Florida State Road 589
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway (State Road 589) is a north-south toll road near the Florida Gulf Coast [1] [2]. Maintained and operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, this 57-mile transportation corridor was built to accommodate the increasing commuter traffic in the Tampa-St. Petersburg metropolitan area, with an extension of the Suncoast Parkway (to US 19/98 north of Crystal River in Citrus County) in the planning and development stage[3].
Completed in October 1994, the 15-mile-long Veterans Expressway (originally known as the Northwest Hillsborough Expressway)extends 15 miles from SR 60 (the Courtney Campbell Causeway) west of Tampa International Airport to SR 597 (Dale Mabry Highway) in northern Hillsborough County. The southern two miles, between Courtney Campbell Causeway and Hillsborough Avenue (on the west side of Tampa International Airport), upgraded Eisenhower Boulevard to expressway standards with frontage roads and is not tolled. North of Hillsborough Avenue, the remaining 13 miles are within new right-of-way.
Between Courtney Campbell Causeway and Dale Mabry Highway, intermediate interchanges are provided at Independence Parkway, Memorial Highway, Hillsborough Avenue, Waters Avenue, Anderson Road, Linebaugh Avenue/Wilsky Boulevard, Gunn Highway, Erlich Road, Hutchinson Road and Van Dyke Road. There are two mainline barrier plazas (Anderson and Sugarwood) and six ramp plazas. The "N minus 1" formula is used for truck toll rate schedule.
Opened in 2001, the 42-mile-long Suncoast Parkway (SR 589) proceeds north from the Veterans Expressway to US 98 in Hernando County, Florida, USA, near Chassahowitzka. Drivers of automobiles traveling the entire length of the Suncoast Parkway pay $3.00 US toll.
With the completion of the Suncoast Parkway, the stub of the Veterans Expressway from Exit 13 to Dale Mabry Highway was designated State Road 568.
In August 2005, a massive reconstruction project began on the interchanges between I-275 and Memorial Hwy, near Tampa International Airport. The project will consist of a four-level stack interchange at the Spruce St Interchange, a three-level interchange at the Courtney Campbell Causeway, and an extensive auxiliary exit ramp system stretching from Independence Pkwy to just north of I-275. Even though thru traffic will be separated from local and airport traffic on the northbound lanes, the southbound thru lanes will not be built until a later phase in 2012+. The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in 2010 with a cost of $202 million. The second phase currently in the early design stages and there is currently no timetable set for construction. Complete project information can be obtained by selecting this link. [4]
As of July 2006, a study is being performed on a project that would widen the Veterans Expressway to eight lanes between Memorial Highway and Van Dyke Road.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Exit list
- The Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway utilize FDOT's mileage-based exit number system.
- WARNING! The toll rates need verification! Expert input may be needed.
- According to the St. Petersburg Times/tbt*; as of September 1st, 2006, commuters using the Anderson Road exit ramp will have to pay exact change or use a SunPass transponder. Technology takes toll on takers
| Mile | Exit # | Intersecting Roadway | Cash Tolls (Automobile) | SunPass (Automobile) | Major Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Memorial Highway (Free) |
||||||
| 0A (Unsigned) |  State Road 60 East/Kennedy Boulevard Begin Cosign |
WestShore Plaza, WestShore Business District, Downtown Tampa | southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| 0B (Unsigned) |  Interstate 275 (Florida) Northbound |
Downtown Tampa, Orlando via  |
southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| 0C (Unsigned) | Interstate 275 (Florida) Southbound |
St Petersburg | southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| 1 (Unsigned) |  State Road 616 East/Spruce Street/North/George J. Bean Parkway |
 Tampa International Airport, International Plaza and Bay Street, Raymond James Stadium |
no northbound access to Spruce Street | |||
 Veterans Expressway (Toll) |
||||||
| 2A | State Road 60 West/Courtney Campbell Causeway End Cosign. |
Rocky Point, Clearwater | stoplight at northbound interchange exit/entry ramps. | |||
| 2B | Independence Parkway | Rocky Point Golf Course | northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| 3 | CR 576/Memorial Highway | Town-n-Country, Oldsmar | ||||
| 4 |  State Road 580/Hillsborough Avenue |
50¢ | 25¢ | Town-n-Country, Oldsmar, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Florida State Fairgrounds | ||
| 6A | Waters Avenue | 50¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance | 25¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| Anderson barrier toll | $1.00 | 75¢ | ||||
| 6B | Anderson Road | $1.00 EXACT CHANGE ONLY | 75¢ | Serves Linebaugh Avenue EASTBOUND. | northbound exit and southbound entrance. Left exit from/entry to expressway. | |
| 7 | Linebaugh Avenue WESTBOUND | northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||||
| 8 | Linebaugh Avenue via Wilsky Boulevard | 50¢ | 25¢ | southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 9 | CR 587/Gunn Highway | 50¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance | 25¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance | Citrus Park, Westfield Citrus Park, Busch Gardens | ||
| 10 | Ehrlich Road | Toll Free exit and entrance ramps | Toll Free exit and entrance ramps | Citrus Park, Northdale | ||
| Sugarwood barrier toll | 75¢ | 50¢ | ||||
| 12 | Hutchinson Road | 50¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance | 25¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| 13 |  State Road 568/Veterans Expressway TO  State Road 597 Dale Mabry Highway |
Lutz, Land O' Lakes | northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| Suncoast Parkway (Toll) |
||||||
| 14 | CR 685A/Van Dyke Road | 50¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance | 25¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance | Lutz | ||
| 16 | CR 582/Lutz-Lake Fern Road (Future) | Lutz, Land O' Lakes, Tarpon Springs | ||||
| 19 |  State Road 54 |
25¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance | 25¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance | Land O' Lakes, Odessa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills | ||
| Anclote barrier toll | $1.00 | $1.00 | ||||
| 24 | CR 524 (Pasco)/Ridge Road (Future) | ?? | ?? | New Port Richey, Land O' Lakes | ||
| 27 |  State Road 52 |
Toll Free exit and entrance ramps | Toll Free exit and entrance ramps | Hudson, Dade City, San Antonio | ||
| Shady Hills barrier toll | $1.00 | $1.00 | ||||
| 37 | CR 578 County Line Road | 25¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance | 25¢ southbound exit and northbound entrance | Masaryktown | ||
| 41 | CR 574 (Hernando)/Spring Hill Drive | Toll Free exit and entrance ramps | Toll Free exit and entrance ramps | Hernando County Municipal Airport |
||
| 46 |  State Road 50 |
25¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance | 25¢ northbound exit and southbound entrance | Weeki Wachee, Brooksville | ||
| Chassahowitzka barrier toll | $1.00 | $1.00 | ||||
| 54 |  U.S. Route 98 |
Chassahowitzka, Crystal River, Tallahassee |
[edit] Future Extension Exits???
With the Suncoast Parkway extension in Citrus County still up in the air, ten different alignments, with four southern segments, twelve central segments, and one northern segment, have been brought to attention regarding the parkway's routing. Regardless of the alignment (if selected and built), the proposed interchanges is a follows.
| Intersecting Roadway | Notes |
|---|---|
| U.S. Route 98 Permanent Interchange. |
Four alignments are proposed for this interchange |
| Cardinal Street | Four alignments are proposed for this interchange |
 State Road 44 |
Three allignments are proposed for this interchange |
| CR 495 (Citrus) | One allignment is proposed for this interchange |
 U.S. Route 98/U.S. Route 19 |
One alignment is proposed for this interchange |
Reference: Suncoast Parkway 2 Map
[edit] Financial problems
- The Veterans Expressway has suffered many financial setbacks through the years. In the 1970s, planning began for the airport interchanges reconstruction project and was originally set to begin sometime in the 1980s. At the same time, planning for the Northwest Hillsborough Expressway had begun. Both projects became increasingly expensive as years passed. But when the state ordered the building of the Veterans Expressway in the early 1990s, the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority (which owns the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway ran out of money to fund both the Veterans Expressway and the Tampa Airport Interchanges project. Thus the authority abandoned their plans and the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise picked up the tab for the Veterans Expressway project, while the TPA Interchanges project was shelved. The result of this setback was an 'temporary' terminus at SR 60/Courtney Campbell Causeway.
- Another setback was the branch of the Northwest Hillsborough Expressway between Dale Mabry Highway and Interstate 275. When the Veterans Expressway project entered the late planning stages, the name of the incomplete thoroughfare was changed to the Lutz Expressway. However, due to a freeway revolt, the section was never built. Today, you can see the remnants of the expressway's beginnings at a mound in the median as you approach the Dale Mabry Hwy intersection on SR-568.
[edit] Other former sections
In addition to the current State Toll Road 568, there were two other roads that once carried the SR 589 designation. Originally, State Road 589 was multiplexed with State Road 60 between Exit 2A and Exit 1, then extended to West Spruce Street and Boy Scout Boulevard. These roads were redesignated as SR 616
The SR 60/589 multiplex was planned to be extended southward to I-275, where SR 589 would branch off onto the West Crosstown Expressway and become part of the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway, at Exit 4. The West Crosstown was canceled due to a freeway revolt, and the SR 589 and SR 449 desigantions were eliminated from the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway.
| Florida State Roads | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: 566 |
State Road 568 | Succeeded by: 569 |
| Florida State Roads | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: 586 |
State Road 589 | Succeeded by: 590 |
