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Florida's Turnpike

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Florida's Turnpike (also called the Florida Turnpike) is a toll road that runs 265 miles or 426 kilometers down the Florida peninsula through 11 counties, from Interstate 75 at Wildwood, to near Miami. It runs through Orlando, where it crosses Interstate 4; and West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, where it parallels Interstate 95, often literally next to it. The Homestead Extension (HEFT) runs from north of Miami down through the western suburbs, to near Homestead. The original Turnpike is known internally as SR 91 and the HEFT is known as SR 821.

The first 110 miles (177km) from Golden Glades to Fort Pierce opened in 1957 as the Sunshine State Parkway, under the former Florida State Turnpike Authority. The second section from Fort Pierce to Wildwood, was finished in 1964. The 47-mile (76km) Homestead Extension was completed in 1974.

Tolls on the turnpike are set at 6¢ per mile (about 3¾¢ per kilometer) for two-axle vehicles, and are lifted when it is being used for a hurricane evacuation route. Payment is via coins and SunPass electronic toll collection near the urban and suburban areas of Miami and Orlando, and via ticket the rest of the way (south of Kissimmee and north of Lantana).

The system is operated at a significant profit for the state, which then uses the money for other road projects. Management is by the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, part of the Florida Department of Transportation.

Exits on the highway are on the mile-log system, even when Florida's interstate highways were sequential. Rest areas (called service plazas on the turnpike) also have these "exit" numbers. Motorist-aid call boxes are located on both outside shoulders of the road every mile, and send only a signal indicating the need for gasoline, repair (tire or engine), or emergency services (police, ambulance, or firefighters).

Service plazas are open 24 hours per day, most having Burger King and TCBY fast food. Other services include Internet access, travel and tourism info and tickets, picnic areas, TV news, Florida Lottery, and of course restrooms and public phones. SunPass transponders are available at all locations.

In 1998, the Florida Legislature designated the turnpike the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, after the 40th U.S. President. However, this designation did not replace the turnpike's existing name, only appearing on a few signs along the route.

Ronald Reagan Parkway/Florida's Turnpike Exit Numbers and Interchanges

  • Interstate 75 North to U.S. 301 (mile 309)
  • Wildwood (mile 304)
  • Okahumpka Service Plaza (mile 299)
  • Leesburg North/U.S. 27 (Northbound Entrance/Southbound Exit Only) (mile 289)
  • Leesburg Toll Plaza (mile 288)
  • Leesburg South/U.S. 27 (mile 285)
  • Clerment/S.R. 50 (mile 272)
  • Orlando West/Ocoee/Winter Garden/S.R. 50 (mile 267B)
  • Western Expressway/Toll 429 (mile 267A)
  • Holland East-West Expressway/Toll 408 (Northbound Entrance/Southbound Exit Only) (mile 265)
  • Turkey Lake Service Plaza (mile 263)
  • I-4/Orlando (mile 259)
  • Orlando South/U.S. 441/Bee Line Expressway/Toll 528/Florida Highway Patrol (mile 254)
  • Osceola Parkway/Dart Boulevard (mile 249) (toll road)
  • Kissimmee-St. Cloud/U.S. 192/U.S. 441 (mile 244)
  • Kissimmee-St. Cloud/U.S. 192/U.S. 441 (mile 242) (Northbound Exit Only)
  • Three Lakes Toll Plaza (mile 236)
  • Canoe Creek Service Plaza (mile 229)
  • Yeehaw Junction/S.R. 60 (mile 193)
  • Fort Drum Service Plaza (mile 184)
  • Fort Pierce/S.R. 70 (mile 152)
  • Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie Service Plaza (mile 144)
  • Port St. Lucie/Port St. Lucie Boulevard/Florida Highway Patrol (mile 142)
  • Stuart/Martin Downs Boulevard (mile 133)
  • Jupiter/Indian Town Road (mile 116)
  • Palm Beach Gardens/PGA Boulevard (mile 109)
  • West Palm Beach/Okeechobee Boulevard (mile 99)
  • Southern Boulevard/S.R. 80 (mile 97)
  • West Palm Beach Service Plaza (mile 94)
  • Lake Worth/Lake Worth Road (mile 93)
  • Lantana Toll Plaza (mile 88) (Ticket System)
  • Boynton Beach Boulevard (mile 86)
  • Delray Beach/Atlantic Avenue (mile 81)
  • Boca Raton/Glades Road (mile 75)
  • Sawgrass Expressway/Toll 869 (mile 71) (Southbound/Westbound Entrance)
  • Sample Road (mile 69)
  • Coconut Creek Parkway/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (mile 67)
  • Atlantic Boulevard (mile 66) (Southbound Entrance/Northbound Exit Only)
  • Pompano Beach Service Plaza (mile 65)
  • Cypress Creek Toll Plaza (mile 63)
  • Ft. Lauderdale North/Commercial Boulevard (mile 62)
  • Ft. Lauderdale South/Sunrise Boulevard (mile 58)
  • Ft. Lauderdale South/I-595/S.R. 84 (mile 54)
  • Griffin Road (mile 53)
  • Hollywood Boulevard (mile 49)

Ronald Reagan Turnpike/Florida's Turnpike/Homestead Extension Exit Numbers and Interchanges

  • Northwest 27th Avenue (mile 47)
  • Miramar Toll Plaza (Coin System) (mile 46.5)
  • Northwest 27th Avenue/University Drive (mile 46)
  • Northwest 57th Avenue/Red Road (mile 42)
  • Interstate 75 (mile 39) (Northbound Entrance/Southbound Exit Only)
  • Okeechobee Road/U.S. 27 (mile 35)
  • Northwest 106th Street (mile 34)
  • Okeechobee Toll Plaza (Coin System) (mile 31.5)
  • Northwest 41st Street (mile 29)
  • Northwest 12th Street (mile 27)
  • Dolphin Expressway/S.R. 836 (mile 26)
  • Tamiami Trail/U.S. 41/Southwest 8th Street (mile 25)
  • Southwest 40th Street (mile 23)
  • Bird Road Toll Plaza (mile 22.75) (Southbound)
  • Bird Road Toll Plaza (mile 22.5) (Northbound)
  • North Kendall Drive/Southwest 88th Street (mile 20)
  • Snapper Creek Service Plaza (mile 19)
  • Southwest 120th Street/Florida Highway Patrol (mile 19)
  • South Dade Expressway/Don Shula Expressway/S.R. 874 (mile 18)
  • Coral Reef Drive/Southwest 152nd Street (mile 16)
  • Quail Roost Drive-Eureka Drive (mile 13)
  • Caribbean Boulevard to U.S. 1 (mile 12)
  • Cutler Ridge Boulevard/Southwest 211th Street (mile 11)
  • Homestead Toll Plaza (Coin System) (mile 10)
  • Allapattah Road/Southwest 112th Avenue (mile 9)
  • Tallahassee Road/Southwest 137th Avenue/Speedway Boulevard (mile 6)
  • Biscayne Drive/Southwest 288th Street (mile 5)
  • Campbell Drive/Southwest 312th Street/Homestead/Florida City (mile 2)
  • South Dixie Highway/U.S. 1/To Florida Keys (mile 0)

Other roads

The turnpike system also extends to several other toll roads in the state:

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