Gov. Ron DeSantis announced an over $20 billion investment to help widen 320-miles of Florida's Turnpike from Florida City to Wildwood while speaking at a press conference at Florida's Turnpike Enterprise in Orlando this week.
The Turnpike's Mainline upgrade will include six or more lanes totaling 965 miles to help reduce congestion. Gov. DeSantis has helped add 179 lane miles along the Mainline, and 384 lane miles overall across the Florida Turnpike System.
Along with the investment, Gov. DeSantis also announced an $8.5 million upgrade for 19 new restaurants and retail locations at six of the Turnpike's Mainline service plazas, including Zaxby's, Jimmy John's, Vending Oasis, and Villa Pizza. Sixteen restaurants and retail locations are expected to be open by the end of the year.
In addition, DeSantis announced a $54 million boost to expand and improve commercial truck parking across the Turnpike System, including 150 spots at Turkey Lake and Ocoee Service Plazas.
“As Florida has grown, we have made major investments in our transportation infrastructure to reduce congestion and improve our roadways,” DeSantis said through a release. “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 Turnpike System averages approximately 3 million customers daily and over 1 billion vehicles each year. Originally built in 1957 as the Sunshine State Parkway, the mainline was renamed to the Florida Turnpike in 1968 and stretched down to include the Homestead Extension to Florida City in 1973.
“As Florida has grown, we have made major investments in our transportation infrastructure to reduce congestion and improve our roadways,” DeSantis said through a release. “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.”
Investment to the Turnpike is currently 55% complete, the release noted.
“Transportation plays a direct role in the quality of life of Floridians, connecting people to jobs, opportunities, and the communities they call home,” Florida Department of Transportation Jared W. Perdue, P.E. added. The Turnpike System is a vital part of this, which is why we’ve made significant investments to continue expanding the Mainline.”
