Ultimate Interstates:Suncoast Corridor 71
Ultimate Interstate 71, or the Third Florida Super-corridor, is a conceptual hypothetical interstate corridor that originates from Tampa Florida in the south and ends at one of two potential endpoints in the north in either Georgia or Alabama. Portions of this route are also known as the Veterans' Parkway and Suncoast Parkway in Florida, and the Georgia-Florida Parkway and Corridor Z in Georgia. The potential northern terminus of the corridor is either along I-65 north of Huntsville, Alabama or I-75 near the city of Adairsville, Georgia north of Atlanta metro area.
The route would stitch together several routes that are in various stages of development to create the greater corridor. Starting in the south with the existing Suncoast corridor the route would continue up the gulf coast to intersect with Interstate 10 east of Tallahassee, Florida, from there continuing north and traveling near the existing Florida-Georgia Parkway (Georgia State Route 300) to Albany. From there it would continue northwestward along the South Georgia parkway (State Route 520/Corridor Z) to Columbus, Georgia where it would travel northward along existing I-185 to near LaGrange and initially terminating at I-85. From there the parkway could be extended northward along one of two potential routes. The western alternative would route the corridor to the northwest serving the cities of Gadsden and Huntsville in Alabama and connecting I-59 and I-65. The eastern alternative would continue northward and serve as a bypass or partial western outer beltway for the Atlanta Metro connecting to I-20 and I-75 and routing near the cities of Carrollton and Rome in Georgia. This entire route except for the sections that are already toll free (such as I-185) would be constructed as a tolled facility and added to the interstate system.
Current I-71 Status and Development
The official status or proposition of such a corridor has not been studied, but there is evidence that such a corridor could be useful based on other studies and projects that have been done and are underway in the state of Florida and Georgia that lead us to believe that there is a potential benefit to construction of the overall corridor. The corridor is also in various states of construction with the southernmost segment already open to traffic as the Suncoast Parkway (Florida State Road 589).
Suncoast Parkway
The Suncoast Parkway extends northward from Tampa as Florida State Road 589 and consists of the Veterans Parkway in the south, and the Suncoast Parkway in the north. Currently construction is underway in a multi-year project to extend the Suncoast Corridor northward to US-98/19 near Crystal River, with politicians supporting plans to potentially extend the parkway further north, extending it to the Georgia State line.
Georgia-Florida Parkway
The Georgia-Florida Parkway, also known as State Route 300, was designated in 1982 as a collection of connected state routes "in recognition of the continuing growth in transportation needs between these two states." The legislature saw the importance of the connection of I-75 via a dedicated corridor through Albany to the Florida state line and the Panhandle. With this, several segments of this highway have already been widened to 4 lanes with a divided median which if desired could be grade separated and become part of the I-71 Super-corridor. However, upgrading the corridor may not be feasible if there is not enough right of way to allow for the highway to be converted to a freeway. In that case construction of a new tolled facility might be a more feasible option. Tolling would help accelerate funding and construction, since financing would be able to be secured more easily with a lower direct cost to taxpayers, instead favoring user fees and retaining the existing highways as free alternatives for those not wishing to use a tolled facility. All of this aimed of course at reducing congestion along I-75.
South Georgia Parkway
The South Georgia Parkway is a high-priority corridor designated as Corridor Z that traverses across the southern portion of the state from Columbus to Jekyll Island located south of Brunswick. On a route that traverses through the cities of Albany, Tifton, and Waycross. This route was designated in 1988 as State Route 520 which connected these routes together as part of that designation as a high priority corridor. Such a designation prioritizes the development of the corridor as a major transportation corridor for goods and services. Furthermore, the highway was breifly designated as future Interstate 50 in honor of the 50th birthday of the Eisenhower Interstate system further highlighting the importance of the route. Should the route eventually be upgraded to interstate standards I-71 would then use the portion of this corridor from Albany to Columbus as part of its routing completing the route as it connects to I-185 and travels northward to I-85 near LaGrange.
Auxiliary Routes
Ultimate Interstate 271
Possible auxiliary routes include a spur route connecting Albany to Cordele routed along or in the vicinity of Georgia State Route 300.
Florida's Turnpike Extension
A potential connection from the Suncoast Parkway to Florida's Turnpike is also being studied but would likely be an extension of Florida State Road 71 (Unsigned) and would not likely become part of the interstate system.
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Potential Suncoast Buildout Map 1 -
Potential Suncoast Buildout Map 2 -
North Turnpike Connector (Florida) -
North Turnpike Connector Alternatives (Florida)
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Coastal Connection Corridors -
North-South Corridor Connections
Purpose and Need
The Florida legislature and governor as well as transportation officials are advocating for an expanded gulf coast corridor in order to ease the increasing congestion on I-75 to the east. I-75 carries the bulk of the traffic heading into the peninsula travelling to major cities such as Orlando, Tampa, and Miami. In addition, several large cities lie along the I-75 corridor such as Gainesville and Ocala which generate a good deal of traffic along the interstate. Additionally, the population along the south gulf coast is increasing as cities such as Venice, Englewood, Port Charlotte, and Naples continue to grow into a large metropolitan area placing further stress on the corridor.
Constructing this corridor will allow travelers to access Florida closer to the gulf coast and enter the Tampa metro area further to the west and shift some of the traffic burden to I-275 as it passes through the greater Tampa metro area utilizing the Sunshine Skyway bridge instead. In addition, the corridor will serve cities north of Tampa that are not as well connected to the north. Another benefit is that it would provide a more direct connection to Tallahassee from the rest of the State as the new Suncoast Parkway would intersect I-10 just a few miles east of the city.
Georgia would also benefit from the western alignment by connecting the cities of Thomasville, Albany, and Columbus to the national system which could help these areas of rural southwest Georgia by spuring economic development.
Northward Extension Routings
From the northern terminus of I-71 in Lagrange the routing could be extended further north connecting to either I-75 north of Atlanta or I-65 north of Huntsville.
Western Routing (Huntsville Alternative)
The route would be constructed passing near LaGrange and heading northwest to Gadsden, Alabama in the vicinity of US-431 crossing I-20 in the vicinity of Oxford, Alabama. After intersecting with I-59 it continues northwestward roughly following along US-431 to Huntsville, Alabama and eventually continuing on to I-65 to the northwest of the city.
The advantages of this route are to move more traffic completely off the I-75 corridor and provide a new corridor from Nashville and points north to the Gulf coast of Florida. This would also boost economic development along the corridor in the cities it passes through enhancing growth as traffic shifts to use the new route.
Eastern Routing (Atlanta Bypass)
After joining I-85 in LaGrange the route would travel northeastward to a newly constructed outer bypass of the Atlanta Metro area which would pass near the cities of Carrollton and Rome Georgia. The route would be largely built in more rural areas and would best be constructed as a tolled facility with strong growth moratoriums in place to curb urban sprawl that would eventually choke the corridor if left unchecked.
The advantages to this route would also serve to connect these smaller cities along the corridor helping spur responsible economic development there as well. This route will serve to as a third corridor into Florida easing the burden that I-75 and I-95 carry southward into the state connecting cities as far away as Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Cleveland, Columbus and Knoxville, as well as cities to the west like Chicago, St Louis, Nashville and Chattanooga.