Commuting Between Melbourne and Orlando - Best and Fastest Route to Avoid Tolls (Taylor Creek: apartment, renting)

[MarlowHeights]

I just moved back to Melbourne this past weekend, and am renting an apartment just off of Wickham, approximately two miles from I-95. I will be starting a job in Orlando week after next, and it will be at the Lockheed facility on Global Innovations Circle. I would appreciate the group's suggestions on the best and fastest away for my commute, and to avoid tolls if at all possible. Thanks!

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by MarlowHeights

I just moved back to Melbourne this past weekend, and am renting an apartment just off of Wickham, approximately two miles from I-95. I will be starting a job in Orlando week after next, and it will be at the Lockheed facility on Global Innovations Circle. I would appreciate the group's suggestions on the best and fastest away for my commute, and to avoid tolls if at all possible. Thanks!

To avoid tolls, I would probably take I-95 to 520 to 50 and then.... I am not sure.... maybe Avalon to Lake Underhill to get in the areabut could be traffic. We used to do the 95 to 520 to 50 to get to UCF area. Sometimes we would take Taylor Creek Road( to change it up and get a country feel-had a 1 car bridge and swampy area but speed limit is maybe 45-50) TCR is the first or 2nd road after the 528 exit. It takes you to 50 at Christmas.
Easiest and fastest probably means tolls for part of your trip.

[centralfloridaroadgeek]

Originally Posted by MarlowHeights

I just moved back to Melbourne this past weekend, and am renting an apartment just off of Wickham, approximately two miles from I-95. I will be starting a job in Orlando week after next, and it will be at the Lockheed facility on Global Innovations Circle. I would appreciate the group's suggestions on the best and fastest away for my commute, and to avoid tolls if at all possible. Thanks!

I'm not sure this is the quickest but it's toll free.
Take I-95 north to State Road 520 (Exit 201) then head west on 520 til you reach State Road 50. Then continue on 50 west til you reach Rouse Road. Turn left onto Rouse Road which would take you directly there. This is the most direct toll free route.

[centralfloridaroadgeek]

Originally Posted by MarlowHeights

I just moved back to Melbourne this past weekend, and am renting an apartment just off of Wickham, approximately two miles from I-95. I will be starting a job in Orlando week after next, and it will be at the Lockheed facility on Global Innovations Circle. I would appreciate the group's suggestions on the best and fastest away for my commute, and to avoid tolls if at all possible. Thanks!

Best bet if you have the time, take a trip there before you start working so you can get familiar with the area. Warning though, I'm not sure about Rouse Road, but State Road 50 is known for traffic plus they're currently widening 50 from four lanes to six lanes in that area.

[chopchop0]

520 is free and most direct.

Take the tolled 528 if you notice a lot of traffic on 520

[centralfloridaroadgeek]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

520 is free and most direct.

Take the tolled 528 if you notice a lot of traffic on 520

True it's quicker to take the tolled route. If you do that, it would be I-95 north to State Road 528 (exit 205). Then head west on 528 to State Road 417 (exit 16). Then head north on 417 to State Road 408 (exit 33A). Then head east on 408 to Rouse Road (exit 20). Turn right onto Rouse Road and it take you directly there.

PS: State Road 528, State Road 417, and State Road 408 are toll roads.

[ExIslander]

In-between idea: Just from the map, it looks like you could take 528 only as far west as the International Corporate Park exit and then use surface streets (Innovation Way/Alafaya Trail) to come out right on Lake Underhill Road. That would involve only one toll each way (roughly $1.50 if I remember right). But I have no idea what kind of time you can make going that way.

[centralfloridaroadgeek]

Originally Posted by ExIslander

In-between idea: Just from the map, it looks like you could take 528 only as far west as the International Corporate Park exit and then use surface streets (Innovation Way/Alafaya Trail) to come out right on Lake Underhill Road. That would involve only one toll each way (roughly $1.50 if I remember right). But I have no idea what kind of time you can make going that way.

International Corporations Park Blvd exit off of 528 is tolled for people heading to and coming from Brevard County.

[ExIslander]

Originally Posted by centralfloridaroadgeek

International Corporations Park Blvd exit off of 528 is tolled for people heading to and coming from Brevard County.

Right, I mentioned there was a toll.

Using the toll calculator (https://www.cfxway.com/TravelersExpr...alculator.aspx) it looks like the toll is $1.75 cash or $1.35 E-pass. Going the fastest-but-with-tolls way looks like $4 cash or $3.27 E-pass each way.

Multiplying twice a day, five days a week, four weeks a month (usually), the cost of the fastest way is roughly $130 per month. The "toll only as far as the first one" way I'm speculating about, would be $54. Not free but it might -- key word, "might" -- be less aggravating traffic-wise than the free 520/50 route. Splitting the difference, kinda.

From an earlier post, you mentioned trying the trip BEFORE the first day of work if the OP can. Great advice.

[MarlowHeights]

Thanks for all responses, everyone. From reading them, it appears that my best course of action is to take a route that would involve minimal tolls, but still get me to Orlando and back without heavy traffic. If I put my address here in Melbourne and my work location in Orlando, into Google Maps or Waze, the most direct route would be 50 miles one way. And that would be with tolls. Specifying without tolls would add another 15-20 minutes drive each way. I'd rather pay a bit more in tolls, rather than losing another 30-40 minutes of my time everyday, to the already two hours I'm losing everyday, driving to and from work.