Why Florida's Turnpike is SO IMPORTANT to the State | Overview of Florida's Turnpike
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Video discussing the history and importance of the Florida Turnpike.
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Sources:
www.ocalagazette.com/fdot-rep...
www.wusf.org/economy-business...
www.ocala.com/story/news/2022...
Interstate 595 Construction:
formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
I-75 Improvements:
www.fdot.gov/info/co/news/202...
Florida Turnpike History:
floridasturnpike.com/about/fl...
My favorite piece of FL highway engineering is the overseas highway in the Keys. Not only is it the most beautiful drive in the country imo, the fact we built it almost 100 years ago blows my mind.
Don't forget about it's predecessor "The Overseas Railway" which quite literally laid the foundation for the Overseas Highway. If it wasn't for the overseas railway, who knows how long it would've taken for the Florida Keys to be connected to the mainland by road.
Yet we're about to lose that next year as people are predicting but I doubt it, I'll see it then believe it.
That bridge is only good at sunset, take a drive through Zion and your mind will be changed
And if they had to build it today, they couldn't.
@@ainlLeek yes because the people of the past were ironically less cheap about infrastructure
Watching this channel is like getting an advanced class in American roadways.
As a truck driver who travels all over the country this by far is one of my favorite CZcams channels
I'm not a professional driver but I highly concur. A very fun and informative channel!
@@virgilwyatt4632 And nice to see a channel that points out, freeways are useful/essential. Most of the transit-oriented channels just can't admit this.
Born and raised in Palm Beach County. Always did find it interesting that 95 and the Turnpike were in such close proximity and then broke away from each other in that Ft Pierce area, now I know why!
I lived in Lantana which was a smaller town right there along 95 so that was my preferred option to go anywhere, even Orlando I would take I-95 up to SR-50. But For work, both my old local job and as a trucker now, I always did enjoy the ride and value of the Turnpike. Great video man
Another home run Mike! The Homestead Extension really opened up west and south Miami-Dade county. The busiest stretch of the turnpike is there, from Kendall Dr (SW88 St) to Bird Rd (SW 40th St) and when the toll was still quarters, would be a 5 mile parking lot twice a day! Now, Express lanes run from Cutler Ridge to I-75! Although the speed limit is 70mph from Ft Pierce to Kissimmee, vehicles routinely travel 90+ mph, so, like the Autobahn, don’t linger in the left lane and watch your mirrors. In March, the Governor announced the return of 50%(!) discounts for SunPass drivers who use FL toll roads 30+(?) times a month, for the next 12 months! Last note: the turnpike always has great, well maintained greenery along its routes! 👍
When did this happen? I grew up in Homestead, but I don't remember this happening. It might have been while I was living in north Florida.
I have been on the turnpike driving between West Palm Beach and Hollywood. You're right about them speeding. That's why there are signs telling people to stay out of the left lane unless they are passing.
@@user-kl5jn4ew4p Toll booths were removed years ago when SunPass came out. Now, the whole turnpike is cashless. The express lanes have just been completed (or nearly completed by Doral).
@@fldon2306 wont that make people speed more?
Love when you upload Mike, makes my day as a civil engineering enthusiast.
Yes, me too! 🛣🛤
I often chase hurricanes in Florida. I love the highways, which are so wide that, barring flooding, tend to remain accessible even during major hurricane events. They’re well-built indeed!
Florida really does have good Roads & Highways.
I retired from the transit authority in Washington DC in 2019 and upon my retirement I moved to Orlando so I use the Florida Turnpike on occasion.
Because, at this time, the Florida Turnpike is relatively cheap compared to other toll roads in the northeast, I will use it pretty much between the I-4 interchange down to the toll road 417. I’ll do that because in trips from south Orange County where I live, to downtown, it cuts off about 15 minutes on my drives using the streets.
When I first came to Florida way back in 2006, because my in-laws lived in the state, I bought a Sunpass to use on the toll roads in the state and that’s what I use when I’m using the turnpike though on my secondary car, which has an EZ-Pass, I use that also though it should be noted that the EZ Pass does not work on all Florida toll roads at this time.
I've been using the turnpike for the 28 years I've been in Florida to get from the Gainesville area to Orlando. During the middle of the day, the traffic moves at 70 to 85 mph the whole way, and you get there in no time. On evenings, the rush hour traffic is horrific as Orlando's urban sprawl now extends all the way up to Ocala. In general, Florida is doing a great job of expanding its interstates and toll roads, but the population increase of up to 300,000 people a year makes it difficult to stay head of the increase in traffic. Like other Southern States (GA, TN, KY) Florida is upgrading its non-interstate highways (like 20 from Gainesville to Palatka) to four lane divided, limited access highways, and putting micro-bypasses around smaller non-interstate towns like Starke. It is an excellent mesh of big and small highway improvements that is keeping highway travel ahead of population growth, if only barely. I like your presentations of all these highways in many states I have lived.
Florida Turnpike was my first long road trip. I was 18 and my Aunt and mom suck at driving and told me to drive up to Orlando from Miami with them. I had only driven for a year prior and getting up there felt like a walk in the park. In retrospect it was one of the easiest road trips ive ever done cause its such a good road
Man, Yeehaw Junction has always been my closest way to the Turnpike. I always thought it was a gruelingly boring drive, but I had NO IDEA it was that far away from any exits. Well, just be glad it's not your exit either, because it's another 30 minutes to civilization 😂
Yeehaw Junction. You haven’t lived until you’ve stopped at Yeehaw Junction. 😂 I’ve heard it’s improved a lot since my last pass through there in the early 2000’s.
Florida 60 to Tampa was somewhat nerve-wracking, especially at night 🙃
@@JimAllen-Persona I think it's gotten worse. The old inn got rammed into by a semi a few years ago, and the ticket place is gone, which in itself isn't that bad, but now the giant welcome sign they had just sits there all dilapidated 😔
@@cryaboutit432 it got crashed into twice within two weeks of each other!
@@Comeyd Crazy. I just learned they actually got rid of the welcome sign. I dunno how I never noticed.
My only experience on the turnpike was at night back in 2012. We went from the Beachline Expressway to the north end at I-75. Back then, you could still pay with cash, so we did as there aren't any toll roads in TN where I was living at the time.
The traffic was light and it was an easy drive.
I remember back in the day, if you were heading south on 95 you had to get off in Ft Pierce then proceed onto the turnpike.
Florida has great roads! I was in Jacksonville recently and everything is a 6 lane boulevard or freeway and traffic always flows!
That Port St Lucie/Ft Pierce rest stop, WTH? I’ve NEVER seen a rest stop like that! That facility looks AMAZING lol! Thank you for this content!
It’s pretty new, the old one was nowhere near as nice.
They finished construction only a few years ago.
Very good update: Florida Turnpike.
I am a Orlando boy, Port St Lucie /Ft Pierce rest stop is very nice and clean.
Loved this video!! You always give the perfect balance of historical context and current day perspective.
I live in Pittsburgh, but I'm old enough to remember going to Florida when it was the Bee Line Expressway.
I drove Florida's Turnpike from 192 down to Broward County once. I left as the sun was setting and the road was nearly empty. I've also been on it in the Miami area/Homestead extension; obviously, it was not so empty.
Love you taking me back to Florida with no gas or headache! LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!!!!
Thank you Mike for a great video. As a Florida resident for the past 5.5 years, living in Palm Beach County, I have had many opportunities to drive on Florida's Turnpike (as well as I-95). It does make a great alternate to I-95 based on where you are going in the state.
Great video.
When I lived in the Fort Pierce area I primarily used I-95. But the Turnpike was useful for whenever going to Orlando Because it allowed me to avoid some traffic.
I lived in Orlando in the 90's and it was a really useful road to go from O Town down to SFL. I also went to school up in Gainesville the utility of using it as a jump off point going north really was determined what side of the Orlando area you lived on. If you were already south of Downtown, then taking 4 down to the TP north worked, but if you were already north of the city, it was often better just to take 441 to get going north rather than having to fight traffic for miles south just to go north again. I'm sure freight haulers love it for moving between corridors though.
On the topic of Florida and Orlando, just an idea, would be cool to see a video on Orlando’s highway growth. There’s all sorts of plans including a new (not 429 / 417) southern beltway around Orlando plus additional connecting corridors to / from the east coast.
Worst thing about Orlando is that nearly every highway is Tolled now. It's even worse than Miami!
Yea but I will defend a lot of it as that money that is tolled is directly reinvested into our roads especially with CFX that only spends on improving or building g new roads.
I live adjacent to the Turnpike in the Kendall area. The Turnpike is a life saver as it makes access to the north Dade, Downtown and Broward County a breeze compared to what it would be like without it. Great video and thank God for the Turnpike!
Enjoyed your video and history lesson. As a (mostly) native Floridian, I drive on the Homestead extension on a daily basis where it takes 45 minutes to an hour (depending on the day) to complete a one-way 10 mile drive to work.
I stopped at the rest stop that you stopped at in February. Great job with your channel’s content!
First, i love your videos. Yes, from i75 to us301,and from sr50 to i want to say us 98. I would add that the veterans expressway/ Suncoast parkway, polk parkway, and parts of the beltway around Orlando are part of the Florida turnpike system (not sure about the sawgrass but i think it is also).
I grew up in North Miami Beach and Cooper City, though I haven't lived or even visited in almost 25 years. But I can say from experience that there were really only three destinations to which we would take the Turnpike: the zoo, Homestead Air Base (my brother was in the Civil Air Patrol, so we made quite a few trips down there), or Orlando. And, in fact, for trips southward from NMB, it was easier to just take the Palmetto to the Don Shula instead of going up around the stadium. Even when we moved to Broward, we'd take 75 to the Homestead Extension since it has two interchanges that were closer to us than the nearest Turnpike entrances. But it was always a pleasurable trip on the Turnpike. Especially those service plazas!
Also, seeing that car fly by on the shoulder into the Golden Glades at the end, I felt like I was right back at home. That's typical Miami. 😄
I live off Exit 11 in Miami-Dade. Grew up with the Exit 25 on-ramp in view from my bedroom window. The Florida Turnpike shaped my life. I used to look at the bridge over sw 8th st, daydreaming about driving away from Miami via the Turnpike. Haha. I used to get on the Turnpike for joy rides, doing things only the young and naive should do. Nowadays it's my main line in and out of this crazy town.
I did move for a few years, went alone to Utah in my VW and lived off Hells Backbone Rd/Hwy 12 near Boulder Town, Utah. Check it out, most scenic byway in America hands down.
Informative video; thanks for posting. Keep up the good work 👍! Look forward to seeing more video posts.
I'm from Orlando and my wife is from homestead, so we used to take the turnpike between the two all the time. It's definitely my favorite highway I've driven on. Since we lived in East Orlando, we would take I-95 to the Yeehaw Junction before taking the turnpike the rest of the way.
High quality and very comprehensive, nice video !
When I lived in Orlando, I drove along the Florida Turnpike, Florida Greeneway and the Beeline - although I have never driven the entire length end-to-end in one trip. Since I lived in Orlando, we either were going north to Ocala or south to Miami or the Keys. While we sometimes would take I-95 to save money, often times the traffic would negate any savings. A few years ago, Tesla added Superchargers at all the service plazas making it exceptionally easy for Tesla owners to use the Turnpike.
We recently moved to Colorado. I still have my Sunpass because we occasionally travel through Kansas and they have a reciprocal agreement. I'm hoping that Colorado does that soon too - as they recently added K-Pass, Oklahoma and Texas.
Great vide by far and i cant wait to jump back on the Florida Turnpike soon 🔥🔥
So cool to hear you mention my hometown Fort Pierce
hi! i’m from florida and currently live in orlando for college but sometimes travel back home to miami. recently, ive been taking brightline as its the most convenient for me but when i drive i would take sr50 to 95 and then hop on the turnpike around fort pierce depending on the south fl traffic.
One problem is it creates a choke point in the Ocala Gainesville area. Usually very heavy traffic on I 75. People In Southwest Florida Tampa bay area going to the Midwest and northeast. South Florida Miami West Palm Beach Orlando going to the Midwest. Coming back Saturday from a trip from Pennsylvania than Kentucky the GPS sent me the back way to the Suncoast Parkway. The Florida Turnpike extension basically been shot down. Along with the Suncoast Parkway to Georgia, Naples to Lakeland Parkway for hurricane evacuation. Have a good one Mike.
I have driven on or have been a passenger in the car on most of the Florida Turnpike Mainline except between exits 152 & 240 (Ft Pierce to St Cloud).
As for the Homestead Extension Florida Turnpike, I have driven or have been a passenger in a car north of exit 16.
-Lifelong Cocoa, FL resident
I always love taking this route. I purposely go out of my way to get on this lovely road
Great video! Something I've always wanted to see covered is the lack of an interstate between the Twin Cities and St. Louis. The lack of this interstate causes some issues for some smaller towns between the two.
Can’t wait to move to Florida!
I hope you love mosquitos and sweating alot....
..and flat land as far as the eye can see. The highest point in Broward county is the land fill over the trash !!!!
Can't wait to have you here.
Welcome home 🏡
Please don't. We're too overcrowded. Please move to Alabama or South Carolina. They are similar in weather and infrastructure to Florida.
@@exoressdelivers70 nah I just got home from Florida not that long ago, they’re plenty of room for me
Great video! Having driven the entire Turnpike (Southbound) once and down to Orlando or South Florida multiple times, I can confidently say it's an....interesting and busy road. The part between Fort Pierce and Orlando in particular feels like driving in a mix between NASCAR and Death Race with how fast and crazy people drive.
The only thing I would add is that The Turnpike has driven a lot of suburban growth for the Orlando metro as well, with a large number of northwest subdivisions and new exits being built along what was (supposed to be) a road for tourism and through traffic, and not a commuter road. Hence, the widening projects to bring the road to 8 lanes from SR 50 to US 27.
Yea glad they are widening it they have that whole infrastructure initiative thing now where it’s eventually gonna be widened all the way to 75 by the mid 30s (Although it’ll all be under construction by the end of the decade).
It's also beginning to spur growth to the south Osceola county as well. All exits are jammed pack at rush- hour, Osceola Pkwy is so bad it backs the turnpike up winch also back up the 417 too.
I live and was born here in Florida and use it every time I go to South Florida. I also drive truck for a living and it is really nice to be able to pull in to one of the service plazas and park for the night though it would be nice if they had showers for us truck drivers. The also have window washing stations for cars and trucks which is really nice, especially during love bug season. You simply pull into a special area and water sprays on your windshield.
Another great video, in my college days I would use the Turnpike as part of my trek to go back and forth between Tallahassee and West Palm Beach during the school year. Nowadays, with me living in Tampa, I dont really have to use the Turnpike unless I visit West Palm Beach, but from here its a pain in the butt to get there from here. It requires a trip down the dreaded State Road 60 to get to Yeehaw Junction from Tampa. You wanna see rural and remote Florida, try that route next time you're here. If they really want to expand the Turnpike, it would be great to have an expressway like road going from Tampa to the Northern parts of South FL. Would be much more safer too, considering the existing route.
According to Wikipedia, Yeehaw Junction was originally named Jackass Junction as it was at the intersection of two donkey paths, and the name was changed because the turnpike was going to run past the town.
I can believe it. I remember when Yeehaw Junction consisted of that old run down inn/bar/rumored house of ill repute, a gas station and not much else.
@@JimAllen-Persona that old run down inn was crashed into by a semi truck and destroyed it. The ruins are still there to this day and never cleaned up
Watching from fort pierce 😊
About two years ago I bought a 1964 Rand McNally road atlas which, among other things, showed me that by 1964 it was possible to drive from Miami to Unadilla, Georgia on the turnpike and I-75. At 540 miles, this was the third longest such stretch in the country.
It's easy to forget about today, but US 1 along the Florida coast was four-laned only in the fifties, with some sections on new location, and was thus adequate for some years. Because of this, I surmise, Florida was able to concentrate its first round of 90% Interstate funding on I-75 north of Wildwood plus I-10 from I-75 to Jacksonville. Together with the turnpike, this yielded an impressively complete core freeway-turnpike network in not much time.
As a lifelong Georgian, I'd often wondered why my state's first major rural Interstate was I-75 in southern Georgia. It must've been that Georgia found out that Florida planned to dump huge amounts of through traffic onto US 41 at the state line rather than allowing it to continue to filter through Georgia on a variety of two-lane US highways. Georgia made an effort to be ready, but still ended up getting swamped. I-75 to Atlanta wasn't completed until 1970.
Great info and history; keep workin' on that 'tan', bro!
LOL!
Nice to see you face! I love your channel:))
Great video, Mike. One point - FL528 was originally called the Beeline Expressway as it mainly served military and space workers traveling between Orlando and Kennedy Space Center.
As others said the Turnpike Authority also administers many other roads in addition to the Turnpike. One idea of mine for a Northern Extension would be to extend FL417 from its current terminus in Maitland north to Jacksonville or even the GA line.
In answer to your question at the end, I have used Central Florida Expressway Authority’s E-Pass for over 20 years…
I always called it the Beeline. They even had the bee as a logo. Never heard of the Beachline.
@@JimAllen-PersonaYeah, I also remember the Bee on the road signs. The highway was officially changed to the “Beachline” almost 20 years ago. I personally used to call it the “rental car express” as a significant portion of the vehicles on it were driven by tourists from Orlando to the Kennedy Space Center, Cocoa Beach or to catch a cruise from Port Canaveral. This was back in the day when all rental cars in Florida had the word ‘Lease’ in place of the county name on the license plate (before criminals in South Florida started using this “feature” to identify and target tourists, prompting the state to discontinue that practice).
@@MaxPower-11 Unfortunately, Florida forgot that lesson, and rental/fleet cars now have PM in place of a date on their registration stickers, marking them once more.
Great video as usual. The Florida Turnpike's other nickname is Florida's Main St. It will be nice when the construction gets done north of winter garden. And anything to by pass the Miami traffic has to be a good thing.
I believe the Beach Line was originally called the Bee Line as it is a very straight way to get to the beaches. I remember seeing signs on I-4 with with Bees next to the Bee Line signs. We just called it the Beach Line because we took it to the beaches near Cape Kennedy.
Correction: To get in to I 75 s from the turnpike, you get of the fl 44 from 75 and make a uturn
Thanks for this video I never knew the difference between interstate 75 and Florida's turnpike
If you're a Gator or Seminole, it's very likely that by the end of your 4 years, you know the Turnpike and I-75 like the back of your hand. The seasonal migration of students to and from the big universities is massive.
I really enjoy your turnpike videos.
it has helped driving down there by soooo much
I remember driving on the Florida Turnpike back in the 1970s when they had toll booths. You would get a ticket upon entering the turnpike, and then when you got off, there was another toll booth. You would hand them your ticket from the entry toll booth, and they would tell you how much you owed based on how far you drove. I want to say back then, it was about 10 bucks to drive from end to end.
4:42 I see to the Florida Turnpike also takes the Noth Texas toll pass. I did not know that. Pretty cool.
In 1962, my family lived in Plantation, FL, just West of Ft. Lauderale about a half mile East of the turnpike. Back then very few people drove the turnpike at night. One night in late October we heard the rumble of hundreds of trucks but saw no headlights. The next morning the were several hundred Army troops putting up tents around my junior high campus. It was the Cuban missile crisis. A week or so later they were all gone. I think this is why I-95 got built so fast.
Interstate highways obiously serve the purpose of aiding the military, so requiring them to go through toll booths is a bad idea. I’ve gotta wonder why I-95 was even built concurrently if it would’ve been more logical to make them non concurrent from the start.
I’ve used the turnpike many times from I-75 into Orlando on my way down from the Panhandle. I routinely take US-19 and US-27 between Tallahassee and Ocala to avoid as much of I-75 as possible. I would love to see the turnpike extended north to I-10 as car-only express lanes in the middle of I-75, similar to the Jersey Turnpike and the I-4 express lanes in Orlando.
Excellent video Mileage Mike! Although the Homestead Extension joins the main turnpike a few miles north of the Golden Glades interchange, avoiding that rat's nest entirely.
Since the 'pike serves as an important connector to Atlanta, Nashville and the Midwest I think it should have been posted a 2 digit interstate long ago: I-91 would be ideal since the current road is secretly designated as State Road 91.
Some years ago I traveled from New England to the Florida Keys to vacation every year. I've driven the entire length of both I-95 and the Turnpike, and I have to say that the Turnpike is far better than dealing with I-95, especially since I-95 dumps off onto US-1 just south of Miami whereas the Turnpike goes many miles further to Homestead. The Turnpike is much smoother than I-95, although there's usually more construction along the way to make it that way.
Since I've moved to Arizona, my SunPass doesn't get any use in Florida, but strangely enough, Oklahoma has adopted the SunPass along with it's local pass to collect tolls. So I get a chance to use it every couple years or so.
Interestingly enough, I saw a sign in the video that says EZPass is accepted now. I used EZPass all the time on the Mass and NY turnpikes so now I can use EZPass if I ever go back to Florida, and use the SunPass if I go through Oklahoma. Sheesh!
I was the 1,000th like
Great video! the FL Turnpike has always interested me and I still find it smoother to use than I-95 and I-75
8:47
Fun Fact: That final stretch between the US 301 and the termination at I-75 is the only section of the Turnpike that you can drive free of charge due to the lack of tolls to enter/exit turnpike at US 301 and I-75 and the lack of gantries between the 2
All other routes have at least 1 toll you will have to pay
The Beachline was originally called the Beeline - as in making a "bee line" for the coast.
As a lifelong Cocoa, FL resident, I remember when the FL 528 was called the Bee Line Expressway.
@@ace20016What do you think about the Brightline station? How is it going to change Brevard?
@@NuNugirl Not sure how it would change Brevard County
I was a kid when they finished I-95 through Martin County, the county I grew up in. It. It was called the missing link. If going north you would have to get off of I-95 in Palm Beach Gardens and get on the Turnpike to at least Palm City (Stuart Exit). It would be shorter to get off in Ft Pierce though. I lived a couple miles from the section of I-95 that runs east and west. We rode our bikes on the highway before they finished it. Probably shouldn't have done that thinking back lol but I was a kid. It's still pretty rural in that part of Martin County surprisingly. Although there's signs that it could finally be developed soon. Martin County has staunchly blocked growth west of the Turnpike for a long time
Yeah, martin county seems to be the most steadfast in their defiance of growth in land. Something that's common with counties along 95.
@@seanthe100 St Lucie and Palm Beach Counties didn't get the memo lol. I went down there to visit my family back last August and the difference was pretty shocking. I-95 from Jacksonville all the way down is pretty much wall to wall development. You used to have some decent breaks between cities especially in Central Florida but they are almost gone. I stayed in PSL and the traffic was pretty brutal to get anywhere. I remember when that city was just a few lights on US 1. It is so different now. They pretty much said screw any form of public transportation or new freeways/expressways. Being a trucker I'm very much about roads but they went way too far ignoring other ways of getting people around. I don't know why people keep moving there
@@kevinrussell3501 I feel like St. Lucie is just sheer rapid growth it's ranked the 5th fastest growing place last year unbelievable
I live in Florida, I'm a relatively new driver and I really don't like driving on our highways, but the turnpike is definitely a lot better then I-95. I had to drive from West Palm to west Boca the other day, and opted to take 441 instead, which provides a nice north-south alternative. Additionally, I've preferred Military trail to i-95 for inland travel. Dixie and Federal highways are also nice for more coastal travel, without mentioning A1A. Someday I'll learn to do highways and not stress out about it.
you should come back to Pinellas sometime soon. They recently finished the Gateway Expressway and the 275 Express lanes
I was surprised to hear that the FL turnpike portion of the Bee Line was completed in very late 1973. It turns out that the Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority built the larger share of the Martin B Anderson Bee Line in the mid to late 1960s. That's more in line with what I remember. The Beeline was renamed Beachline in 2005. No one wanted the new name, but they were pressured by the Florida Legislature. On another topic, when I showed Mike Snyder, the former head of OOCEA that would be able to raise the speed limit to 70 mph on 417 and 429, he was receptive and told me he would look into it. The speed limit was raised about 10 years ago and I credit people like Snyder for it. There were still good people running things then.
I've only driven to Florida once. It was back in the 90s. Wasn't on the turnpike because I was coming from Philadelphia and going to Orlando. So I just went down I-95 to I-4. And all I can say is I-95 was a nightmare in Jacksonville.
And I-95 is still a nightmare throughout the entire State of Florida.
I've never seen any documentation of a plan to extend the turnpike up the coast where I-95 ended up being built. However, I've seen an inland route west of the St. Johns River. And a couple of weeks ago, someone on Facebook posted about a scheme for a Jacksonville-Tampa turnpike corridor with the route through Orlando meeting it somewhere around Wildwood. I really wish they'd built that. I find it amazing in a bad way that there's no direct controlled access highway between Jacksonville and Tampa, especially with one of the state's biggest universities midway along the route.
another banger video mike! volume was a little low on this video btw
Mileage Mike has some guns!
Toll roads existed in the state of Virginia, back in the 1700's, such as on The Old National Road, Route 40, when a few property owners along that route decided to build turnstyles, through which travelers might have to walk or ride their horses, when taking a trip, either west or east.
Were any of them particularly good though? No not really. It took a long time for roads to be perfected.
I was just on the turnpike last weekend 😭 and i missed the exit on hwy 70 in fort pierce and when the realized hit that my already 2 hr drive had now added another 1hr due to me now having to go to yeehaw junction and take hwy 60 into town I literally pulled over and used the officials uturn and went right back on SB 😭 they should definitely add some more exits in regions despite them being so rural.
I was literally driving on this yesterday coming back home from palm beach while on vacation
The Beachline Expressway (FL-528) was originally called the BEE Line Expressway
Yeah when my uncle's family lived in Lake Worth we would go visit them from Charlotte. Sometimes I-95 was better but 9/10 times the Turnpike was the way. My Dad would pay in exact change so he would get coin rolls from the bank.
As mentioned it's all passes now because if you live in Florida you will be getting a Sun Pass in your first month. I've rented a car through Turo while visiting a couple years back snd they all have a Sun Pass, they just surcharge you the tolls.
I really love the turnpike service plazas! Otherwise I usually prefer 95 due to it on average having more lanes to use than the turnpike
2:15 I could be wrong, but I believe that picture was taken at what is now Okeechobee Blvd in WPB and where the turnpike is now. At least that's what records have told me.
Used to live in Tampa and in Melbourne.
The turnpike doesn't really help Tampans (there is a better Demonym which I can't write here). Tampa has its own Toll roads that really help through traffic and rush hours. But in Melbourne we used the Beachline many times and the other toll roads surrounding Orlando. The turnpike was great to go north west from Orlando connecting I-75 on the way to Atlanta or the panhandle.
We did the Tampa - Melbourne route many times. The best way to go is I4 and then the Beachline. I4 may be the shortest Interstate that doesn't cross to another state... But it is the most stressful highway by far. I'd say it is more stressful than I95 in South Carolina. Especially passing near Disney. When I4, Toll 192, World drive from Disney, and later 429 all merge to 3 lanes, you are in trouble. Especially when you know you are merging with fellow Hillsborough county drivers on their way to Tampa... Seeing that mickey mouse power line pole, you know that you are in your way for some pain.
We tried to avoid I4 when we could, taking FL60 through Yeehaw Junction, or at other times through the farms of Dan Still rd. Once I-4 was so backed up, Google maps suggested the turnpike to I-75 through the villages. That was less stressful for sure.
You can see how south of Kissimee and Lake Tohopekaliga there is no road all the way to FL60. So if you want to really avoid toll roads you have to go through downtown Kissimee. Sometimes we'll try to take 192 all the way to Melbourne, but any deviation from the I4 Beachline route costs you at least 30 minutes. Up to 1h if you go through FL60.
@eyalcohen2080, the MM ears light pole. 😅! Yes! I-4 was pleasant to drive thirty years ago. Now? You need ten lanes in each direction and we won’t discuss Spaghetti Junction with the 275 tie in. Waiting for the Howard Completion in about two years. The Orl-Tampa I-4 is now woefully inadequate especially by CGate on in. Exit 62-58. LA Freeway now.
I was relieved when Exit 251 (FL Turnpike/SR 417 interchange) was finally complete three years ago because it finally gave me a direct route to the Tampa Bay area. Old routes through Kissimmee and Orlando became inadequate in the late 2010s. However, I still have not made any road trips to western Florida cities in the recent years.
one thing i think you missed is that the turnpike allows south FL residents to escape ahead of hurricanes better. I assume thats why the "tolls enforced" signs can be turned off.
I've driven the turnpike a few times. from north AL to miami. once in my 37' diesel pusher motorhome, one in a honda odyssey and most recently in a gmt400 yukon towing a 16' trailer loaded with crap (two extra axles add serious $$ to the tolls). the sunpass is absolutely necessary.
I'd like to see you cover the bridge between miami and virginia key.
Florida born resident here. The Florida Turnpike is a VITAL piece of roadway that in Miami Dade County, we are grateful for especially going to and from church. 95 unfortunate stops RIGHT at Viscaya MetroRail station ( I do wonder what if 95 kept going but WHERE is the question).
I remember in 2013, they said WE ARE GOING CASHLESS and for YEARS they kept saying that. I’m like “yea, right”.
When 2020 came around, they started pulling people out of the toll booths and started erecting transponder bridges to collect the payments.
The expansion is definitely needed cause for years…in the mid 2010s, the interstate was federally funded to expand all of its 4 lane sections of highway to 6 lanes.
What’s fascinating is that the turnpike is Florida’s FIRST expressway…getting its expansion last and doesn’t have any lighting from Palm Beach to Stuart.
Needless to say, I live in West Palm Beach, this highway IS the less stress way, it’s convenient and CLEAN!!!
Ooooof it’s ah-see-ola pkwy lol. But shoutout to broward for raising me. Many days running up and down the turnpike lol. 100 mph up and down between yeehaw & 192. Not anymore. But It’s the less stress way until you get that bill in the mail lol.
But you should do the rest of Highways in the turnpike system Florida.
I'm in Tampa so I don't use the Turnpike as its just not anywhere near me, but there are other toll roads that I do drive often and most of these other toll roads are part of the Florida Turnpike system.
Just noticed that you uploaded this video on the 25th anniversary of the SunPass!
It truly is the less stressway. Compare to the palmetto in Miami it had far less exits which means smoother traffic. Once construction finished on the express lanes it became the best second to i-4 ultimate anyway.
Hey I wonder if you could cover the current incident on i-40 and how it would effect logistics
Live in NW FL (west of Tallahassee), the real only way to get down to Orlando/south FL is either via I-10 to I-75/95 or to drive down US 98 to get to I -75. I think a connection from the Panama City area to the FL Turnpike would be a good thing.
I saw Titusville on the map baby! Let’s go lol come watch a rocket launch 👍🏼
The widening of the stretch from I-75 to Orlando is long overdue. I was just on that part this week and it's not "less stressful" with all the semis trying to go up and down those hills with only one lane for passing. Given all the tolls they have collected through the years, I don't know why it took this long to finally start building the extra lanes from SR-50 to US-27.
That stretch is brutal
The turnpike is the most stressful drive. I commute between my Hollywood home and my Ocala ranch twice a month. I95 takes a little longer but way more relaxed. People camp in the left lane of the Turnpike even though it’s against the law. FHP does not enforce that law. Born and raised in S. Florida since 1960. Turnpike still has long sections with only two lanes.
Mileage Mike please do a report on using US 17 from Fredrick Va to I-81 Winchester Va up till I-78,I-80 or I 84 to bypass I-95 traffic and tolls. Many truckers and experienced drivers use this routing on long range trips heading to New England from southern points of origin.
Great video, and you didn't say "Florida man..." even once. I've driven the Florida Turnpike and it is a nice road. I must say the US highways (e.g. US-301, 98, 17) in rural Florida are also easy to drive: usually 60 MPH and not many small towns that require you to slow down.
Love love your videos and I’m a huge fan. It’s exciting you covered the most vital roadway of Florida. Love how you even covered the GGI (Golden Glades Interchange). Man, what a shitshow lol
You did forget to mention another reason why the turnpike is so important to us South Floridians, especially us in Homestead lol……so as you stated, the Fl Turnpike is a major artery for connecting CFL to SFL, but not just for tourism, but for goods. The Turnpike has several tandem staging areas for the Turnpike Doubles tractor trailers. Florida has a unique rule that the Turnpike Doubles can only be double 48’ foot trailers, not 53. With the turnpike, we are able to get a substantial amount of freight from the major hubs based in CFL.
Nonetheless, great video!
Good info. Didn't know that part about Homestead.
I live in Ocala and it is hit or miss. The four lane section going to Orlando suuuuuucks. People constantly go 60-70 in the left lane. It’s best to go in the morning after rush hour since there won’t be many people on the road.
In Wildwood, traffic on I-75 north does not have the signage for accessing the Turnpike southbound. You can use SR-44 interchange to southbound I-75 and then take the Turnpike at its terminus, which means shifting over to the left lanes of 75. Again, no signage for I-75 north to the Turnpike southbound.
Actually, they reconstructed the SR 44 interchanges with I-75 and Florida's Turnpike in late 2019/early 2020. Traffic entering Florida's Turnpike from SR 44 in Wildwood now enters the turnpike without merging onto I-75. Only southbound I-75 traffic has to shift to the far left lanes to enter to the turnpike now. SR 44 has an exit from northbound turnpike and Exit 329 from northbound I-75 was relocated slightly south of where it used to be. Exit 341 in Marion County is now the first exit for northbound turnpike traffic entering northbound I-75. SR 44 traffic now has to decide if they want to take I-75 south towards Tampa or Florida's Turnpike south towards Orlando.
The turnpike from 417-50 in Clermont is Basically the perfect road. There's adequate space and the traffic moves at 80 even during rush hour. I can't wait to see it widened further down as turnpike construction is literally the worst
As a MiamiDade resident, I avoid the Turnpike at all costs (pun intended). I do have the luxury of not needing it for my day to day life, but even when I am going north and south up the state, I'll always take 95. There was a time when the construction on 95 was a nightmare in Palm Beach County, and I took the Turnpike, but I don't think that I've taken the Turnpike in several years.