Florida State Road 589
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| State Road 589 | |||||||||
| Suncoast Parkway Veterans Expressway |
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| Length: | 53.65 mi[1] (86.34 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1994 (extended 2001) | ||||||||
| South end: |  SR 60 in Tampa |
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| Major junctions: |
 SR 580 in Tampa  SR 568 /SR 597 in Lutz SR 54 in Odessa SR 52 near Shady Hills County Line Road SR 50 in Spring Hill |
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| North end: |   US 98/SR 700 near Chassahowitzka (current)  US 19/US 98/SR 55 in Crystal River (future) |
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>The Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway (State Road 589) is a north-south toll road near the Florida Gulf Coast [2] [3]. Maintained and operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, this 57-mile (92 km) 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 [4].
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[edit] The Veterans Expressway
Completed in October 1994, the 15-mile-long Veterans Expressway (originally known as the Northwest Hillsborough Expressway)extends 15 miles (24 km) 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 (3 km), 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 (21 km) 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, Hutchison 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.
[edit] Financial Problems
As part of the Northwest Hillsborough Expressway, an endeavor by the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority, the Veterans Expressway was supposed to have been a beltway bypassing Tampa from the northwest. Further aspirations may have led to a full beltway around the city. Unfortunately, community opposition and rising construction and land costs cancelled the beltway plan. And the ordering by the state to build the Veterans Expressway in the early 1990s shelved an improvement project for the airport interchanges and depleted the THCEA of funds to complete the Veterans. As a result, Florida's Turnpike purchased the right-of-way, but used the pre-existing design to construct the highway. All section of State Road 589 in Hillsborough County were designated the Veterans Expressway by the 1992 Legislature.
[edit] The Suncoast Parkway and SR 568
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.
The Suncoast Parkway is the first Florida's Turnpike Enterprise toll road to feature open road tolling. The three mainline toll plazas on the Suncoast Parkway feature bypasses where those paying cash remain on the mainline and stop at the toll plaza while those with Sunpass or related transponders exit the mainline roadway, bypass the toll plaza and then re-enter the mainline. This differs from other open road tolling locations in Florida where transponder users remain on the mainline and bypass toll booths built to the side.
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.
[edit] Suncoast Parkway Extension
With the Suncoast Parkway extension in Citrus County still unresolved, 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 list of proposed interchanges is as follows. [5]
| Intersecting Roadway | Notes |
|---|---|
| U.S. Route 98/SR 700 Permanent Interchange. |
Four alignments are proposed for this interchange |
| Cardinal Street | Four alignments are proposed for this interchange |
 State Road 44 |
Three alignments are proposed for this interchange |
 CCR 495 (North Citrus Avenue) |
One alignment is proposed for this interchange |
| U.S. Route 19/U.S. Route 98/SR 55 |
One alignment is proposed for this interchange |
[edit] Controversy
Critics of the Suncoast Parkway extension believe that such a plan would disrupt the quiet, undisturbed sections of Citrus County and bring forth more urban sprawl to the county. Furthermore, impacted residents fear that the parkway alignments come too close to their residences and will cause excessive noise and decreased property values.
[edit] The US recession's impact on the highway
The St. Pete Times reported on March 7, 2009 that the Suncoast Parkway extension project will be on hold (indefinitely) until funding can become available. The postponement is due to toll revenue and gas tax shortfalls, as well as the dismal health of the state and national economies. The $140 million already allocated for the project will be spent on other projects and expenses instead. [1]
[edit] Reconstruction and other improvements
In August 2005, a massive reconstruction project began on the interchanges between I-275 and Memorial Hwy, near Tampa International Airport after being shelved for over fifteen years. 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. [6]
.JPG) Construction of the flyover that now carries traffic from Tampa International Airport to I-275 north and SR 60 east. |
 Interchange construction in early 2008. The flyovers from SR 589 south to TIA, SR 589 south to SR 616 (Spruce St), and TIA to I-275 south are all taking shape. |
.jpg) Interchange construction in November 2008. The ramp from southbound SR 589 to Tampa International Airport opened in September 2008. Note that the southbound exit is now numbered as "1B". |
Project Updates
As of early December 2007, a new ramp from SB SR 589 to SR 60 west opened, allowing better access from southbound Veterans Expressway to the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
On Saturday, December 22, 2007, several new ramps in the airport vicinity opened to traffic. (1) A ramp from SB George J. Bean Pkwy to NB SR 589, which will provide airport commuters direct, free-flow access to the Veterans Expressway and Hillborough Ave. (2) The new flyover ramp (pictured above), which will lead outbound airport commuters to I-275 and Kennedy Blvd. And (3) a feeder from the new flyover ramp to Cypress St, allowing another point of entry into the WestShore Business District. [2]. According to FDOT [3], the new flyover is 2,096 feet (639 m) long and 75 feet (23 m) high at its peak.
Also according to FDOT [4], the temporary ramp from SB George J. Bean Pkwy to NB SR 589 that opened in 2006, will remain open to allow WB SR 60 and Independence Pkwy commuters to easily access these highways. A permanent ramp will eventually be built to further facilitate this purpose.
In the fall of 2008, several more ramps in the interchange opened. One being the flyover from SB 589 to TIA, the second being the ramp from Spruce St to TIA, and the third being the flyover from the Courtney Campbell Causeway to NB 589 (and the removal of the traffic light on NB 589 at SR 60).
On December 8, 2008, all eastbound traffic along SR 60 was shifted to its permanent alignment going over Bayport Drive. All new exit/entry ramps to/from Bayport Drive have since opened. [5]
On December 16, 2008, the project reached yet another milestone, with the opening of the following new ramps.
- Ramp from southbound SR 589 to Spruce St (SR 616)
- Ramp from George J Bean Pkwy to Spruce St
- Ramp from northbound SR 589 to Spruce St (will permanently replace the defunct ramp from I-275 to Cypress St)
- Ramp from eastbound SR 60 (Courtney Campbell Causeway) to southbound SR 589
- Remaining new connections to/from Cypress St to Spruce St/SR 589 southbound.
Additionally, the temporary ramp from George J Bean Pkwy to SR 60 (Courtney Campbell Causeway) is now closed, as of December 16, 2008. This will allow FDOT to demolish the existing overpass from southbound 589 to Spruce St and construct the permanent ramp to the causeway. Commuters going to Clearwater from TIA will need to use the ramp that connects to northbound 589 and shift two lanes to the left. [6]
On January 2009, just in time for Super Bowl XLIII, the flyover ramp from George J Bean Pkwy to I-275 southbound opened, allowing commuters coming from the airport to directly access I-275 south without any competition or merges with SR 60. [7]
In June 2009, the new southbound lanes over SR 60 opened.
During the fall of 2009, several more lanes and ramps opened, including new ramps to and from State Road 60 (Courtney Campbell Causeway). As of December 23, 2009, ALL new lanes and ramps have opened, thus completing all major components of the project. Finishing touches and improvements will take place during the winter of 2010, with the entire project to be completed by the spring of 2010.
Other Improvements and Projects
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.[7]
As of August 2007 video camera's have been added on the road every 10th of a mile down the span of the toll road.
The Lutz-Lake Fern Road interchange opened to commuters on Saturday, August 15, 2009 [8][9].
[edit] Exit list
| County | Location | Mile | # | Destinations | Notes |
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| Hillsborough | Tampa |     I-275 (Kennedy Blvd) / SR 60 east – Tampa |
Southern Terminus of SR-589; Roadway continues east as SR-60; southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 1A |  Tampa International Airport via George J Bean Parkway |
Northbound exit is not labeled. | |||
| 1B |  SR 616 (Spruce Street) - Raymond James Stadium |
Northbound exit is not labeled. Access to O'Brien Street is provided at both directions. Southbound (ONLY) access to Cypress Street is also provided. | |||
| 2A | SR 60 west (Courtney Campbell Causeway) – Clearwater |
northbound exit not labeled as 2A | |||
| 0.722 | 2B | Independence Parkway | northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 1.036 | 3 |  CR 576 (Memorial Highway) |
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| 2.041 | 4 |  SR 580 (Hillsborough Avenue) |
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| 4.085 | 6A | Waters Avenue | |||
| 4.694 | 6B | Anderson Road | |||
| 5.652 | 7 | Linebaugh Avenue West | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 6.250 | 8 | Wilsky Boulevard | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 7.741 | 9 |  CR 587 (Gunn Highway) – Citrus Park |
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| 8.684 | 10 | Ehrlich Road – Citrus Park, Northdale | |||
| 10.617 | 12 | Hutchison Road | |||
| Cheval | 12.136 | 13 |    SR 568 east (Veterans Expressway) to SR 597 (Dale Mabry Highway) |
Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |
| 0.601 | 14 |  CR 685A (Van Dyke Road) – Lutz |
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| 16 |  CR 582 (Lutz-Lake Fern Road) |
Completed 2009. Suncoast Trail begins here. | |||
| Pasco | 5.120 | 19 |  SR 54 – Land O' Lakes, Odessa |
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| 24 (Future) |  CR 524 (Ridge Road) |
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| Shady Hills | 14.937 | 27 |  SR 52 – Hudson, Dade City, San Antonio |
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| 23.560 | 37 |  CR 578 (County Line Road) – Masaryktown |
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| Hernando | |||||
| Spring Hill | 27.169 | 41 |  CR 574 (Spring Hill Drive) |
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| 30.931 | 46 |  SR 50 – Weeki Wachee, Brooksville |
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| 41.429 | 54 |   US 98 to US 19 – Crystal River, Tallahassee |
[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 concurrent 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 concurrency 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.
[edit] Suncoast Trail
As part of the Suncoast Parkway project, a multi-use paved recreational trail, called the Suncoast Trail, was constructed parallel to the western side of the highway, immediately adjacent to the road's southbound lanes, and opened along with the Parkway itself in 2001. The trail begins at Lutz-Lake Fern Road (Exit 16), and continues north for 41 miles, to the highway's terminus at US 98. Four miles north of State Route 54, an additional 6.5-mile trail connects the Suncoast Trail to JB Starkey Wilderness Park, in New Port Richey. Motor vehicles are prohibited along the entire trail.
For most of its length, the Suncoast Trail stays close to the parkway, separated by fences and concrete barriers. Bridges that cross rivers and streams, were built with enough width to accommodate trail users. Where roads cross above the Parkway, particularly north of State Route 52, the trail briefly strays from the parkway, allowing users to cross the intersecting road at-grade.
Pedestrian/cyclist crossing of minor cross streets, is regulated by posted signs. At busier intersections, pedestrian crossing signals are part of the traffic signal systems already in place. The notable exception is in Brooksville, where a dedicated overpass has been constructed to cross SR 50, approximately 500 feet west of the main parkway.
Although the Suncoast Parkway is a toll road, use of the trail is toll-free.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/statistics/pdfs/fedaidreport.pdf FDOT Federal-Aid Report
- ^ Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, Veterans Expressway
- ^ Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, Suncoast Parkway
- ^ Suncoast Parkway 2
- ^ Suncoast Parkway 2 Map
- ^ Tampa Airport Interchanges project
- ^ FDOT, Veterans Expressway Widening Project Information
[edit] External links
- Tampa Airport Interchanges Project Page
- Suncoast Parkway Proposed Extension Project Page
- Florida Route Log(SR 589)
- Cancelled Veterans Expressway Extension
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