Alligator Alley
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| Image:I-75.svg Image:Florida 84.svg | |
| Alligator Alley | |
| Everglades Parkway | |
| Image:Alligator Alley map.png | |
| Length: | 84.28 mi[1] (135.64 km) |
|---|---|
| Formed: | 1969 |
| West end: | Image:Collier County Road 951 FL.svg CR 951 in East Naples, FL |
| Major junctions: | Image:US 27.svg US 27 near Weston, FL Image:Florida 29.svg SR 29 near Immokalee, FL |
| East end: | Image:Toll Florida 869.svgImage:I-595.svg SR 869/I-595 near Davie, FL |
Alligator Alley (also known as Everglades Parkway[2]) is a section of Interstate 75 (Florida State Road 93) and Florida State Road 84 extending from Naples on the west coast of Florida to Weston on the east. First opened in 1969,[3] most of the highway traverses the Everglades.
The name was given by the American Automobile Association during planning; they believed it would be a useless road, an "alley for alligators." However, since alligators often frequent the waterways beside the road, the nickname has a somewhat literal meaning.
[edit] History
It was originally built as a two-lane freeway connecting the two coasts of Florida, and was later connected to Interstate 75 as an east-west continuation of the highway, which otherwise ran north and south. It is still a toll road, with automobile drivers paying $2.50 each way to use the road. Before the completion of its re-engineering, Alligator Alley was signed as State Road 84; it is now I-75 but it still has a concurrency with SR 84 until just east of US 27 . The Interstate 75 signs on Alligator Alley were not erected until 1993, and the SR 84 designation was made concurrent with the I-75 designation , I-75 and SR 84 split again in Naples . Today, Alligator Alley is only one of two sections of Interstate 75 that has a toll , The other tolled section is the Mackinac Bridge in Northern Michigan.
Between 1986 and 1992 it was widened to four lanes, with many bridges designed to let water and wildlife pass underneath. This helped to reduce the environmental impact of the highway somewhat, especially upon the severely endangered Florida Panther, as well as reducing the danger of the highway, which is notorious for high-speed accidents.
[edit] Rest Areas
- Broward County Rest Areas between Exits 23 & 49
- Collier County Rest Areas between Exits 49 & 80
[edit] References
- ^ National Highway Planning Network GIS data. FHWA (version 2005.08). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ Alligator Alley Story. Retrieved on 3 July, 2006.
- ^ South Florida Roads. Retrieved on 3 July, 2006.
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