Drive to Ft. Lauderdale

[Dinda]

Needing tips from anyone who has driven to Ft. Lauderdale.  We see there are a few options -(1)  go I-75 to Fla Turnpike and continue on it to I-95' (2) I-75 then cut over to Jacksonville to

I-95, (3) I-75 to I-4 to Orlando then hit the Turnpike to Hwy 192 toward Melborn and hit I-95 there.  I really hate to get on a toll road in Fla due to a bad experience.  Last year we were on one for about a mile in Tampa.  They sent us two invoices.  All the information was duplicated except for the invoice number.  I tried to get in touch with then through email and phone call and had no success.  So I stupidly paid both invoices and they never sent me a refund.

[skrufy]

49 minutes ago, Dinda said:

Needing tips from anyone who has driven to Ft. Lauderdale.  We see there are a few options -(1)  go I-75 to Fla Turnpike and continue on it to I-95' (2) I-75 then cut over to Jacksonville to

I-95, (3) I-75 to I-4 to Orlando then hit the Turnpike to Hwy 192 toward Melborn and hit I-95 there.  I really hate to get on a toll road in Fla due to a bad experience.  Last year we were on one for about a mile in Tampa.  They sent us two invoices.  All the information was duplicated except for the invoice number.  I tried to get in touch with then through email and phone call and had no success.  So I stupidly paid both invoices and they never sent me a refund.

I dislike tolls also. Lived in  central Florida and never used the toll roads. If you want to stay away from the tolls take I-75 to I-10 East towards Jacksonville, then take I-295 south to I-95 south all the way to Fort Lauderdale. I-75 to the FloridaTurnpike is a bit shorter, but you will pay the tolls from  Wildwood all the way to Fort Pierce where you can get on I-95 to Fort Lauderdale. Skip the Orlando portion, you will be going into central Florida and then double back to the coast. 

 

Edited January 18, 2020 by skrufy
Correction

[CruiserBruce]

All you need to do is use a GPS, or software like Google Maps or Waze set to "NO TOLLS". Last summer drove from Miami to Tampa to Atlanta and didn't pay a penny in tolls.

[hrhdhd]

This may be helpful if you already have a Peach Pass:

[loanshark]

Driven the route from NW Florida to South Florida many times.

 

Do not take the I-4 route that you mentioned.  That route will add at least 1 hour to your drive, 

 

From the I-10 / I-75 Interchange near Lake City, the 3 fastest options without using SunPass tolls or Toll by Plate (bill in the mail) are as follows:

 

1.  I-10 West to I-295 loop in Jacksonville to I-95 South.   There are no tolls on this route, but it is the longest of the 3 options.

 

2  I-75 South to the Florida Turnpike.  Turnpike South to exit 193 (This is the Yeehaw Juction - Vero Beach exit / Florida State Road 60)  Take SR 60 East to I-95, then I-95 South.  This option saves about 10-20 minutes over option 1, but you will have tolls totaling $9.15.  You can pay cash for all of the toll booths you encounter on this route.

 

3.  I-75 South to the Florida Turnpike.  Turnpike South to exit 116 (Jupiter - SR 706 / I-95 Interchange), then I-95 South.  This route is about 10 minutes quicker than option 2, and about 20-30 minutes quicker than option 1.  Tolls for this option total $16.15.  Also, all tolls on this route still allow you to pay cash.

 

You can go a few more exits on the Turnpike paying cash south of exit 116, but the further south you go on the Turnpike, the more risk you have in running into a cashless toll exit, where you end up getting a bill later on.  Also, there are a few exits in the Orlando area that are clearly marked SunPass only.  If you are paying cash, you need to avoid these exits.

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by loanshark

[BNBR]

Google Maps.... Go that way.

[voljeep]

we'll pay the tolls on the turnpike and avoid I-95 at all costs

 

we get off at Sunrise Blvd - exit 58 I believe and just deal with the local traffic at that time … not usually too bad  and plenty of places to grab a quick bite, gas, wine, walgreens, etc

[BNBR]

I personally prefer I95 over the turnpike.  I95 has 3 lanes so you don't get the slow drivers in the left lane like the turnpike, which only has 2 lanes.  Turnpike has a lot more backups and road ragers.