Florida State Road 568 Explained

State:FL
Type:Toll
Route:568
Alternate Name:Veterans Expressway
Map Custom:yes
Map Notes:SR 568 highlighted in red
Maint:Florida's Turnpike Enterprise
Length Mi:3.036
Length Round:3
Length Ref:[1]
Established:1994 (opened); 2001 (as SR 568)
Direction A:West
Terminus A: near Citrus Park
Direction B:East
Terminus B: near Lutz
Counties:Hillsborough
Previous Type:SR
Previous Route:566
Next Type:SR
Next Route:569

State Road 568 (SR 568) is a short freeway stub of the Veterans Expressway (SR 589) north of Tampa. The road was built in 1994, but was reassigned as SR 568 in 2001 when SR 589 moved to the new Suncoast Parkway. It connects the aforementioned SR 589 to SR 597. SR 568 is on the segment of the Veterans Expressway that was intended to be extended to Lutz, Florida in the vicinity of the northern interchange with I-75 and I-275.[2] [3]

Route description

SR 568 begins at Exit 13 on the Veterans Expressway northbound, where the main freeway northbound becomes the Suncoast Parkway. The road heads east as a four-lane freeway, ending at its lone interchange at a traffic signal at SR 597. There is no access to the Suncoast Parkway from SR 568 or vice versa; motorists heading west on SR 568 will be heading south on the Veterans Expressway. Despite having no tolls on the spur, those using the road will have to pay a toll on the Veterans Expressway.[3]

History

The road was built as a part of the Veterans Expressway, and opened in 1994. The road was planned to extend eastward to Lutz and I-275, however, local opposition has cancelled the East-West Road. When the Suncoast Parkway was opened in 2001 as a de facto extension of the Veterans Expressway, the resulting three mile spur was reassigned as SR 568.[4]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Florida Department of Transportation Interchange Report . 2008-11-24 . PDF . . 18 . 2009-07-27 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120208015944/http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/statistics/hwydata/interchange.pdf . 2012-02-08 .
  2. http://www.floridasturnpike.com/about_system.cfm#3 Florida's Turnpike - System Description - Toll 589 - The Veterans Expressway/Suncoast Parkway
  3. Web site: Veterans Expressway/Suncoast Parkway . 2010-04-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100922181216/http://floridasturnpike.com/maps/UpdatedMaps2010/suncoast_veterans.pdf . 2010-09-22 . dead .
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20041028162544/http://www.bayciti.net/hrd/vets.htm Veterans Expressway System