Florida

[ElishaGOtis]

New set of express lanes announced for I-4 between I-75 and FL-570, construction slated to start in 2028

https://www.fdot.gov/info/co/news/2025/10172025

[roadman65]

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/10/20/shortcut-road-opens-to-ease-traffic-from-the-airport-to-the-beach-in-fort-lauderdale/

New bypass of Port Everglades completed.

[Great Lakes Roads]

https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2025/10/27/plans-for-new-toll-roads-to-brevard-county-put-on-hold

New toll roads out to Brevard County is on hold (for now)...

[DeaconG]

The Ellis Road widening in Melbourne is finally underway, they have been performing utility work over the last month and you can notice how they've started clearing the land for the future westbound lanes.

There will be traffic lights at Technology Drive and East Drive.

Ellis wasn't the greatest before they extended it to I-95 and tied in the St. Johns Heritage Parkway, now it's infinitely worse, anytime after 6 in the morning and after 3 in the afternoon it's a absolute crawl. The expected completion date IIRC is late 2026...not soon enough in my opinion!

[Great Lakes Roads]

SR 826/Palmetto Expressway South PD&E Study

The objective of this PD&E Study is to evaluate alternatives that will address existing and projected operating deficiencies along this section of SR 826. Multiple alternatives have been considered to keep up with the growing traffic demand within the study area, including a No-Build Alternative that maintains the existing roadway configuration and any other planned improvements along the corridor. The PD&E Study is currently evaluating the following three alternatives:

Alternative 1 – Adds an additional travel lane in each direction.
Alternative 3 – Adds an un-tolled managed lane (free of charge) in each direction. Managed lanes are an innovative solution to manage traffic congestion and provide choices for travelers with restricted access points to separate short trips from long trips.
Alternative 4 – Extends existing express lanes south to SR 874 with access points and tolls to manage traffic.  Adds an additional travel lane between US 1 and SR 874.

[ElishaGOtis]

According to the totally always reliable FDOT State Roads TDA map & SLDs, last year SR-189 was extended southward along SR-4 to terminate at US-90, rather than only extending as far south as CR-189. This may be old news to some but it caught my eye on the map 

I have not seen any new SR-189 signs as of yet.

[roadman65]

https://www.cfxway.com/for-travelers/projects/state-road-534-from-state-road-417-near-boggy-creek-road-to-narcoossee-road/

I see another CFX toll road is coming to Orlando area.

[NE2]

According to the totally always reliable FDOT State Roads TDA map & SLDs, last year SR-189 was extended southward along SR-4 to terminate at US-90, rather than only extending as far south as CR-189. This may be old news to some but it caught my eye on the map 

I have not seen any new SR-189 signs as of yet.

Pretty sure I've seen that error before.

[Great Lakes Roads]

https://www.cfxway.com/for-travelers/projects/state-road-534-from-state-road-417-near-boggy-creek-road-to-narcoossee-road/

I see another CFX toll road is coming to Orlando area.

And there was a public meeting on the new SR 534 toll road.

[ElishaGOtis]

https://www.cfxway.com/for-travelers/projects/state-road-534-from-state-road-417-near-boggy-creek-road-to-narcoossee-road/

I see another CFX toll road is coming to Orlando area.

And there was a public meeting on the new SR 534 toll road.

Similar to FCE, I'm glad most of the development that's in that area preserved ROW for such tollway.

That all being said...

I would HATE to be living off of this lake (where you can easily see where the new tollway ROW is going)...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/6ZNDBzwsTeTmz2i18

[emory]

A new map of Miami-Dade County state roads was released, and it appears FDOT D6 is not done cataloguing tiny state owned roads.

https://slogis.fdot.gov/blank.aspx?docId=105540

Near the Palmetto Expressway, we now have SR 833 and SR 863. Another SR 7F has been identified and another SR 25F. A SR 5F has been named in downtown. None of these however compare to what could be my new favorite state highway name ever: State Road A1AF, followed by SR A1AS.

This logging of frontage and access roads has also resulted in a slow trickling in of more four digit state roads, albeit in the northern parts of the state.

[Plutonic Panda]

Florida will be spending $60 billion over the next five years for roads:

https://www.globalhighways.com/news/66-billion-florida-transport-infrastructure

[formulanone]

Florida will be spending $60 billion over the next five years for roads:

https://www.globalhighways.com/news/66-billion-florida-transport-infrastructure

Work has now started on 51km of new auxiliary lanes to be added to I-75, from State Road 44 in Wildwood to State Road 326 in Ocala.

This latest Moving Florida Forward project has been fully funded and is beginning 10-15 years ahead of schedule.

For anyone who's driven through Ocala a few times, I think they mean 15 years behind.

[Alex]

Florida will be spending $60 billion over the next five years for roads:

https://www.globalhighways.com/news/66-billion-florida-transport-infrastructure

Work has now started on 51km of new auxiliary lanes to be added to I-75, from State Road 44 in Wildwood to State Road 326 in Ocala.

This latest Moving Florida Forward project has been fully funded and is beginning 10-15 years ahead of schedule.

For anyone who's driven through Ocala a few times, I think they mean 15 years behind.

Similarly, Championsgate was not a consistent congestion point along Interstate 4 until after 2016. The routine congestion in Ocala started later, but is already several years deep. Ocala needs a bypass, heck it needs any kind of expressway, but NIMBY's in Marion County were against the Turnpike Extension, which wasn't even proposed to enter the county. So you'll never get anything there... But like just about everywhere else in Florida, you won't see residents complain about all of the roads and streets added by D.R. Horton, Lennar, Pulte Homes, etc.

The projects highlighted on that article are just lane additions and tolled Express Lanes. No new roads or corridors, which is what the state really needs. Instead we'll have eight lane expressways, where all it takes is one incident to crush traffic on one side and delay the other with gawkers. Shut downs due to major accidents or fatalities are occurring more frequently it seems too. Separate incidents in the last month shut down at least one direction of Interstate 75 in the Tampa Bay area.

Just got back from a TPA Airport run, and volume was already moderate on I-275 at 5:30 AM. On my way back north around 6 AM, the ramps from I-275 south to I-4 east and from I-4 west to I-275 south were both already congested with slow or stopped traffic. It will only get worse as more people keep moving here and the suburban sprawl in Pasco, south Hillsborough and Manatee never stops.

[ElishaGOtis]

Florida will be spending $60 billion over the next five years for roads:

https://www.globalhighways.com/news/66-billion-florida-transport-infrastructure

Work has now started on 51km of new auxiliary lanes to be added to I-75, from State Road 44 in Wildwood to State Road 326 in Ocala.

This latest Moving Florida Forward project has been fully funded and is beginning 10-15 years ahead of schedule.

For anyone who's driven through Ocala a few times, I think they mean 15 years behind.

Similarly, Championsgate was not a consistent congestion point along Interstate 4 until after 2016. The routine congestion in Ocala started later, but is already several years deep. Ocala needs a bypass, heck it needs any kind of expressway, but NIMBY's in Marion County were against the Turnpike Extension, which wasn't even proposed to enter the county. So you'll never get anything there... But like just about everywhere else in Florida, you won't see residents complain about all of the roads and streets added by D.R. Horton, Lennar, Pulte Homes, etc.

It all boils down to money. AGAGAGAGAGAGA 

Infrastructure doesn't automatically bring in tax revenue whereas new homes and developments do. For this reason, I've been a fan of specifically D.R. Horton's work in Florida, even if a) they contribute to suburban sprawl and b) they're not exactly that good at posting speed limits in their developments even though it's clearly not 30mph (BRACES FOR IMPACT  lol ). Admittedly I'm a fan of any kind of growth provided the infrastructure is there, but that's me. I like how the First Coast Expressway was planned in conjunction with some of the developments.

Sometimes, new highways can jumpstart new developments, which may be part of the concerns by residents...

It also didn't help that the proposed alternatives for the turnpike extension were kind of dumb to begin with... I'm still hoping for a route following I-75 similar to I-95 (spoke to someone at FDOT who was considering this route option).

The projects highlighted on that article are just lane additions and tolled Express Lanes. No new roads or corridors, which is what the state really needs. Instead we'll have eight lane expressways, where all it takes is one incident to crush traffic on one side and delay the other with gawkers. Shut downs due to major accidents or fatalities are occurring more frequently it seems too. Separate incidents in the last month shut down at least one direction of Interstate 75 in the Tampa Bay area.

Just got back from a TPA Airport run, and volume was already moderate on I-275 at 5:30 AM. On my way back north around 6 AM, the ramps from I-275 south to I-4 east and from I-4 west to I-275 south were both already congested with slow or stopped traffic. It will only get worse as more people keep moving here and the suburban sprawl in Pasco, south Hillsborough and Manatee never stops.

Some bozo actually told me that it's "polite" to gape at traffic crashes... NO, IT IS 100% NOT, and if anything it's polite not to look and maintain the highest speed you can so that you're not blocking traffic any more than the crash is (obviously move over or slow down as required by law if needed).

I was driving on I-75 NB a while ago and there was a crash in the SB lanes. I was in the right hand lane going about 79mph and there was another car in the middle and left lanes going at the same speed about 1000' ahead of me (already infuriating but still...). As soon as we approached the crash scene, BOTH of those cars slammed on their brakes and one of them almost stopped, despite no vehicles being on our shoulder. While it's possible that they could have known someone in the crash, I'm kind of doubtful... I was lucky enough to be in the right lane and absolutely blow their doors off at my speed lol 

[sprjus4]

These proposed / underway auxiliary lane projects... are they just essentially 8 lane widening that doesn't continue through interchanges?

Similar to how I-95 is north of Brunswick, GA for a while?

[ElishaGOtis]

These proposed / underway auxiliary lane projects... are they just essentially 8 lane widening that doesn't continue through interchanges?

Similar to how I-95 is north of Brunswick, GA for a while?

Effectively, yes. The big difference here is that a) the clear zone can be reduced to 24' compared to the 36' that would otherwise be required for a full 8-lane widening and b) the AADT is almost double what I-95 has in Brunswick (90-140k VPD on I-75 vs 60-65k VPD on I-95).

[ElishaGOtis]

Widening of Florida's Turnpike between SR-50 and US-27 is now halfway 1/3 complete with 8 total lanes 4 lanes NB / 2 lanes SB now open between Hancock Rd and SR-50.

[D-Dey65]

A little fun with Google Street View in Lake Alfred. I found a leftover 2011 image of former Polk County Road 557 that contains a bit of the right-of-way for the west leg of the wye between the CSX Carters Subdivision, and the old ACL Bartow Branch.

I also found that the old Lake Alfred ACL Depot was a block east on North Lake Shore Way, thanks to Historic Aerials.

[formulanone]

Widening of Florida's Turnpike between SR-50 and US-27 is now halfway 1/3 complete with 8 total lanes 4 lanes NB / 2 lanes SB now open between Hancock Rd and SR-50.

Hmmm...if Florida's Turnpike is roughly 60 years old in that area, it will probably retire before it gets those added lanes towards I-75.

I guess we're lucky it's not a golf cart path.

[ElishaGOtis]

https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/fdot-to-lower-speed-limit-on-howard-frankland-bridge/
I-275 Speed Limit to be reduced to 55 in 2 places near the express lane project (one location thru St Petersburg North, and another over the Howard Frankland Bridge). Not sure if this is proposed to be permanent or just temporary for the project (I've sent a message to D7 to see).

Something something Sammy Hagar something something.

I get run off the road at 70 through there, which already is 10 over in much of the work zone (not something I'd recommend doing)...

[The Ghostbuster]

This may have been addressed earlier, but does anyone know why there are stub ramps along the northern end of the Interstate 4/FL 618 connector?: https://www.google.com/maps/@27.9638876,-82.4272252,598m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTEyMy4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. The connector wasn't planned on being extended further north, was it?

[freebrickproductions]

This may have been addressed earlier, but does anyone know why there are stub ramps along the northern end of the Interstate 4/FL 618 connector?: https://www.google.com/maps/@27.9638876,-82.4272252,598m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTEyMy4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. The connector wasn't planned on being extended further north, was it?

Given the alignment of a couple of those stubs, I wonder if it was meant to provide ramps between the connector and FL 585? There don't seem to be any stubs on the east side of the interchange either.

[ElishaGOtis]

This may have been addressed earlier, but does anyone know why there are stub ramps along the northern end of the Interstate 4/FL 618 connector?: https://www.google.com/maps/@27.9638876,-82.4272252,598m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTEyMy4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. The connector wasn't planned on being extended further north, was it?

Given the alignment of a couple of those stubs, I wonder if it was meant to provide ramps between the connector and FL 585? There don't seem to be any stubs on the east side of the interchange either.

Future Express Lanes IIRC

[NE2]

Yes, future lanes of some sort in the median. That's probably the only way FDOT got FHWA to sign off on the left exits and entrances in 2006.