Canceled expressways in Florida
Encyclopedia
There have been plans in Florida
for expressway
s, but some were never constructed due to financial problems, community opposition and environmental issues.
. Hialeah
in particular is anti-freeway, as many proposals for freeways in the city have been cancelled due to community opposition.
, but most were cancelled by 1982. The high cost of acquiring right of way in this densely populated area, as well as community opposition were the key factors in canceling most of these freeways. Instead, planners decided to widen existing roads.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
for expressway
Limited-access road
A limited-access road known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway and expressway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a controlled-access highway , including limited or no access to adjacent...
s, but some were never constructed due to financial problems, community opposition and environmental issues.
South Florida
In the 1970s, most of South Florida's freeways were cancelled due to voters choosing to direct funding away from roads toward mass transit projects and the planned Miami MetrorailMetrorail (Miami)
The Miami Metrorail, officially Metrorail and commonly called the Metro, is the heavy rail rapid transit system of Miami, Florida, United States, serving the Miami metropolitan area. The Metro is operated by Miami-Dade Transit, a departmental agency of Miami-Dade County...
. Hialeah
Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 226,419. As of 2009, the population estimate by the U. S...
in particular is anti-freeway, as many proposals for freeways in the city have been cancelled due to community opposition.
- Cypress Creek Expressway: The Cypress Creek Expressway would have been an east–west expressway run along the present day Cypress Creek Road, serving Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, North Lauderdale, and TamaracTamaracTamarac may refer to various places in the United States:Settlements* Tamarac, Florida* Tamarac Township, MinnesotaWild areas in Minnesota:* Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge** Tamarac Wilderness, within the RefugeRivers in Minnesota:...
. The Cypress Creek Expressway would have begun at A1A at the Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach border, and run along what is presently the eastern disjointed section of McNab Road. West of Old Dixie Highway, the road would have dipped south and run along present-day Cypress Creek Road (west of Florida's TurnpikeFlorida's TurnpikeFlorida's Turnpike , designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, and originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway is a north–south toll road that runs through 11 counties in the Florida peninsula, from U.S...
it connects with the western disjointed section of McNab Road), until terminating at the proposed University-Deerfield Expressway (now University Drive). There was no projected interchange with the Florida's Turnpike. It was to be four lanes for its entire length, and its total cost was slated at $22.6 million. It was never built due to funding and opposition.
- Dolphin Expressway Airport Spur: The Dolphin Expressway was originally planned to be built on Northwest 20th Street, instead of its current alignment more or less paralleling Northwest 14th Street. A 1964 plan called for two options to solving the traffic problems near Miami International Airport. The first option was to convert LeJeune Road into an 8-lane freeway between the Dolphin Expressway and the Airport Expressway. The second option was to build a spur route from the Dolphin Expressway that would connect to the entrance of Miami International AirportMiami International AirportMiami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
, thus relieving LeJeune Road. The spur would branch off the Tollway just east of NW 37th Avenue and run north–south on the west side of NW 37th Avenue. North of the golf course, it would cross the Tamiami CanalTamiami CanalThe Tamiami Canal or C-4 Canal, is located in southern Florida in the United States. It flows in a west to east direction from the western part of the state in the Everglades past the Miami International Airport to a salinity control center near the Miami River...
and head west to the MIA terminal entrance on Northwest 21st Street. As part of this canceled freeway project, a stack interchangeStack interchangeA stack interchange is a free-flowing grade separated junction between two roads.In countries where one drives on the right, left turns are handled by semi-directional flyover/under ramps...
was built at LeJeune Rd and Northwest 21st Street, which serves as the access road to the airport. It is today used between those two roads and the airport. In addition, as part of the Miami Intermodal CenterMiami Intermodal CenterFor the rail station next to the MIC, see Miami Central StationMiami Intermodal Center is a transportation hub under construction by the Florida Department of Transportation in Miami, Florida, in the United States. It will offer centralized transfer between Metrorail, Amtrak, Tri-Rail, buses,...
, LeJeune Road between Northwest 14th Street and the interchange with Northwest 21st Street has recently been converted into a full freeway entirely using land obtained through demolishing businesses on the east side of a car rental agency's parking lot. The Miami Intermodal Center lies on the northeast corner of the LeJeune Road interchange with Northwest 21st Street, which is why the interchange has been improved to allow access to the new transportation hub.
- Gratigny Parkway: Today's Gratigny Parkway is much shorter than it was originally supposed to be. Its original western terminus was supposed to be at the Homestead Extension of Florida's TurnpikeHomestead Extension of Florida's TurnpikeHomestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike , designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, and originally known as the West Dade Expressway is a north–south free-flow toll road southern extension of the tolled Florida's Turnpike...
. The eastern terminus was supposed to be a few blocks short of Interstate 95Interstate 95Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
. The portion east of Northwest 32nd Avenue was killed by a combination of community opposition and race politics. The project was originally put off in the 1960s. By the time it was revived, what had originally been a mostly-white neighborhood in the 1960s had become a mostly-black neighborhood by the 1980s. Despite its appearance indicating otherwise, the Gratigny is not an outgrowth of some failed plot to extend Interstate 75Interstate 75Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
toward I-95. When the Gratigny was originally planned, I-75 was being planned to follow a route along the Tamiami TrailTamiami TrailThe Tamiami Trail is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 from State Road 60 in Tampa to U.S. Route 1 in Miami. The road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90....
through the Everglades and then along today's Dolphin Expressway, with a connection to the planned Everglades Jetport(which was canceled by the administration of Richard Nixon based on opposition from environmentalists and became the Dade-Collier Training and Transition AirportDade-Collier Training and Transition AirportDade-Collier Training and Transition Airport is a public airport located 36 miles west of the central business district of Miami, in Collier County, Florida, United States. It is owned by Miami-Dade County and operated by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department...
). After that, it was planned to follow today's route along Alligator AlleyAlligator AlleyAlligator Alley is a section of Interstate 75 and State Road 84 extending from Naples on the west coast of Florida to Weston on the east...
and then Interstate 595Interstate 595Interstate 595 may refer to:*Interstate 595 , a spur from I-75 across I-95 to Fort Lauderdale, Florida*Interstate 595 , an unsigned spur to Annapolis, Maryland...
straight east to downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Fort Lauderdale airport. The Gratigny continues to the west as I-75 and curves north at Northwest 138th Street/Hialeah Gardens Drive. An extension to the Turnpike in the west is in MDX's 2025 master plan, which would reduce the length of I-75.
- Hialeah Expressway: The Hialeah Expressway was to have been a third east–west route across Dade County, cutting through Hialeah, the second most populated city in Dade County. Its eastern terminus would have been Alton Road and 47th Street in Miami Beach, crossing Biscayne Bay over the planned Beach Causeway. It would then cross the proposed Interama Expressway and I-95, and run along a path between NW 79th and 62nd Street. Upon crossing Okeechobee Road (US Route 27), it would parallel NW 74th Street until reaching the West Dade Expressway, now the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike, for a distance of 16 miles (25.7 km). Despite its cancellation, Northwest 74th Street was partially converted into a freeway. Northwest 74th Street was recently extended west to meet the Turnpike extension.
- Interama Expressway: The Interama Expressway, also known as the Midbay Causeway was supposed to be a north–south expressway in eastern Dade County as an alternative route and reliever to Biscayne Boulevard (US Route 1). It would have run from an intersection at I-95 and the proposed Snake Creek Expressway (originally proposed to run across Florida State Road 858), paralleled US 1 from there to an intersection with proposed South Dixie Expressway (see below) and I-95, slicing through downtown Miami along the way.
- LeJeune-Douglas Expressway: The freeway was to run from US 1 in Coral Gables to the Palmetto Expressway in Carol City/Miami Gardens as a reliever to traffic between the Palmetto Expressway and I-95Interstate 95 in FloridaInterstate 95 is the main Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States; it serves the Atlantic coast of Florida. It begins at a partial interchange with U.S. Highway 1 just south of downtown Miami, and heads north past Daytona Beach and Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the St...
on a LeJeune Road-Douglas Road corridor, passing directly by Miami International AirportMiami International AirportMiami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
.
- Rock Island Expressway: This would have been a north-south freeway built on Rock Island Road having its southern terminus at the Turnpike near Northwest 44th Street in TamaracTamarac, FloridaTamarac is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,427. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census....
. The north terminus was most likely either Wiles Road or the University-Deerfield Expressway (now the Sawgrass Expressway) in Coral SpringsCoral Springs, FloridaCoral Springs, officially chartered July 10, 1963, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 121,096...
.
- Sheridan Expressway: The Sheridan Expressway was planned to upgrade State Road 822, locally known as Sheridan Street into an expressway. It would run from Old Dixie Highway in downtown Hollywood to the also cancelled University-Deerfield Expressway in Cooper City (now University Drive).
- South Dixie Expressway/I-95 Extension: This would have extended I-95 south of its terminus at US 1 near downtown Miami to Florida CityFlorida City, FloridaFlorida City is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States and is the southernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 5,413,212 in 2007. The population was 7,843 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S....
, using an upgraded US 1 route. The southernmost ten miles of the Homestead Extension of Florida's TurnpikeHomestead Extension of Florida's TurnpikeHomestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike , designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, and originally known as the West Dade Expressway is a north–south free-flow toll road southern extension of the tolled Florida's Turnpike...
was part of the proposed I-95 extension.
- University-Deerfield ExpresswaySawgrass ExpresswayState Road 869 is a long state road located in Broward County, Florida. The road acts as a de-facto bypass of Fort Lauderdale and northern coastal Broward County, Florida, extending north from a junction of Interstate 75 , Interstate 595 , and SR 84 in Sunrise, to Coral Springs before heading...
: When it was first proposed in 1969, it was supposed to be the northernmost part of a chain of expressways along the present University Drive (State Road 817) from Deerfield Beach to Coral Gables, but the proposed Snake Creek Expressway (in Broward County) became part of the Florida's Turnpike Extension and the LeJeune-Douglas Expressway (in Dade County) failed in the 1970s as construction budgets narrowed roadbuilding capabilities. On the other hand, the rerouting of Interstate 75 from the Tamiami Trail to Alligator Alley increased the necessity of a northern/western bypass of coastal Broward County and invigorated the project which had acquired a new route and a new name, the Sawgrass-Deerfield Expressway, later shortened to the Sawgrass Expressway.
- There were two expressways proposed in Palm Beach County: A northern extension of the Sawgrass ExpresswaySawgrass ExpresswayState Road 869 is a long state road located in Broward County, Florida. The road acts as a de-facto bypass of Fort Lauderdale and northern coastal Broward County, Florida, extending north from a junction of Interstate 75 , Interstate 595 , and SR 84 in Sunrise, to Coral Springs before heading...
to be called University Parkway would have snaked around western suburbs of Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Boynton Beach. Its path would have bordered the Loxahatchee National Wildlife RefugeLoxahatchee National Wildlife RefugeThe 147,392 acre Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge includes the most northern remnant of the historic Everglades wetland ecosystem...
, turning east and terminating at Flavor Pict Road west of Boynton Beach. The other expressway was to run east-west, connecting downtown West Palm Beach with the western communities of WellingtonWellington, FloridaWellington is a village in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. As of 2006, the village had a population of 55,584 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wellington is part of the South Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Royal Palm Beach, and The AcreageThe Acreage, FloridaThe Acreage is an unincorporated community located in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, with a 2010 US Census Bureau population count of 38,704. It is located in the areas north of Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves, and is approximately northwest of West Palm Beach. Most of the...
. There were two proposed corridors: the first (and most desired by county commissioners) ran between Belvedere Road and Okeechobee Boulevard, displacing several homes and churches along its path. The second proposed corridor ran north of Okeechobee Boulevard and aligned with Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard. When community opposition to the aforementioned routes escalated, county officials offered to transform Southern BoulevardFlorida State Road 80Florida State Road 80 is a route linking US 41 in Fort Myers and Florida State Road A1A in Palm Beach. The road is the northernmost of three linking Southwest Florida to South Florida via the Everglades...
into a full expressway to avoid displacing any residences. All proposed expressways were eventually scrapped. More than a decade after shelving those expressway plans, Southern Boulevard was converted into a partial east–west expressway from I-95 to SR 7.
- In addition, it has been previously proposed to extend the Airport Expressway west toward the Turnpike extension using the Northwest 36th Street corridor. However, the plan was never followed through with and it is now highly unlikely that such an extension will be built do to the heavy development of DoralDoral-Business:* Doral , a brand of cigarette from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company* Doral Financial Corporation, a financial institution located in Puerto Rico* Doral, a brand of quazepam, a benzodiazepine medicine that is used to treat insomnia...
. Nevertheless, the stretch of Northwest 36th Street between the Curtiss Parkway and Northwest 67th Avenue includes a four-to-three lane service road. With the proper modifications, such a freeway could be constructed using that right-of-way.
Tampa Bay Area
In the 1970s, there were plans for several freeways in the Tampa Bay areaTampa Bay Area
The Tampa Bay Area is the region of west central Florida adjacent to Tampa Bay. Definitions of the region vary. It is often considered equivalent to the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau currently...
, but most were cancelled by 1982. The high cost of acquiring right of way in this densely populated area, as well as community opposition were the key factors in canceling most of these freeways. Instead, planners decided to widen existing roads.
- Belcher Freeway: 10.6 miles (17.1 km), This freeway is a casualty of the high cost of acquiring the wide girth of land needed to build it. U.S. Route 19 had traffic backups as far back as 1965, and the Belcher Freeway was considered in a Greiner Inc., study that year. While public reception was positive, the freeway was cancelled in May 1978 as traffic projections without that link would have not made it cost effective or useful to construct. To compensate, U.S. Route 19 was upgraded to a freeway in the area.
- Brandon Bypass: This expressway would have served as an alternative bypass route to Florida State Road 60 in BrandonBrandon, FloridaBrandon is a census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 103,483.-Founding:...
. It would connected at the eastern end of the Southern Crosstown Expressway, passing to the south of Brandon, ending at an interchange with State Road 60 east of Brandon. By 1984 when city planners were ready to build the expressway, the area's population exploded, with high land prices and community opposition leading to its cancellation and instead widening State Road 60 in Brandon.
- Clearwater North Freeway: 4 miles (6.4 km), This proposed freeway would have connected downtown ClearwaterClearwater, FloridaClearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
with US 19 and points north, and it never made it to design or planning.
- Dale Mabry HighwayDale Mabry HighwayDale Mabry Highway is a north–south road in Tampa, Florida. The majority of its length consists of three lanes each direction plus a central turn-lane and often includes a right-turn lane. It begins at the MacDill Air Force Base entrance in South Tampa and ends by merging with US 41 just...
Upgrade: Dale Mabry Highway was planned to be upgraded to an expressway north of the cancelled Northtown Expressway to near Lutz. The upgrades were only applied to a couple of intersections due to community oppositions on most of the road.
- Florida State Road 694A: 3.6 miles (5.8 km), This freeway would have run from 137th St to SR 595 and connected the proposed east-west Gandy Freeway directly with the beaches. It was cancelled by 1972, and never brought to public attention.
- Gandy Freeway: 12.6 miles (20.3 km), The Gandy Freeway would have connected with the proposed connection to the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway in Tampa, and provided a route due west to the beaches in Pinellas CountyPinellas County, FloridaPinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
on an upgraded Gandy Boulevard. The low likelihood of the Hillsborough County portion being constructed, and of increasing urbanization of Pinellas ParkPinellas Park, FloridaPinellas Park is a city located in central Pinellas County, Florida. The population was 45,658 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 47,166 . The city was founded by Philadelphia publisher, F. A...
led to this freeway's cancellation in 1979. Remains of this freeway can be seen in the Gandy Blvd. interchange at I-275, the separated grade diamond interchange at US 19 with Gandy Blvd as limited access, and of the very wide Right-of-Way preserved along Gandy Blvd. east of I-275.
- Hillsborough Bay Causeway: The freeway would have started near MacDill Air Force BaseMacDill Air Force BaseMacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida...
, heading southeast, crossing Tampa Bay to the U.S. 41 corridor in southern Hillsborough County, also doubling as a barrier against hurricanes for Tampa. It was cancelled due to lack of growth in southern Hillsborough County and the fact that shipping would have been blocked by the bridge.
- Northwest Hillsborough ExpresswayNorthwest Hillsborough ExpresswayThe Northwest Hillsborough Expressway and its present-day counterpart, the East-West Road, in Tampa, Florida, have been the subject of heavy controversy since their beginnings in the 1980s...
: In the 1970s, an expressway crossing through northern Hillsborough CountyHillsborough County, FloridaAs of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
was proposed, but by the 1980s, many of these communities, especially LutzLutz, FloridaLutz is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 19,344 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Lutz is located at ....
have opposed the road going through their towns. Eventually, the project was broken into two sections, Veterans Expressway which has since been built and the Lutz Freeway, now known as the East-West Road, which continues to create controversy in local politics.
- Pinellas Belt Expressway: 7.4 miles (11.9 km), The Pinellas Belt Expressway, or beltway, was actually budgeted in 1974 for construction in the 1979 fiscal year but intense community opposition stopped the freeway from progressing. Construction would have disrupted retail outlets along Tyrone Blvd and US 19 AltU.S. Route 19 Alternate (St. Petersburg, Florida)Alternate U.S. Route 19 is the former section of U.S. Route 19 from St. Petersburg, Florida to Holiday.Beginning at the intersection of 4th Street N Alternate U.S. Route 19 is the former section of U.S. Route 19 from St. Petersburg, Florida to Holiday.Beginning at the intersection of 4th Street N...
, and Right-of-Way acquisition would have been too expensive because of the neighborhoods it would have traversed. The full freeway interchange at US 19 Alt and SR 666Florida State Road 666State Road 666 is a short Florida State Road in Pinellas County. Locally known as Tom Stuart Causeway, it crosses a lagoon from Seminole to Madeira Beach. The bridge has 11 spans, the longest span is in the middle, where the boats go across. It is called a bascule bridge, carrying 4 lanes of SR 666...
in SeminoleSeminole, FloridaSeminole is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,890 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 19,195. St. Petersburg College has a campus in the city.-Geography:...
is all that remains of this Belt Expressway.
- St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, FloridaSt. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
–ClearwaterClearwater, FloridaClearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
Expressway: 20.2 miles (32.5 km), This freeway was the highest profile of all planned in the county, and would have been built as an interstate with mostly federal funds. It would have provided a route directly from downtown St. Petersburg to downtown Clearwater and would have replaced much of US 19 through the Pinellas CountyPinellas County, FloridaPinellas County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its county seat is Clearwater, Florida, and its largest city is St. Petersburg. This county is contained entirely within the telephone area code 727, except for some sections of Oldsmar, which have the area code 813...
. Land acquisition would have been easy as most of the route was railroad right-of-way. The freeway was officially cancelled on May 12, 1978, because new federal guidelines for interstates indicated that any approved route going forward would have to be 10 miles (16.1 km) or less in length, and be a 'final link' in the interstate system as a whole, instead of a new road. Attention after that cancellation began to turn towards upgrading US 19 instead. The former railroad line is used as a bike/pedestrian trail, known as the Pinellas TrailPinellas TrailThe Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail is a pathway in Pinellas County in the U.S. state of Florida. It stretches from Tarpon Springs in the north to St. Petersburg in the south, passing through the towns of Crystal Beach, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Largo, Seminole, Bay Pines, South Pasadena and...
.
- South Hillsborough Parkway: Planned as early as 1972 to anticipate growth along the U.S. Route 41 corridor, the road was to relieve traffic from somewhere in southern Hillsborough County north to the current Interstate 4Interstate 4Interstate 4 is a intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida . It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small...
. However, the local swampy landscape didn't allow for much growth and I-75Interstate 75 in FloridaInterstate 75 is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from Hialeah, Florida, a few miles northwest of Miami to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan...
's presence served as a reliever in U.S. Route 41's place, canceling the Parkway by 1987.
- State Road 60 Freeway Upgrade: 6 miles (9.7 km), SR 60 is a busy, retail-loaded east/west route in Clearwater. Legions of tourists from the north and east use it as their primary route to Clearwater Beach and due to its high traffic, it was proposed to be upgraded to a freeway. Local merchants and residents were against this upgrade, and instead SR 60 instead was widened, and an arterial bypass of downtown Clearwater was constructed. The freeway was dropped from records in May 1975.
- Sunset Point Freeway: 7.2 miles (11.6 km), The Sunset Point Freeway was never seriously considered, with the upgrading of SR 60 to a freeway being favored at the time, although traffic studies in the early 1970s indicated that Drew St., a major east-west road in downtown Clearwater, would need a reliever freeway route by 1990. The Sunset Point freeway never made it to the design or planning stage.
- Tampa Bay Crosstown Expressway SystemTampa Bay Crosstown Expressway SystemThe Lee Roy Selmon Expressway originated from an expressway system called the Tampa Bay Crosstown Expressway System. The expressways were planned during the 1950s, '60s and '70s...
: This was a system of expressways proposed to span the entire Tampa Bay area, but most of it was eventually cancelled. The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway is the successor of the South Crosstown Expressway.
- Ulmerton Expressway: 8 miles (12.9 km), The Ulmerton Expressway would have upgraded Ulmerton Road from I-275 westward to an expressway, and was to have provided an important link for east-west traffic through LargoLargo, FloridaLargo is the third largest city in Pinellas County, Florida, USA and is part of the Tampa Bay Area. Centrally located, it is the crossroads of the county. As of the 2000 census, the City had a total population of 69,371. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was...
. Land acquisition would have been extremely expensive, erasing the practicality of building the freeway and it was cancelled by 1976. All that remains of this freeway plan is Ulmerton Road's very wide Right-of-Way, preserved by the state for the freeway when Ulmerton Road was expanded in the early 1970s. Long term widening of Ulmerton Road using the extended Right-of-Way to expand from 4 lanes to 6 lanes was recently completed in 2009.