Avenue/Morris Bridge Road(Exit 266) that contain both loops and flyovers. A new flyover ramp is currently being built from southbound Bruce B. Downs Boulevard(Exit 270) to southbound I-75.

At the Hillsborough-Pasco county line (south of FL 56 (Exit 275)), Interstate 275 rejoins Interstate 75 (Exit 274 southbound Interstate 75 only) and Interstate 75 slightly changes into a northeast-southwest trajectory as it passes through Pasco, Hernando and Sumter Counties where it runs through parts of the Withlacoochee State Forest on its way to the junction with Florida's Turnpike. Widened median segments exist in Northern Pasco County, Hernando County, and in Sumter County north of County Road 476-B(Exit 309). Some of these median segments are actually considered part of the Withlacoochee State Forest itself. The Withlacoochee State Trail runs beneath I-75 between US 98/FL 50(Exit 301) and the Hernando-Sumter County line.

After the Florida Turnpike (accessible from southbound Interstate 75 only), Interstate 75 changes into a general northwest-southeast trajectory and remains so all the way to the Georgia state line and beyond. Interstate 75 passes beneath the Cross Florida Greenway, which contains a land bridge built across the highway in 2001 between Exits 341 and 350[3], before entering the City of Ocala, and passing by the cities of Gainesville and Lake City and crosses Interstate 10 at an interchange before leaving the state of Florida at the Georgia border near Valdosta.

The distance from Hialeah at FL 826 to the Georgia border is 472 miles, which makes Interstate 75 the longest of Florida's four principal interstate highways.

Interstate 75 runs closest to U.S. Route 41 except between Tampa and High Springs. It runs closer to U.S. Route 301 between Ellenton and Temple Terrace, and again from Dade City to Sparr. From Belleview to Lake City it runs closest to U.S. Route 441.

[edit] State Roads 93 & 93A

Like any other Florida interstate, there is an unsigned state road designation associated with Interstate 75. For most of its length in Florida, Interstate 75 is unsigned State Road 93. The lone exception is in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, where it is unsigned State Road 93A. This is because SR 93 was designated along the original I-75 routing. When the Interstates were renumbered, the state route designations were not changed to match.

[edit] History

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


Originally, I-75 was to be built through Tampa and St. Petersburg, while the current I-75 was to be called I-75E. Because of Interstate restrictions dealing with suffixes to routes, I-75 was rerouted along I-75E, and the original I-75 was renamed I-275.

[edit] Auxiliary routes

  • I-175 and I-375 are very brief Interstates that go east into downtown St. Petersburg.

[edit] Lane Configurations

  • Between Georgia line and Florida's Turnpike (Exit 329) (3 lanes each way)
  • Between Florida's Turnpike and State Road 582 (Fowler Avenue) (Exit 265) (2 lanes each way, but gradually being widened to 3 lanes each way)
  • Between State Road 582 (Fowler Avenue) and State Road 681 (Exit 200) near Nokomis (3 lanes each way except through Riverview and part of Brandon where it is up to 5 lanes each way)
  • Between State Road 681 and Harborview Road (Exit 167) (2 lanes each way)
  • Between Harborview Road and US 17 (Exit 164) (3 lanes each way)
  • Between US 17 and State Road 884 (Colonial Boulevard) (Exit 136) (2 lanes each way)
  • Between State Road 884 (Colonial Boulevard) and Golden Gate Parkway (Exit 105) (2 lanes each way, but currently being widened to 3 lanes each way)
  • Between Golden Gate Parkway and US 27 (Exit 23) (2 lanes each way)
  • Between US 27 and I-595 (Exit 19) (3 lanes each way)
  • From I-595 to southern terminus (4 lanes each way)

[edit] Rest Area and Truck Weight & Inspection Station list

  • Broward County Rest Areas between Exits 23 & 49
  • Collier County Rest Areas between Exits 49 & 80
  • Charlotte County Rest Areas between Exits 158 & 161
  • Manatee County Rest Areas between Exits 229 & 240
  • Pasco County Rest Areas) between Exits 275 & 279
  • Sumter County Rest Areas between Exits 301 & 309
  • Sumter County Truck Weigh Stations between Exits 329 & 341
  • Ocala Rest Areas between Exits 341 & 350
  • Gainesville Rest Areas between Exits 374 & 382
  • North Alachua County Rest Areas between Exits 404 & 414
  • Northbound Hamilton County Rest Area north of Exit 439
  • Southbound Hamilton County Rest Area south of Exit 451
  • Hamilton County Truck Weigh Stations south of Exit 451
  • State Inspection Station between Exits 460 & 467
  • FLORIDA WELCOME CENTER (Southbound Only)

[edit] Exit list

County Location Mile[4] # Destinations Notes
Old New
Miami-Dade Miami 0.030 1A-B 1A-B SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) Road continues eastbound as SR 916 (Gratigny Expressway)
1.470 2 2 Northwest 138th Street (Graham Dairy Road)
4.454 3A 4 SR 860 (Miami Gardens Drive)
4.923 3B 5 Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike Northbound entrance and Southbound exit
Broward Miramar 6.966 4A-B 7A-B CR 858 (Miramar Parkway)
Pembroke Pines 9.204 5A-B 9A-B SR 820
10.867 6A-B 11A-B Sheridan Street
Weston 13.166 7A-B 13A-B Griffin Road
14.997 8 15 Royal Palm Boulevard
17.379 10 19 I-595 / SR 869 (Sawgrass Expressway) Southern terminus of Alligator Alley
21.119 11 21 SR 84 (Indian Trace) Northbound only
22.064 12 22 Glades Parkway
23.494 13A-B 23 US 27
(26) Toll Plaza ( I-75 NORTH ONLY)
Miccouskee Indian Reservation 49.428 14 49 CR 833 (Government Road/Snake Road)
Collier 80.048 14A 80 SR 29
(100) Toll Plaza ( I-75 SOUTH ONLY)
Naples 101.284 15 101 CR 951 (Collier Boulevard) to SR 84 Northern terminus of Alligator Alley.
104.552 105 CR 886 (Golden Gate Parkway)
107.134 16 107 CR 896 (Pine Ridge Road)
111.401 17 111 CR 846 (Immokalee Road)
Lee Bonita Springs 115.385 18 116 CR 865 (Bonita Beach Road)
122.748 19 123 CR 850 (Corkscrew Road)
127.068 20 128 CR 840 (Alico Road)
130.808 21 131 CR 876 (Daniels Parkway) To Southwest Florida International Airport
Fort Myers 135.426 22 136 SR 884 / CR 884 (Colonial Boulevard)
136.985 23 138 SR 82 (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard)
138.494 24 139 CR 810 (Luckett Road)
140.416 25 141 SR 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard)
142.777 26 143 SR 78 (Bayshore Road)
Charlotte 157.004 27 158 CR 762 (Tuckers Grade)
160.270 28 161 CR 768 (North Jones Loop Road)
Solana 163.611 29 164 US 17 To Punta Gorda
Port Charlotte 166.395 30 167 CR 776 (Harborview Road)
169.573 31 170 CR 769 (Kings Highway)
Sarasota 178.559 32 179 CR 779 (Toledo Blade Boulevard)
181.505 33 182 CR 771 (Sumter Boulevard)
190.580 34 191 CR 777 (River Road)
Venice Gardens 192.821 35 193 CR 765 (Jacaranda Boulevard)
195.120 35A 195 CR 762 (Laurel Road)
199.319 36 200 SR 681 Southbound only
Bee Ridge 204.884 37 205 SR 72 (Clark Road)
Sarasota Springs 206.906 38 207 SR 758 (Bee Ridge Road)
Fruitville 209.622 39 210 SR 780 (Fruitville Road)
Manatee 213.139 40 213 SR 610 (University Parkway)
216.826 41 217A-B SR 70 (Oneco-Myakka City Road) Northbound only; Southbound has a single exit (Exit 217)
220.425 42 220A-B SR 64 Northbound only; Southbound has a single exit (Exit 220)
Ellenton 224.103 43 224 US 301
Gillette 227.874 44 228 I-275 north – St. Petersburg
229.290 45 229 CR 6 (Moccasin Wallow)
Hillsborough Sun City Center 240.126 46 240A-B SR 674 (College Avenue East/Sun City Center Boulevard) Southbound only; Northbound has a single exit (Exit 240)
245.966 47 246 CR 672 (Big Bend Road)
250.158 48 250 Gibsonton Drive
253.741 49 254 US 301 (Tampa East Bouelvard)
Brandon 255.587 50 256 SR 618 (Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway) Northbound includes SR 60 (Frank Adamo Drive)
256.559 51 257 SR 60 (Frank Adamo Drive) Southbound I-75 Exit Only
Mango 259.307 52 260A-B SR 574 (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) Northbound only; Southbound has a single exit (Exit 260)
Seffner 260.729 53 261 I-4 – Tampa, Orlando
Temple Terrace 264.803 54 265 SR 582 (Fowler Avenue) University of South Florida
265.814 55 266

CR 579 (Fletcher Avenue) / CR 582A

 University of South Florida
New Tampa 269.849 56 270 CR 581 (Bruce B. Downs Boulevard) Flyover ramp from southbound Bruce B. Downs to southbound I-75 currently being built.
Pasco Wesley Chapel 273.708 57 274 I-275 south – Tampa, St. Petersburg Southbound only
275.200 57A 275 SR 56
278.670 58 279 SR 54 / CR 54 (Purple Heart Highway) Shields added for both SR & CR 54
Pasco 285.295 59 285 SR 52 (Schrader Memorial Highway)
Blanton 292.620 60 293 CR 41 (Blanton Road to Spring Lake Highway)
Hernando Ridge Manor West 300.969 61 301 US 98 / SR 50 (Cortez Boulevard)
Sumter 307.125 62 309 CR 476B / CR 673 Interchange is marked for Sumter CR 476
Bushnell 313.036 63 314 SR 48 (Bushnell Road) / CR 48 No shields for Sumter CR 48
Lake Panasoffkee 319.468 64 321 CR 470 Northbound off-ramp includes Sumter CR 475
Wildwood 326.797 65 328 Turnpike south Southbound only
328.004 66 329 SR 44 (Gulf-Atlantic Highway)
Marion Marion Oaks 339.357 67 341 CR 484
Ocala 348.340 68 350 SR 200 (College Road)
350.816 69 352 SR 40 (West Silver Springs Boulevard)
352.195 70 354 US 27 (Blichton Road)
Zuber 356.478 71 358 SR 326 (Northwest 77th Street)
Irvine 366.723 72 368 CR 318
Alachua Micanopy 373.650 73 374 CR 234
Gainesville 382.390 74 382 SR 121 (Southwest Williston Road)
383.694 75 384 SR 24 (Old Archer Road) University of Florida
387.218 76 387 SR 26 (West Newberry Road) University of Florida
389.815 77 390 SR 222 (Northwest 39th Avenue) Santa Fe Community College
Alachua 398.854 78 399 US 441 (West Santa Fe Boulevard)
Traxler 404.225 79 404 CR 236
Columbia Ellisville 413.709 80 414 US 41 / US 441
422.632 81 423 SR 47 (Columbia City Road)
Lake City 427.351 82 427 US 90
Springville 434.702 83 435 I-10 – Tallahassee, Jacksonville
Suwannee Poucher's Corner 439.386 84 439 SR 136 (Thunder Road)
Hamilton Marion 451.262 85 451 US 129
460.350 86 460 SR 6
Jennings 466.825 87 467 SR 143 (6th Street) / CR 143
continues into Georgia

[edit] Miscellanea

The Alligator Alley section west of Fort Lauderdale, Florida is due east/west and is one of only two sections of I-75 that are tolled (the other is the Mackinac Bridge). Interstate 75 was originally intended to run further south of State Road 84/Alligator Alley, along the current route of US 41/Tamiami Trail, and directly into downtown Miami along the current route of Florida State Road 836/Dolphin Expressway. The eastern terminus of Alligator Alley, the southern terminus of Sawgrass Expressway, and the western terminus of Interstate 595 are in the same stack interchange.

Florida Department of Transportation is currently proposing a relocation project for the northbound ramp of Exit 275, which includes a connecting ramp with Interstate 275. This project will prevent weaving in the vicinity of I-275 and FL 56, a hazard that has occurred since the Exit 275 and FL 56 were built across I-75 in 2003.[5]

Plans are currently under way to redesign the interchanges with the north end of Florida's Turnpike(Exit 328) and SR 44(Exit 329), connecting them with collective-distributor roads, and eliminating left-hand access to Florida's Turnpike from the main southbound lane. This is a joint effort between the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise and Florida Department of Transportation.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://users.adelphia.net/~pwolf/controlcities.html American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials control cities.
  2. ^ FIHS System Map. Florida Department of Transportation (January 1, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
  3. ^ Cross Florida Greenway Land Bridge (Florida DEP)
  4. ^ Florida Department of Transportation. FDOT Interchange Report. Retrieved on October 4, 2007.
  5. ^ I-275/I-75 to SR 56 Northbound Exit Ramps (FPID: 421831-1)-Widening from North of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to SR 56 (FPID: 408459-3)(Florida Department of Transportation)

[edit] External links


Interstate 75
Previous state:
Terminus		 Florida Next state:
Georgia
v • d • e
Freeways in the Tampa Bay Area
Radial
Circumferential
Toll
Crosstown Expressway (SR 618) • Veterans Expressway (SR 589) • Suncoast Parkway (SR 589)
Area bridges