Turnpike vs. I-95???

[RanCan]

First time in Florida.....We are flying in to Miami (Great price) on a Friday afternoon around 3PM. We are going to rent a car and drive to Cape Canaveral to spend the night before our cruise. Which highway is quicker to take and do the toll stations on the turnpike dramatically slow down the traffic? Or is it pretty smooth. What else do I need to know? Thanks for your help!!!!

 

[WDWsnooper]

I-95 can be crazy like the 405 in CA. I grew up in NYC and my husband in Boston. Since living in the Dakotas, we've lost our sense of humor when it comes to large trucks and high traffic, so we prefer the toll roads. Just like in CA, the toll roads in FL have less traffic and are a much nicer drive. If you have an automatic toll box (Like SunPass) on your windshield, check to see if it will work in FL--if so, take it along.
-snooper

 

[Forever42]

I live in Orlando, and my inlaws live in West Palm, so my husband / I have come across this many times - and we always, always take I-95.

There's rarely any traffic unless there's an accident (and that can happen anywhere), and over the years my husband has found that there's no time difference between the turnpike and I-95 - only a $20 difference in tolls, which we don't see a reason to take!

Doesn't the turnpike go up the middle of the state so it is going away from Canaveral? I would think I-95 would be the most direct.

This too - the turnpike hits I-4/408/429 in Orlando itself, which then would be another hour back out to the coast. I-95 will lead you right to the Cape.

 

[Bobbybear68]

Doesn't the turnpike go up the middle of the state so it is going away from Canaveral? I would think I-95 would be the most direct.

 

[stingfancb]

If it were me - I would take the turnpike as far as the Fort Pierce exit. Then get off and get on 95. The turnpike will save you time and headaches through South Florida and at Fort Pierce the turnpike and 95 are close together. It's after that point that the turnpike goes through the center of the state and 95 along the coast. You definitely want 95 from that point on.

 

[Capt_BJ]

OK - if I got this right, you are arriving at MIA at 3pm Friday, renting a car and driving to Canaveral...200 miles.

As the crow flies, not that bad of a drive. But let's face it you are gonna hit Miami northbound trraffic about 5pm.....ugh.....

That's not a fun time to hit the highway in Miami. A few years ago I worked in Doral, west of the airport near the turnpike. I was glad I lived south cuz the northbound turnpike traffic was much worse than the southbound.

I'd map it both ways and get listening to traffic reports as soon as possible. By the time you have your car (everything is off-site in Miami, you'll take a shuttle) you should have an idea which route is moving better. Note, for most car rental places the route to 95 is going to be marked...the route to the turnpike possibly not. Most are east of the airport and signage is going to lead you to SR836. East on 836 will take you to 95, west to the turnpike.

Next point, if you do choose the turnpike you only want to take it as far as Ft Pierce cuz that's where it begins to cross westerly towards Orlando. Somewhere along here you'll want to cross to 95 to stay coastal to Canaveral. There are places where 95 and the turnpike are literally side by side.... Jupiter is a good place to cross over

Last point, if you choose the turnpike, as someone mentioned a Sunpass can really speed you thru toll booths. Last I checked FL was not well connected to other state systems so your CA one probably won't help. But, some rental comp's are now renting FL Sunpass ....they just add the tolls you ring up to your bill. May want to look into that.

 

[hoop4321]

i vote 95. Even with Sunpass the turnpike will be very slow at 4pm through 6pm.

 

[patita71]

We take the Turnpike upto Jupiter, which is where there is a connection to I-95. We find I-95 a little too hectic and prefer the smoother drive on the Turnpike. Also, we find more traffic/congestion in the West Palm section of I-95.
Hope this helps!

 

[RanCan]

Thanks for the responses....

It seems to be a split decision. Good points were made by all of you. Wish I wasn't still confused. I guess all things being equal, I-95 would be better because of the tolls on the turnpike. But, are things really equal??? The money really doesn't mean too much.....We want the quickest route!!!!

 

[JimB.]

We want the quickest route!!!!

If toll $$ is no object, then I would recommend taking the Florida (now Ronald Reagan) Turnpike north to Fort Pierce, then hopping over to I-95 To the SR 528 exit.

SR 528 (aka the Beachline Expressway) takes you straight to Port Canaveral, & when crossing the bridge over the Indian River, you can see the ship from about 5 miles away.