Orlando (Central Florida) Interstate/Highway System (Jacksonville, Tampa: sales, good credit, sales tax)

[ETap0687]

Hey everyone,

I've been living in Orlando for about 4 years now, I moved from Nashville, TN. I love it here, but the interstate/highway system here is very.... underwhelming in so many words. With I-4 being the only interstate it feels like everyone and their grandmother uses it, locals and tourists. With me being from Nashville, I'm used to several interstate options, auxiliary interstates, and parkways. Granted, I understand there's not a state tax and toll roads are necessary, not too mention Orlando currently isn't as populated as most major cities. However, I'm hoping, after Orlando grows more, they would turn the Central Florida Greeneway Belt into an auxiliary interstate in the future. That way there would be an interstate that makes a complete loop around the city creating more growth in the outskirts of the city since there would be easier accessibility. I'm aware it's not as easy as saying "do this" but it's just something I wish for in Orlando.

So with that said, I was wondering if anyone else has this frustration with Orlando or if anyone has any ideas they'd like to express.

[Arcenal813]

I'd actually much rather they make the 408 a FREE expressway, the way it was originally intended to be, as there is no viable alternative to it to travel East-West through the city.
The 429/417 loop (including the additions along SR46) are fine as tolls IMO.

[Joey Falcon]

^ You can use 50 to go east west. For free. My girlfriend used to take it back when she had a job to save the toll.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by Joey Falcon

^ You can use 50 to go east west. For free. My girlfriend used to take it back when she had a job to save the toll.

Yeah it'll take you twice as long to get anywhere lol.

Back to the op point, yes i4 has been neglected for decades until the recent decision to upgrade it with additional tolled lanes.

The growth of Orlando suburbs has been facilitated by the toll roads like the 408,417 and 429 where the funding was lacking otherwise.

Remember the gas tax hasnt been increased in 20+ years

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by Joey Falcon

^ You can use 50 to go east west. For free. My girlfriend used to take it back when she had a job to save the toll.

Save the toll but spend 1.5 hours getting from Winter Garden to Waterford via 50? That's not really smart on her part.

Less than 30 minutes with tolls vs stop and go city traffic with lights and congestion in 1.5 hours... hmm... Tough choice here...

[Joey Falcon]

^ Her sunpass was already cancelled by sunpass, because she was driving through the tolls with no money on her account. And she didn't want to stop every time on 408 in the coin line, so she took 50.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by Joey Falcon

^ Her sunpass was already cancelled by sunpass, because she was driving through the tolls with no money on her account. And she didn't want to stop every time on 408 in the coin line, so she took 50.

Sounds like your gf needs to learn a little personal responsibility and money management

[Disney_Geek18]

The 417/429 will become a full loop in the future. The 417 will run from Sanford to South Orlando on the East side with the 429 on the West side from South of Disney to Sanford. Right now the North end of the 429 is Apopka at US 441, but will continue on soon. The beltway will still be tolled though. I do agree with making the 408 a free highway though.

[jwolfer]

Remember that the interstates were planned in the 1950s, the country was coming out of WWII had lots of money and good credit so there was plenty of money to go around.

Back then Florida was a much smaller state in 1950 there were less than 3 million in the entire state! Now Orlando metro is approaching that size. Orlando was a city of regional importance at the time ( think Ocala, Daytona, Lakeland, Chattanooga). Ask someone who has lived in Orlando before 1965, very different city. Sleepy mid-sized Deep South city and natives had Southern accents, no real reason for tourists to visit, it was the center of citrus and cattle with some aerospace thanks to being near Cape Canaveral.

I-4 connected Tampa to the east coast. The leaders of Orange County and Orlando petitioned to have the Florida's Turnpike turn inland, and the intersection of I-4 and the Turnpike is what caught the attention of Walt Disney, good freeways meeting, less chance of hurricanes and very undeveloped. A book called "The Mouse that ate Orlando" has some interesting history on this.

The tolls are here to stay, not just in Orlando and Florida but all over the country. Jacksonville voted in 1988 to remove tolls and have 1/2 cent sales tax but we are getting toll express lanes on our interstates, and we still pay the tax.

As far as making them interstates. No real reason to at this point but it would make it clearer that 417/429 were bypasses if it was I-204 or I-404. We could get all crazy and make SR 408 into I-104 and the Beachline(SR528) into I-604 or I-995.

At one point interstates could not be built as toll roads, some were grandfathered in like the PA Turnpike or Parts of the NJ Turnpike, Jacksonville's Bridges, in South Florida part of the FL Turnpike was signed as I-95 BTW. Interstates can now be tolled, but the Central Florida Expressway Authority, Florida Turnpike Enterprises, State DOT would have to petition Federal Government to add to the interstate system.

I could go on and on about this subject but I dont want to put anyone into a deep sleep

[boy3365]

Cool history Jwolfer.

It looks like Jax is the one of Florida's major cities without tolls.
They are here to stay.