Governor Ron DeSantis highlights more than $20 billion in investments to widen Florida’s Turnpike and improve travel conditions
Orlando, Florida – Florida is moving forward with a major expansion of the state’s Turnpike Mainline as officials highlight more than $20 billion in transportation investments aimed at increasing road capacity, reducing congestion and improving travel conditions along one of the state’s most important highways.
Governor Ron DeSantis recently highlighted the ongoing work, which covers the entire 320-mile Turnpike Mainline from South Florida through Central Florida and north to Interstate 75 in Wildwood. The long-term plan calls for every section of the Mainline to be expanded to six or more lanes.
When the full project is completed, the widening is expected to add more than 965 lane miles of capacity across the Turnpike. The state says the additional lanes are intended to help ease congestion and make travel more reliable for the millions of people who use the highway, as well as for the freight traffic that depends on the route.
“As Florida has grown, we have made major investments in our transportation infrastructure to reduce congestion and improve our roadways,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We’ve made significant investments in expanding lane capacity to relieve congestion all along the Turnpike. Today, I announced an additional investment to improve 19 restaurants and retail locations across six Turnpike service plazas. We will keep working to ensure that our roadways are safer, more convenient, and better-maintained than ever before.”
The Turnpike widening program is currently about 55 percent complete. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, 384 lane miles have been added across the broader Florida’s Turnpike System under DeSantis’ administration, including 179 lane miles along the Turnpike Mainline.
The work is taking place in several parts of the state. Major projects in Central and South Florida are designed not only to provide additional lanes but also to improve travel reliability on some of Florida’s busiest transportation corridors.
Among the recent projects is the widening between State Road 50 in Clermont and Hancock Road in Minneola, which was completed in June 2026. Another major project, covering the section between the Dolphin Expressway, or State Road 836, and N.W. 106th Street in Miami-Dade County, was completed in February 2024.
More work has already reached another important milestone in Miami-Dade County. The next section, stretching from N.W. 106th Street to I-75, recently opened to traffic, giving motorists access to the newly expanded portion of the route.
The state is also putting money into the areas where drivers stop along the Turnpike. Nearly $8.5 million is being invested in new food concepts, amenities and customer-service improvements at six Turnpike service plazas.
The upgrades include improvements to 19 restaurant and retail locations. Travelers will see renovated areas featuring new or refreshed options from vendors including Jimmy John’s, Zaxby’s, Vending Oasis and Villa Pizza.
For motorists traveling long distances, service plazas can be an important part of the trip. The improvements are intended to give travelers more choices and more comfortable places to stop while using the Turnpike.
FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue also pointed to the broader role transportation infrastructure plays in the state.
“Transportation plays a direct role in the quality of life of Floridians, connecting people to jobs, opportunities, and the communities they call home,” said FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “The Turnpike System is a vital part of this, which is why we’ve made significant investments to continue expanding the Mainline.”
Truck drivers are another major focus of the Turnpike improvements. FDOT is investing $53.8 million to expand and improve nearly 150 truck parking spaces at the Turkey Lake and Ocoee Service Plazas.
The additional parking is intended to provide commercial drivers with more safe and reliable locations to stop, eat and rest. State officials also connect the project to Florida’s broader supply chain, which relies heavily on truck transportation to move goods throughout the state.
The combination of highway widening, service-plaza improvements and additional truck parking represents a broad effort to upgrade different parts of the Turnpike system at the same time. While the Mainline expansion remains the largest component, the state is also addressing the day-to-day needs of motorists and commercial drivers who use the highway.
With the Mainline widening more than halfway complete, additional sections are expected to continue moving forward as Florida works toward expanding the full 320-mile route. The state says the overall goal is to provide more capacity, reduce traffic delays and improve the experience for people traveling across Florida.
More information about the Turnpike and its ongoing projects is available through Florida’s Turnpike.
