More than $20 billion in investments will widen the Florida Turnpike, as well as upgrade the service plazas along the road, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The investment will expand capacity along the 320-mile mainline of the turnpike from South Florida to Central Florida to I-75 in Wildwood. An additional $8.5 million will be spent on new food concepts, amenities and customer services at the turnpike’s service plazas, along with nearly $54 million to expand and improve turnpike truck parking.
“As Florida has grown, we have made major investments in our transportation infrastructure to reduce congestion and improve our roadways,” DeSantis said. “We’ve made significant investments in expanding lane capacity to relieve congestion all along the Turnpike. Today, I announced an additional investment to improve 19 restaurants and retail locations across six Turnpike service plazas. We will keep working to ensure that our roadways are safer, more convenient, and better-maintained than ever before.”
The investment is part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s plan to widen the turnpike to six lanes or more along every section of the mainline. Once complete, the improvements will add more than 965 lanes miles of capacity to help reduce congestion, officials said.
“Transportation plays a direct role in the quality of life of Floridians, connecting people to jobs, opportunities, and the communities they call home,” FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E., said. “The Turnpike System is a vital part of this, which is why we’ve made significant investments to continue expanding the Mainline.”
The Mainline Widening initiative is currently 55 percent complete. Recent and ongoing Turnpike Mainline improvements include widening the State Road 50 in Clermont to Hancock Road in Minneola, and widening from the Dolphin Expressway (S.R. 836) to N.W. 106th Street in Miami-Dade County. The section from N.W. 106th Street to I-75 recently opened to traffic.
FDOT also said it will provide enhancements for truckers, with a $53.8 million investment to expand and improve nearly 150 parking spaces at Turkey Lake and Ocoee Service Plazas.