Florida State Road 869
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Length | 23.987 mi[1][2] (38.603 km) 21.242 mi (34.186 km) tolled freeway 2.745 mi (4.418 km) at-grade boulevard 1.4 mi (2.3 km) without designation | |
Existed | July 3, 1986[3]–present | |
Major junctions | ||
South end | I-75 / I-595 in Sunrise | |
US 441 in Coconut Creek Florida's Turnpike on Coconut Creek/Deerfield Beach line | ||
East end | I-95 in Deerfield Beach US 1 in Deerfield Beach | |
Location | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Florida | |
Counties | Broward | |
Highway system | ||
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Florida State Road 869 (SR 869) is a 24-mile-long (39 km) state road located in western and northern
Route description
The highway begins at the north end of the I-75/I-595 interchange in
After crossing the Turnpike, the tollway reverts to a six lane surface street, Southwest 10th Street, still heading east in Deerfield Beach. It has intersections with two residential streets before reaching Powerline Road (SR 845). East of Powerline Road, SR 869 passes by residential and commercial zones, crossing several local streets for the remainder of its length, with SR 869 intersecting Military Trail and I-95 about two miles east of Powerline Road and terminating at Southwest 6th Avenue about 0.4-mile (0.64 km) east of I-95.[1][5][8][10][11] There have been plans to extend the expressway east of the Turnpike to I-95 since the early 1990s, but local opposition has prevented it from going forward.[12][13] The latest (c.2018) plan features elevated express lanes 27' above the street similar to I-595 to the south, and construction could begin as early as 2022.[14]
Tolls
The Sawgrass Expressway is an all electronic, cashless toll road, using overhead toll gantries in the place of the former toll plazas. Users pay by either SunPass transponders or by a toll by plate system for a slightly higher fee. The cost to travel the entire expressway costs $2.12 with SunPass, and $2.64 with toll by plate as of July 2015. For travel over only part of the expressway, a graduated toll system is in place.[9]
History
Originally planned to be the University-Deerfield Expressway when it was first proposed in 1960, it was supposed to be the northernmost part of a chain of expressways from Deerfield Beach to
The Sawgrass Expressway broke ground on November 2, 1984, and opened to traffic on July 3, 1986, at a cost of $200 million.[21][22] The section between I-75 and Sunrise Boulevard opened on August 4, 1988.[3] Bonds were sold in 1984 to finance construction and again in 1986 to partially refund the 1984 bonds.[23][24] By 1990, however, the Sawgrass Expressway was plagued with a massive debt, light usage and was a subject of local political corruption. The Florida Department of Transportation purchased the Sawgrass Expressway from the Broward County Expressway Authority in December 1990 as part of the expansion program authorized by the Florida Legislature in 1990 Senate Bill 1316.[25][26] The Expressway, along with SW 10th Street west of I-95, was bannered as State Road 869 in 1995.[27]
When the highway was first built, it was criticized for being a "road to nowhere", as it passed through undeveloped areas for most of its length.[28] The road's $1.50 toll in its first few years was another criticism by local residents, contributing to the road's light usage.[29] Commercial and residential developments boomed along the toll road in the late '80s and throughout the '90s, making it suitable for commuters.[28] The swampland west of the Expressway is an Everglades Water Conservation Area and unlikely to be developed in the foreseeable future.[8]
The Sawgrass Expressway experienced its first toll hike on March 7, 2004, increasing the toll rate for non SunPass users to $2.00 for travel over the entire expressway, with SunPass users still using the original toll rates.[30][31]
Unlike most roads, the Sawgrass Expressway had a mascot, a
Between 2008 and 2009, the expressway was widened from four lanes to its current six lanes, and was converted to
On June 24, 2012, toll rates were raised on the Sawgrass Expressway, with rates going up on average about a quarter at each tolling area for both cash and SunPass customers.[34] Rates were risen slightly again for SunPass customers on July 1, 2013, with cash prices staying at their 2012 rates, and are the toll rates as of January 2014.[9][35][36]
The Sawgrass Expressway eliminated cash tolls on April 19, 2014, charging vehicles by SunPass or license plate information. Toll gantries replaced the shuttered toll booths at plazas and exits.[37][38]
In late November 2023, multiple South Florida news outlets reported on work to upgrade the segment of SR 869 from Florida’s Turnpike to Interstate 95 to a full highway with express lanes was approved. Once completed, the Sawgrass Expressway will be a full highway from its terminus in Sunrise to Interstate 95.
Exit list
The entire route is in Broward County.
Location | mi [1][39][40] | km | Exit [9] | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Exit 19 on I-75 | ||||||
Fort Lauderdale Airport and Port Everglades | ||||||
SR 838 | ||||||
2.000 | 3.219 | Sunrise Toll Gantry | ||||
1.909 | 3.072 | 1B | Pat Salerno Drive | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
3.309 | 5.325 | 3 | SR 816 | |||
SR 870 | ||||||
SR 814 | ||||||
10.931 | 17.592 | 11 | SR 834 | |||
Coral Springs–Parkland line | 13.868 | 22.318 | 14 | Coral Ridge Drive | ||
15.623 | 25.143 | 15 | SR 817 | |||
SR 7 ) | Tolled northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 18A (south) and 18B (north) | |||||
20.092 | 32.335 | 19 | Lyons Road | Tolled northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
20.500 | 32.992 | Deerfield Gantry | ||||
20.401 | 32.832 | 21 | Miami, Orlando | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; signed as exits 21A (south) and 21B (north); unsigned SR 91 | ||
At-grade intersection ; northern terminus of tollway | ||||||
21.835 | 35.140 | SR 845 (Powerline Road) | ||||
23.262 | 37.437 | SR 809 | ||||
23.871 | 38.417 | Miami, West Palm Beach | Exit 41 on I-95; continues east without designation | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- ^ a b c d e Florida Department of Transportation (June 15, 2012). "Straight Line Diagram of Road Inventory" (PDF). Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ a b Florida Department of Transportation (February 26, 2014). "Straight Line Diagram of Road Inventory" (PDF). Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ a b "Sawgrass Link to I-75 will be Opened Today Westbound Interstate 595 Also Opening". Miami Herald 4 Aug 1988: 2BR
- ^ Bousquet, Steve (2023-11-04). "The road Broward didn't want will be bigger than ever". Archived from the original on 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
- ^ a b c Map of State Road 869 (Map). MapQuest, Inc. 2009. Retrieved 2012-07-29.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Turnpike, Sawgrass closures planned". South Florida Business Journal 2008-03-07
- ^ "System Description Toll 869 - Sawgrass Expressway". Florida Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ a b c Municipal Boundaries 2009 (PDF) (Map). Cartography by Broward County GIS. Broward County, Florida. 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Sawgrass Expressway Map" (PDF). Florida Department of Transportation. 2010-10-04. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
- ^ a b Google (2012-07-29). "overview map of State Road 869 (Sawgrass Expressway)" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
- ^ a b General Highway Map: Broward County, Florida (PDF) (Map). Florida Department of Transportation. 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
- ^ "County Will Scale Down Sawgrass/I-95 Connector". Miami Herald 9 Jul 1993: 3BR
- ^ Michael Turnbell. "Going from Palmetto to I-95 Complicated" Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine. South Florida Sun Sentinel 27 Feb 2009
- ^ Anne Geggis. "Express lanes from Sawgrass to I-95: Your sneak peek at what they'll look like". South Florida Sun Sentinel 21 Apr 2018
- ^ Marcus, Jon. "Thompson Hits Big Bump on Political Highway". Sun-Sentinel 16 Aug 1987: 1B
- ^ "Taking a Journey Down the Roads Left Undone". Miami Herald 11 Dec 1995: 1B
- ^ "Road 'spaghetti' distaste cuts plans". The Miami News 16 Sep 1971: 5A
- ^ "It Will Be 7 Years Before Highway Network Is A Reality". Sarasota Herald-Tribune 2 Apr 1973: 9A
- ^ "Lawmakers to get highway plan". Miami Herald 18 Feb 1983: 4BR
- ^ "Expressway's New Name is Shorter and Cheaper". Miami Herald 12 Jan 1984: 2BR
- ^ "Sawgrass Project May Be State's Swiftest". Miami Herald 28 Oct 1984: 1 BR
- ^ Lasalandra, Michael. "Sawgrass Scheduled to Open Today". Sun-Sentinel 3 July 1986: 3B
- ^ "Expressway Bond Sale Approved". Miami Herald 25 Jul 1984: 4BR
- ^ Lasalandra, Michael. "Refinancing of Sawgrass Bonds to Mean Windfall of $11 million". Sun-Sentinel 8 Jan 1987: 8B
- ^ "Sawgrass Expressway To Be Bought By State Toll Road To Become Part of Turnpike". Miami Herald 1 Dec 1990: 15BR
- ^ a b "Florida's Turnpike 50 Year Celebration" (PDF). Florida Department of Transportation. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- ^ Kernicky, Kathleen. "Sawgrass Name Game Runs Its Course". Sun Sentinel 18 Mar 1995: 1B
- ^ a b "Sawgrass Expressway Drives Building Boom". Miami Herald 10 Aug 1986: 1BR
- ^ "Readers Say Sawgrass Fare Just Isn't Fair". Miami Herald 24 Nov 1986: 1BR
- ^ McGinness, Chuck. "Plan To Hike Toll On Turnpike Rapped". The Palm Beach Post 8 Jan 2004: 7B
- ^ Turnbell, Michael. "Drivers Dash To Get SunPass Before Toll Increases Kick In". Sun-Sentinel 6 Mar 2004: 1B
- ^ "Downtown Towers Take A Hit". Miami Herald 25 Oct 2005: 4A
- ^ Michael Turnbell. "Faster lanes cut toll waits on Sawgrass". South Florida Sun Sentinel 18 Dec 2008
- ^ Turnbell, Michael (7 June 2012). "Tolls on Turnpike, Sawgrass, Alligator Alley going up on June 24". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ Turnbell, Michael (28 June 2013). "Tolls go up July 1 on turnpike, state toll roads". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ^ "Traveler Information | Toll Rates". Florida Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
- ^ Turnbell, Michael (3 August 2013). "Sawgrass Expressway going cashless in 2014". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ Turnbull, Michael (18 April 2014). "Sawgrass Expressway stops accepting cash Saturday night". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ "Florida Department of Transportation Interchange Report" (PDF). Florida Department of Transportation. 2008-11-24. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
- ^ Google (December 30, 2015). "East 10th Street" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
External links
- Florida @ SouthEastRoads - Florida 869
- Florida's Turnpike - Toll 869 - Sawgrass Expressway
- Sawgrass Expressway Map