Last year, we featured Florida more than once during our spooky-themed posts for October. This makes sense: with having the deadliest interstate comes a bit of haunted lore. But now, as our state feature, let’s delve a little deeper into fascinating state of Florida. From its deadly I-4, the most mileage of toll roads than any other state, a weird natural illusion called a gravity hill, and the floating “Highway that Goes to the Sea,” Florida has something to pique everyone’s interests.
When Florida's population boomed after World War II, they had to figure out a way to pay for the roads they needed. This meant the installment of the first toll road, leading to what is now 719 miles of tolls--the most out of any state. Specifically, Orange County in Orlando has the most, with a whopping 150+ miles of tolls. They aren't cheap either. From Sanford to the Florida Mall can be over $7 each way. The issue is that central Florida continues to grow and they’re always building new roads. Without income tax or inheritance tax, the state needs to find funds for their infrastructure somewhere and that means the tolls. The tolls also help decrease congestion on highways and expressways. If they opted to tax elsewhere and remove the tolls, FDOT suspects that the roads would be too congested to be traveled regularly and would quickly fall into disrepair. However, that sounds like what’s already happening with I-4—Florida’s deadly highway.
For the full post on the deadliest highways, go ahead and click here, but for a quick refresher, I-4 in Florida is still currently the nation's deadliest highway. This title is earned due to its high rate of motor vehicle accidents: 34 for every 100 miles on average. This is insanely high, though it is also relevant to mention that US-1 on the Georgia - Florida line averages 108 deaths a year. Connecting Tampa to Daytona Beach, the I-4 runs 132 miles long. A possible reason for being so deadly could be because of the tourism, since the I-4 runs through Orlando, where a number of major theme parks are visited every year. In fact, 2023 saw 6.13 million visitors, which is a 25% increase from 2022, and in addition to Orlando's 2 million population. Other reasons for so many accidents are pretty predictable, such as poor weather conditions, distracted or reckless driving, and speeding, with the most dangerous spots being intersections and highways. Now that we know this, can you imagine what would happen if they removed all of those tolls?
Maybe folks should take a break from Orlando and head over to New Wales, Florida. Still located in Central Florida, New Wales is home to "Spook Hill," a quirky spot with the state's only gravity hill. Also called "magnetic hills," these are natural illusions caused by trees and the surrounding foliage growing at an angle, giving the appearance of a hill going upward when it's not. A vehicle in neutral will look as though it's rolling upward, which is a fun thing you don't see every day! This area was also recently added to the National Register of Historic Places, meaning there's fun history and lore that comes along with it.
Speaking of fun history, back in 1938, Florida created its own All-American Road. We mentioned US-1 earlier as having a lot of fatalities, but it’s more whimsically known as “The Highway to the Sea” or the “Overseas Highway.” This 113-mile stretch from Key Largo to Key West was built in three years, utilizing the hurricane-damaged railway system. Forty-two bridges in a series of giant concrete and steel arches spread across the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico.
This highway is Florida’s only All-American Road and is one of thirty in the US—a status given to roads that possess characteristics of national significance and unique features that exist only unto itself. This makes the literal journey and not the destination the tourist attraction--though those exist along the way. The highway got an upgrade in 1982 when 37 of the bridges were replaced with wider ones, but the old bridges can still be seen running alongside. In 2001, it was named a Florida Scenic Highway as well. For a list of the sights that can be seen along the way, go here.
We've been making a ton of signs for Florida and you might have seen a few of them on our social media pages! Whether it be navigating the deadliest highway, rolling up on Spook Hill, or floating past the Keys, remember that Interstate Signways made the signs that marked the way!
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