Interstate 75

Interstate 75 marker

Interstate 75
Route information
Length: 1,786.47 mi[1] (2,875.04 km)
Major junctions
South end: SR 826 / SR 924 in Miami Lakes, FL[2]
 
North end: Canadian border on Int'l Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Location
States: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan
Highway system

Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, one of the longest in the U.S., from southern Florida to the northern tip of Michigan. It travels from State Road 826 (SR 826, Palmetto Expressway) and SR 924 (Gratigny Parkway) on the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border (northwest of Miami, Florida) to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Canadian border. I-75 is the seventh longest Interstate Highway, the second longest north-south after I-95, and passes through six different states: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan.

Due to high traffic levels on the Interstate, much of the route is six lanes even in rural areas.

Route description

Lengths
  mi[1]km
FL 470.88 757.81
GA 355.11 571.49
TN 161.86 260.49
KY 191.78 308.64
OH 211.30 340.05
MI 395.54 636.56
Total 1786.47 2875.04
I-75 endpoint at interchange with SR 826, locally known as the Palmetto Expressway

Florida

I-75 starts at an interchange with SR 924 and SR 826 on the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border in suburban Miami. After an intersection with the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike and an interchange with I-595 and the Sawgrass Expressway, the Interstate leaves the Miami metropolitan area and turns westward to travel through the Everglades along the tolled Alligator Alley, which brings the highway to the Gulf Coast and Naples, where it again heads north. Passing through Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, and Sarasota, I-75 encounters a series of construction projects that will increase the lane count from two lanes in each direction to three in each direction. The freeway enters the Tampa Bay metropolitan area before the interchange with I-275 northbound, which handles St. Petersburg-bound traffic. Within the Tampa metro are three more major junctions: One with the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway which carries traffic into downtown Tampa; one with I-4 which carries traffic across the center of the state to the East Coast; and another as I-275 traffic defaults back onto northbound. The freeway proceeds to enter suburban portions of Pasco, Hernando, and Sumter counties on its way to Ocala and Gainesville. At Lake City, Florida, the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway, I-10, intersects with I-75, providing routes toward Jacksonville, Florida; Tallahassee, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; New Orleans, Louisiana; and points westward. Afterward, the northmost stretch of I-75 in Florida exits the Sunshine State into southern Georgia.

Georgia

Interstate 75 co-signed with Interstate 85 in downtown Atlanta.

I-75 enters Georgia near Lake Park, and it continues northward through the towns of Valdosta, Tifton and Cordele until it reaches the Macon area, where it intersects with I-16 eastbound towards I-75's route. After Macon it passes the small town of Forsyth. The freeway reaches no major junctions again until in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The first metropolitan freeway met is I-675, then followed by the Atlanta "Perimeter" bypass, I-285. It crosses inside the Perimeter and heads north several miles towards the Atlanta city center. Interstate 75 then runs concurrently with I-85 due north over the Downtown Connector through the central business district of Atlanta. The areas where I-85 and I-75 run concurrently are some of the most traffic-prone streets in the nation. After the two Interstates split, I-75 makes a beeline northwest, crossing outside the I-285 perimeter and heading towards the major suburban city of Marietta. This section of I-75 just north of I-285 has 15 through lanes. North of Marietta, the final major junction in the Atlanta metropolitan area is the I-575 spur. I-75 then traverses the hilly northwestern Georgia terrain as it travels towards Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Tennessee

I-75 north at exit 49 in McMinn County, Tennessee, in 2009

The freeway enters Tennessee directly in the Chattanooga metropolitan area, where it intersects with I-24. Exiting Chattanooga to the northeast, I-75 passes through an area known for dense fog. Twelve people were killed and 42 were injured in a 99-vehicle accident on that stretch of I-75 in heavy fog on December 11, 1990.[3] I-75 does not meet any other highways until it overlaps Interstate 40 near Farragut and heads eastbound. Together, they enter the outskirts of Knoxville, where I-75 overlaps itself with a different road, this time I-640, but only for a short time. When the two meet I-275, I-75 encounters some of its highest points of elevation through the Cumberland Mountains and Cumberland Plateau region, cutting through the uppermost peaks and ridges of the mountains.

Kentucky

I-75 north of Lexington

I-75 continues northbound through the hilly, rugged terrain of the Cumberland Plateau region of Kentucky passing through London and Richmond, eventually reaching Lexington, where it briefly runs concurrently with I-64 before splitting off for Cincinnati, Ohio. Near Walton, I-71 merges with I-75, making for yet another overlapped portion of freeway. I-275, which is the Cincinnati beltway, is then intersected by I-71/I-75. After passing through Covington, the freeway crosses the Ohio River via the lower level of the Brent Spence Bridge (while the southbound direction uses the upper level) and continues into Cincinnati.

Ohio

Aerial view of I-75 and Dayton, OH
Main article: Interstate 75 in Ohio

Immediately after entering Cincinnati, I-71 separates from I-75, taking a more east and northeasterly routing through the city, while I-75 remains generally northbound throughout the metropolitan area. I-74 westbound, Ohio State Route 562 (SR 562) eastbound, and SR 126 all intersect the freeway as it makes its way northward. In Arlington Heights, a Cincinnati suburb, I-75 sees a carriageway split for a few miles. After another interchange with the I-275 beltway, the freeway continues in the metropolitan area, passes through Middletown and heads toward Dayton, where I-675, I-70, and U.S. Route 35 (US 35), have interchanges. The intersection of I-75 with I-70 is known as the Freedom Veterans Crossroads.[4] After exiting the city of Dayton, I-75 makes its way northbound through Ohio, passing through the smaller cities of Troy, Wapakoneta, Lima, Findlay and Bowling Green before finally reaching Toledo, located on the Michigan border. I-475 is met first south of the city, and then the cross-country highways of I-80/I-90/Ohio Turnpike. I-475 then meets with I-75 again. I-280 is the last major junction in Ohio; the freeway crosses into Michigan soon afterward.

Michigan

Mackinac Bridge in Michigan

Upon entering Michigan, I-75 follows the northwestern shore of Lake Erie until about Monroe, when it heads northeastward to enter Detroit and its surrounding suburbs. The freeway intersects another I-275 in the Detroit metropolitan area, and no other major junctions are present until downtown. Once near downtown, I-75 meets the Ambassador Bridge to Windsor, Ontario, I-375 (Chrysler Freeway), I-94 (Edsel Ford Freeway), I-96 (Jeffries Freeway), M-10 (Lodge Freeway) and M-8 (Davison Freeway). I-696 (Reuther Freeway) also intersects I-75 in the northern metro area. When the freeway reaches Pontiac, there is a junction with M-59, and further north in Flint, the Interstate meets I-475 and I-69, and overlaps US 23. The freeway then heads north towards Saginaw, where I-675 acts as a spur route into the city. Further north in Bay City, US 10 provides access to Midland as well as downtown Bay City. When the freeway nears Standish, US 23 branches off I-75 to Lake Huron, where it heads north. The last major interchange occurs at 4 Mile Road just south of Grayling where US 127 northbound ends with traffic merging onto northbound I-75 and the southbound starts taking drivers southward through the center of the state. At Mackinaw City, I-75 intersects the northern ends of US 31 and US 23 before crossing the Mackinac Bridge to reach the Upper Peninsula (UP). I-75 is the only Interstate located in the UP, and it continues until the Canadian border in Sault Ste. Marie, at the International Bridge.

History

I-75 as it crosses the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta

This limited access highway that was planned in the 1950s roughly follows the general route of many older at-grade highways, including US 2, US 27, US 25, and US 41, among others. Some of these older US Highways (several of which are still in existence) previously had replaced the eastern route of the old Dixie Highway.

I-75 was planned to end in Tampa, Florida, in the original plan for 41,000 miles (66,000 km) of Interstate Highways. However, beginning in the 1960s, there was a huge growth in the population of Southwest Florida (Sarasota, Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, etc.), hence the need for new highways, especially a north–south freeway, as well as one connecting Florida's Gulf Coast to South Florida.[5] At first, Florida state legislators proposed a toll in the new highway, but by 1968, it was decided that the federal government would pay 90% towards the extension of I-75 to southwestern and southeastern Florida.[6] This included subsuming a toll highway from Naples to the Fort Lauderdale area, the Alligator Alley, and furthermore to connect this expressway with I-95 in North Miami—though due to some local opposition, I-75 presently ends a few miles short of I-95.

On December 21, 1977, I-75 was completed from Tampa to Sault Ste. Marie with its final segment opening between northern Marietta, Georgia, and Cartersville, Georgia. Then the final stretch of I-75 in South Florida was completed in 1986 in Miami-Dade County and Broward County, but the last stretch to receive the signs for I-75 was the reconstructed (rebuilt and widened) Alligator Alley on November 25, 1992.[7]

Junction list

Florida
SR 826 / SR 924 on the Hialeah–Miami Lakes city line
I‑595 on the Davie–Sunrise-Weston tripoint
US 27 in Weston
US 17 on the Solana–Cleveland CDP line
US 301 in Ellenton
I‑275 east-northeast of Terra Ceia
US 301 in Palm River-Clair Mel
I‑4 in Mango
I‑275 on the Lutz–Wesley Chapel CDP line
US 98 west-northwest of Ridge Manor
US 27 in Ocala
US 441 in Alachua
US 41 / US 441 in Ellisville
US 90 in Lake City
I‑10 west-northwest of Five Points
US 129 north-northeast of Suwannee Springs
Georgia
US 84 / US 221 in Valdosta
US 41 northwest of Valdosta. The highways travel concurrently to Hahira.
US 82 in Tifton
US 41 in Tifton
US 280 in Cordele
US 41 in Unadilla
US 41 in Perry
US 341 in Perry
I‑475 southwest of Macon
US 41 in Macon
US 80 in Macon
I‑16 in Macon
US 23 northwest of Macon
I‑475 northwest of Bolingbroke
I‑675 in Stockbridge
US 19 / US 41 west of Morrow
I‑285 in Forest Park
US 19 / US 41 on the Atlanta–Hapeville city line
I‑85 in Atlanta. The highways travel concurrently through Atlanta.
I‑20 in Atlanta
US 29 / US 78 / US 278 in Atlanta
US 41 in Atlanta
US 41 in Atlanta
I‑285 in Cumberland
I‑575 north-northwest of Marietta
US 411 in Cartersville
US 41 in Resaca
US 41 / US 76 in Dalton
US 41 / US 76 southeast of Ringgold
Tennessee
US 41 / US 76 in East Ridge
I‑24 on the East Ridge–Chattanooga city line
US 11 / US 64 in Chattanooga. The highways travel concurrently to north of Collegedale.
US 74 in Cleveland
US 321 in Lenoir City
I‑40 west of Farragut. The highways travel concurrently to Knoxville.
I‑140 in Knoxville
US 11 / US 70 in Knoxville
I‑40 / I‑640 in Knoxville. I-75/I-640 travels concurrently through Knoxville.
US 25W in Knoxville. The highways travel concurrently through Knoxville.
I‑275 / I‑640 / US 25W in Knoxville
US 441 in Rocky Top
US 25W in Rocky Top. The highways travel concurrently to Caryville.
US 25W in Jellico
Kentucky
US 25W in Goldbug
US 25W in Corbin
US 25 east-southeast of Mount Vernon
US 25 in Mount Vernon
US 25 in Richmond
US 25 / US 421 south-southeast of Lexington. The highways travel concurrently to Lexington.
US 60 in Lexington
I‑64 in Lexington. The highways travel concurrently through Lexington.
US 27 / US 68 in Lexington
US 460 in Georgetown
US 62 in Georgetown
I‑71 in Walton. The highways travel concurrently to Cincinnati, Ohio.
US 42 / US 127 in Florence
I‑275 in Erlanger
US 25 / US 42 / US 127 in Fort Mitchell
US 25 / US 42 / US 127 in Covington
Ohio
US 22 / US 27 / US 42 / US 52 / US 127 in Cincinnati
US 50 in Cincinnati
US 27 / US 52 / US 127 in Cincinnati. I-75/US 27/US 52 travel concurrently through Cincinnati.
I‑74 / US 27 / US 52 / US 127 in Cincinnati
I‑275 in Sharonville
I‑675 southeast of Miamisburg
US 35 in Dayton
I‑70 in Vandalia
US 40 in Vandalia
US 36 in Piqua
US 33 in Wapakoneta
US 68 in Findlay
US 224 in Findlay
US 6 in Bowling Green
I‑475 / US 23 in Perrysburg. I-75/US 23 travels concurrently through Perrysburg.
US 20 / US 23 in Perrysburg
I‑80 / I‑90 in Rossford
US 24 in Toledo
I‑475 in Toledo
I‑280 in Toledo
Michigan
I‑275 north-northeast of Monroe
US 24 in Taylor
I‑96 in Detroit
I‑375 in Detroit
I‑94 in Detroit
I‑696 on the Ferndale–Hazel Park–Royal Oak–Madison Heights city line
US 24 west-northwest of Clarkston
I‑475 west of Grand Blanc
US 23 south-southwest of Flint. The highways travel concurrently to southwest of Standish.
I‑69 in Flint
I‑475 west of Beecher
I‑675 east of Saginaw
I‑675 north-northwest of Zilwaukee
US 10 west of Bay City
US 127 south of Grayling
US 31 north-northeast of Carp Lake
US 23 in Mackinaw City
US 2 in St. Ignace
Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge at the Canada–United States border in Sault Ste. Marie

Auxiliary routes

References

  1. 1 2 DeSimone, Tony (October 31, 2002). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
  2. ↑ Obenberger, Jon; DeSimone, Tony. "Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways: Interstate System Facts". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved February 2008. I-75, Miami, FL to Sault Ste Marie, MI Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  3. ↑ Staff (October 28, 1992). "Safety Recommendation in reply to H-92-92" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
  4. ↑ Keeter, Brian (October 25, 2004). "Nation's Top Highway Official Dedicates Key Dayton, Ohio, Interstate Interchange to State's Military Personnel" (Press release). Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ "West Coast Turnpike Study Ordered By Kirk". St. Petersburg Times. April 20, 1967. p. 1B.
  6. ↑ "I-75 Extension Should Kill Toll Road - Cramer". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. August 16, 1968. p. 16.
  7. ↑ Staff. "Previous Interstate Facts of the Day". Celebrating the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 11, 2010.

Route map: Bing / Google

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