Turnpike turns 50
In January 1957, the 108-mile Sunshine State Parkway between Miami and Fort Pierce, Fla., opened for travel. The parkway is now the core of the 312-mile Florida Turnpike, which today connects Florida City in Dade County to Wildwood in Sumter County. On Jan. 25, state officials celebrated the highway’s 50th anniversary with events in Pompano Beach and Orlando. The state’s population has increased five-fold since 1957, and the turnpike — the second largest in the country — now serves more than 2 million travelers a day.
1.4 million trips are made on the turnpike every day.
$650 million in tolls are collected from turnpike customers every year.
$1 is the average toll amount each driver pays.
19 message signs provide drivers with information on roadway conditions.
187 miles of guardrails were added to the turnpike in 2005 as part of the state’s Median Guardrail Program.
Source: Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, Jan. 29, 2007.
