| Sawgrass Interchange | |
|---|---|
 The Sawgrass Interchange, looking east | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Sunrise, Florida | |
| Coordinates | 26°07′12″N80°20′45″W / 26.119889°N 80.345959°W |
| Roads at junction | |
| Construction | |
| Type | Stack interchange |
| Spans | 70 |
| Constructed | 1986–1989 |
| Opened | 1989 |
| Maintained by | FDOT |
The Sawgrass Interchange is a large highway interchange in Sunrise, Florida, United States.
The Sawgrass Interchange was built between 1986 and 1989. [1] [2] The interchange opened in late 1989. [2] The interchange was constructed at a cost of $52 million (1989 USD). [2] At the time of its opening, the interchange was the largest in Florida. [3]
In 2023, there was widespread concern when a social media post, which erroneously claimed that one of the interchange's bridges was structurally unsound because of a visible gap, went viral. [4] [5] The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) inspected the bridge and found no structural defects; the "gap" was normal and intentionally constructed when the bridge was built in the 1980s, being the location of one of the bridge's expansion joints. [4] [5]
The Sawgrass Interchange is a large stack interchange. It serves as the junction point for three major expressways in South Florida: Interstate 75 (I-75), I-595 (the Port Everglades Expressway), and State Road 869 (SR 869, Sawgrass Expressway). SR 84 also travels through the interchange. [1]
The interchange also serves as both the western terminus I-595 and the southern terminus of SR 869, both of which merge into I-75. It also serves as the eastern terminus of Alligator Alley. [1]
The Sawgrass Interchange consists of several bridges and 70 bridge spans—all of which are made of precast segmental concrete; the bridge spans range from 120 to 200 feet (37 to 61 m) and were constructed with 1,366 precast box girder segments. [1] [6] The stack interchange occupies an area of approximately 550 acres (220 ha). [3]
Interstate 4 (I-4) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Florida, maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning 132.30 miles (212.92 km) along a generally southwest–northeast axis, I-4 is entirely concurrent with State Road 400 (SR 400). In the west, I-4 begins at an interchange with I-275 in Tampa. I-4 intersects with several major expressways as it traverses Central Florida, including US Highway 41 (US 41) in Tampa; US 301 near Riverview; I-75 near Brandon; US 98 in Lakeland; US 27 in unincorporated Davenport; US 192 in Celebration; Florida's Turnpike in Orlando; and US 17 and US 92 in multiple junctions. In the east, I-4 ends at an interchange with I-95 in Daytona Beach, while SR 400 continues for roughly another four miles (6.4 km) and ends at an intersection with US 1 on the city line of Daytona Beach and South Daytona.
Florida's Turnpike, designated as unsigned State Road 91, is a controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Spanning approximately 309 miles (497 km) along a northwest–southeast axis, the turnpike is in two sections. The SR 91 mainline runs roughly 265 miles (426 km), from its southern terminus at an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95) in Miami Gardens to an interchange with I-75 in Wildwood at its northern terminus. The Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike continues from the southern end of the mainline for another 48 miles (77 km) to US Highway 1 in Florida City. The slogan for the road is "The Less Stressway". The mainline opened in stages between 1957 and 1964, while the extension was completed in 1974. The turnpike runs through Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, where it parallels I-95, and through Orlando, where it crosses I-4.
Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) is a unit of the Florida Department of Transportation that operates toll roads in Florida. The current executive director is Nicola Liquori.
State Road 528 (SR 528), alternatively named the Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway, is a partially-tolled freeway in the U.S. state of Florida; it is maintained by the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE), the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX), and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning approximately 53 miles (85 km) along a west–east axis, it connects Interstate 4 (I-4) in Orlando with I-95, Titusville, and Cape Canaveral on the Space Coast. It passes close to the tourist areas of Orlando, including SeaWorld and Universal Orlando, and serves the north entrance to Orlando International Airport. Near its east end, it passes over the Intracoastal Waterway on the Emory L. Bennett Causeway, and ends at SR A1A and SR 401 near Port Canaveral.
State Road 408 (SR 408), officially named the Spessard L. Holland East–West Expressway, is a controlled-access toll road running east–west through Orlando, Florida, United States. It is owned and operated by the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX), except for the westernmost mile (1.5 km), which is owned by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise as a connection to Florida's Turnpike. The road runs from the Turnpike in Gotha, east through downtown Orlando, where it intersects with I-4, ending near SR 50 south of the University of Central Florida. The road is named for Spessard L. Holland.
Interstate 595 (I-595), also known as the Port Everglades Expressway and unsigned FloridaState Road 862, is a 12.86-mile (20.70 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway that connects I-75 and Alligator Alley in the west with Florida's Turnpike, I-95, Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, U.S. Highway 1, and SR A1A before terminating at Port Everglades in the east. The Interstate route was conceived in 1969 and planned as an Interstate starting in 1974. Construction began in 1984, with the expressway opening in stages in the late 1980s, with completion in 1991. The reversible tolled express lanes opened in 2014.
U.S. Route 92 or U.S. Highway 92 is a 181-mile (291 km.) U.S. Route entirely in the U.S. state of Florida. The western terminus is at US 19 Alt. and SR 687 in downtown St. Petersburg. The eastern terminus is at SR A1A in Daytona Beach.
Interstate 275 (I-275), located in Florida, is a 60-mile-long (97 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway serving the Tampa Bay area. Its southern terminus is at I-75 near Palmetto, where I-275 heads west towards the Sunshine Skyway Bridge crossing over Tampa Bay. From that point, I-275 passes through St. Petersburg before crossing Tampa Bay again on the Howard Frankland Bridge, then continues through the city of Tampa, where it connects to an interchange with I-4 in Downtown Tampa. After the interchange, I-275 passes north through the Tampa suburbs to its northern terminus at I-75 in Wesley Chapel.
State Road 589 (SR 589), also known as the Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway, is a controlled-access toll road near the Florida Gulf Coast. Maintained and operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, this 68-mile (109 km) transportation corridor extends from State Road 60 in Tampa, north to State Road 44 near Lecanto. The Veterans Expressway was built to accommodate the increasing commuter traffic in the Tampa-St. Petersburg metropolitan area, with the Suncoast Parkway opening in 2001, extending from near the northern terminus of the Veterans Expressway to U.S. Route 98, with a possible northern extension to U.S. Route 19/U.S. Route 98 in Crystal River in Citrus County in the planning and development stages. As of February 28, 2022, Phase I of the extension is now open between US 98 and Florida State Road 44. Phase II, which would further extend the highway to County Road 486, is undergoing the design phase.
The Dolphin East-West Expressway is a 15.4-mile (24.8 km) freeway, with the westernmost 14 miles (23 km) as an all-electronic tollway signed as State Road 836, and the easternmost 1.292 miles (2.079 km) between Interstate 95 (I-95) and SR A1A cosigned as Interstate 395 (I-395).
Florida State Road 869 (SR 869) is a 24-mile-long (39 km) state road located in western and northern Broward County, acting as a de facto bypass of Fort Lauderdale as well as the northern coastal and southern parts of the county extending north from a junction of I-75 (SR 93), I-595 (SR 862) in Sunrise to Coral Springs where it heads eastward towards Florida's Turnpike and intersecting I-95 before terminating at Southwest 10th Avenue in Deerfield Beach. The 21.242-mile (34.186 km) section west of the Turnpike is known as the Sawgrass Expressway, a six-lane, controlled-access toll road; the 2.745-mile (4.418 km) section east of the Turnpike is a boulevard known as Southwest 10th Street. The expressway opened in 1986 and was added to Florida's Turnpike Enterprise in 1990. The at-grade section east of the Turnpike is maintained by FDOT.
State Road 916, locally known as Northwest 138th Street, West 84th Street, North 135th Street, Opa-locka Boulevard, and Natural Bridge Road is a 10.253 miles (16.501 km) long east–west highway crossing northern Miami-Dade County, Florida. Its western terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 75 (I-75), the Palmetto Expressway, and the Gratigny Parkway on the boundary between Hialeah and Miami Lakes, traveling east to Biscayne Boulevard.
Florida State Road 823 (SR 823) is a 20.6-mile (33.2 km) long state highway in the U.S. state of Florida. The road runs from U.S. Route 27 in Hialeah to Interstate 595 and SR 84 in Davie. The section in Miami-Dade County, through Hialeah and Miami Lakes, is known as Red Road. In Broward County, the road turns northwest and merges into Flamingo Road, until its terminus in Davie, though the road continues without designation into Sunrise.
Florida State Road 817 (SR 817) is a 25.691-mile-long (41.346 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Florida, locally known as Northwest 27th Avenue in Miami-Dade County and University Drive in Broward County. Its southern terminus is an intersection in Opa-locka with SR 9, which continues south along Northwest 27th Avenue to Dixie Highway in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. Its northern terminus is at State Road 834 in Coral Springs, though the right of way continues north to Loxahatchee Road at the Palm Beach County line.
Commercial Boulevard is a 15.2-mile-long (24.5 km) highway serving northern Broward County, Florida, mostly designated as State Road 870 (SR 870). The road extends from its western terminus in Sunrise at SR 869, the Sawgrass Expressway, and serves as a major commercial route through Oakland Park, and Fort Lauderdale, intersecting Florida's Turnpike, U.S. Route 441 (US 441), Interstate 95 (I-95) and US 1 before reaching its eastern terminus at SR A1A in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida.
Sunrise Boulevard is a 15.6 miles (25.1 km) long east–west highway serving central Broward County mostly designated State Road 838. The road begins at an interchange with the Sawgrass Expressway in Sunrise and continues east to North Ocean Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, next to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. For 0.91 miles (1.46 km) in downtown Fort Lauderdale, SR 838 overlaps U.S. Route 1.
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main Interstate Highway of Florida's Atlantic Coast. It begins at a partial interchange with US Highway 1 (US 1) just south of downtown Miami and heads north through Jacksonville, and to the Georgia state line at the St. Marys River near Becker. The route also passes through the cities of Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, Titusville, and Daytona Beach.
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border, a few miles northwest of Miami, to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I-75 begins its national northward journey near Miami, running along the western parts of the Miami metropolitan area before traveling westward across Alligator Alley, resuming its northward direction in Naples, running along Florida's Gulf Coast, and passing the cities of Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Venice, and Sarasota. The freeway passes through the Tampa Bay area before turning inward toward Ocala, Gainesville, and Lake City before leaving the state and entering Georgia. I-75 runs for 471 miles (758 km) in Florida, making it the longest Interstate in the state and also the longest in any state east of the Mississippi River. The Interstate's speed limit is 70 mph (110 km/h) for its entire length in Florida.
Douglas Road, also West 37th Avenue on the greater Miami grid plan and Northwest 88th Avenue in Miramar, is a 20.4-mile (32.8 km) north–south thoroughfare running west of downtown Miami in Miami-Dade County and Broward County, Florida. It changes names and becomes Pine Island Road, at the intersection with Sheridan Street.
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