A guide to the Florida road map

If you plan a road trip to explore Florida's scenic landscapes, a road map is a must for you to properly set your route. If your co-pilot is not exactly comfortable reading maps, a Sat Nav would be ideal. Whatever you decide to use, here are a few guidelines on Florida’s road map.

Roads overview

Something that you should know first in your road trip planning process is that Florida has two major types of roads: state roads and toll roads. State road These are usually state-maintained. State roads are always numbered according to a grid. Even-numbered roads run east-west, and odd-numbered roads run north-south. Toll roads These are privately or publicly built roads, for which a driver must pay a toll or a fee to use. Florida has 657 miles of toll roads, bridges and causeways, which is more than any other state. Opened in 1957, Florida's Turnpike is the longest of these, running 313 miles through 11 counties in the peninsula. Most of the toll roads have state road designations with a special toll shield, including the Turnpike and Homestead Extension.

Facts and online resources

According to International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), Florida's Turnpike is one of the busiest highways in the US. Along with Homestead Extension, it is operated, and owned by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, a division of the Florida Department of Transportation. Cflroads.com Visiting some relevant websites before hitting the road will give you a better overview, of where there are lane closures or construction works, and other road related news.
Cflroads.com is one of them, and it basically covers Central Florida Roads. Northfloridaroads.com This site comes with travel alerts, travel tips, FAQs, photo galleries, and a series of useful links and resources. Milebymile.com Also, this is a good place which you can check out, as it includes a large list of Florida itineraries, with detailed road summaries and mileage from city to city. Autotoursusa.com If your intention is to embark on an organised road trip, this is the place where you have many options and tour packages. Orlando-maps.info If you plan a family trip in the Orlando area, this is also a good resource to explore, as it contains many travel tips as well as driving directions.