Florida State Road 570
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| State Road 570 |
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| Length: | 25 mi (40.23 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | January 1996 | ||||||||
| East end: |  I-4 near Polk City |
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| Major junctions: |
 US 92 in Auburndale US 98 in Bartow |
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| West end: | I-4 near Plant City |
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The Polk Parkway, also known as State Road 570, is a 25-mile, limited-access toll road which runs through Polk County, Florida. It is operated as part of the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise system of limited-access expressways. While the road does provide easier access to Interstate 4 from Polk County cities such as Winter Haven, Bartow, and Auburndale, the Polk Parkway mainly serves as a beltway around Lakeland forming a semi-circle, which along with I-4 circumscribes most of the city limits of Lakeland. The road is signed east-west, although the section from SR 540 to the eastern terminus near Interstate 4 runs nearly south to north.
The $490 million Polk Parkway was conceived in the 1950s as a circumferential route around Lakeland and named the Imperial Parkway by the County Commission in 1986. In the spring of 1990, the Florida Legislature, incorporating the Polk Parkway into the Turnpike Expansion Program, passed Senate Bill 1316. A proposal in the 1970s/1980s would have connected the parkway with the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway never came to fruition.
- Groundbreaking for the Parkway was 25 January 1996.
- The Western end, a 7.5 stretch of the Parkway, opened to traffic on 9 August 1998.
- The second (central) section, approximately 10 miles in length, opened to traffic on 2 August 1999.
- The final section opened to traffic on 12 December 1999, and is approximately 7.5 miles long.
Traffic has increased steadily in growing Polk County, and the Parkway is now seen as an important addition to the county's transportation network. The Polk Parkway is a typical freeway, which is a four lane divided highway, with access controlled by way of exits, although a "final stretch" near the eastern end is two lanes (one in each direction - a "Super 2" freeway). The roadway will be expanded to four lanes in a $70 million design-build project, scheduled to begin in September 2009. At that time, an interchange will be constructed near Milepost 22 (Pace Road) to accommodate traffic accessing a future satellite campus of the University of South Florida (USF). The project is scheduled to be open to traffic in the spring of 2011.
As part of the Florida's Turnpike network, the coin system of toll collection is employed. SunPass, E-Pass, and O-Pass electronic toll collection are recognized.
The 1998 Florida Legislature designated the western seven miles of the Polk Parkway (between Interstate 4 and South Florida Avenue (SR 37)) as the James Henry Mills Medal of Honor Parkway in recognition of his heroic actions in World War II in Cisterna, Italy. He was the only native of Polk County to receive a medal of honor for his heroic actions in World War II.
- According to the St. Petersburg Times/Tampa Bay Times; as of September 1, 2006, commuters using the Harden Blvd exit ramps will have to pay exact change or use a SunPass transponder. Technology takes toll on takers
[edit] Exit list
| County | Location | Mile[1] | Exit # | Destinations | Notes |
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| Western terminus: I-4 Exit 27 near County Line Road |
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| Polk | Lakeland | 0.030 | 0 | I-4 – Tampa, Orlando |
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| 0.534 | 1 | Old Tampa Highway | Northbound exit, southbound entrance | ||
| 2.851 | 3 |  SR 572 (Airport Road) |
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| 4.133 | 4 | Waring Road, Drane Field Road | |||
| 5.551 | 5 |  SR 563 (Harden Boulevard) |
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| 6.683 | 7 |  SR 37 (South Florida Avenue) |
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| 8.727 | 9 | Lakeland Highlands Road | |||
| 10.143 | 10 | US 98 (Bartow Road) – Lakeland, Bartow |
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| 13.918 | 14 |  SR 540 (Winter Lake Road) |
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| 17.291 | 17 | US 92 (Auburndale Highway) – Lakeland, Auburndale |
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| 18.645 | 18 | Old Dixie Highway | |||
| 24.350 | 24 | I-4 – Tampa, Orlando |
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| Eastern terminus: I-4 near Polk City |
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It is not possible to travel on the Polk Parkway without paying a toll of at least $0.25.
[edit] References
- ^ Florida Department of Transportation. FDOT Interchange Report. Retrieved on July 7, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (official site)
- Florida Department of Transportation (official site)
- SunPass
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