Florida State Road 570

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The Polk Parkway, also known as State Road 570, is a 25-mile, limited-access toll road which runs through Polk County, Florida. It is operated as part of the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise system of limited-access expressways. While the road does provide easier access to Interstate 4 from Polk County cities such as Winter Haven, Bartow, and Auburndale, the Polk Parkway mainly serves as a beltway around Lakeland forming a semi circle, which along with I-4 circumscribes most of the city limits of Lakeland. The road is signed east-west, although the section from SR 540 to the eastern terminus near Interstate 4 runs nearly south to north.

The $490 million Polk Parkway was conceived more than 20 years ago as a circumferential route around Lakeland and named the Imperial Parkway by the County Commission in 1986. In the spring of 1990, the Florida Legislature, incorporating the Polk Parkway into the Turnpike Expansion Program, passed Senate Bill 1316. A killed proposal in the 1970s/1980s would have connected the parkway with the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway.

• Groundbreaking for the Parkway was 25 January 1996.

• The Western end, a 7.5 stretch of the Parkway, opened to traffic on 9 August 1998.

• The second (central) section, approximately 10 miles in length, opened to traffic on 2 August 1999.

• The final section opened to traffic on 12 December 1999, and is approximately 7.5 miles long.

Traffic has increased steadily in growing Polk County, and the Parkway is now seen as an important addition to the county's transportation network. The Polk Parkway is a typical freeway, which is a four lane divided highway, with access controlled by way of exits, although a "final stretch" near the eastern end is two lanes (one in each direction - a "Super 2" freeway). The roadway will be expanded to four lanes in a design-build project beginning in 2007. At that time, an interchange will be constructed near Milepost 22 (Pace Road) to accommodate traffic accessing a future satellite campus of the University of South Florida (USF).

As part of the Florida's Turnpike network, the coin system of toll collection is employed. SunPass, E-Pass, and O-Pass electronic toll collection are recognized.

The 1998 Florida Legislature designated the western seven miles of the Polk Parkway (between Interstate 4 and South Florida Avenue (SR 37)) as the James Henry Mills Medal of Honor Parkway in recognition of his heroic actions in World War II in Cisterna Italy. He was the only native of Polk County to receive a medal of honor for his heroic actions in World War II.

- According to the St. Petersburg Times/Tampa Bay Times; as of September 1st, 2006, commuters using the Harden Blvd exit ramps will have to pay exact change or use a SunPass transponder. Technology takes toll on takers