NEWS BRIEFS
2010-July-13, Florida, I-75 Credit Card scam in Alachua area.
Police in Alachua Co. are warning motorists that credit card skimmers have been found attached to some area gas pumps. These illegal devices steal credit card information and transmit it to thieves using Bluetooth technology.
Please inspect any gas pump card reader you use before inserting your credit card. Report anything suspicious involving to the attendant.
2010-July-12, Florida, I-75 Pasco Co. Rest Area closes for rennovation.
I-75 northbound and southbound rest areas at mile marker 278 (near Wesley Chapel) are closing for a major $25 million renovation. Re-opening is scheduled for the Spring, 2011.
2010-Jan-1, Georgia, "Super Speeder" law goes into effect.
Today, Georgia's "Super Speeder" (a stupid name in my opinion since "super" tends to glorify the offence) goes into effect. Anybody caught driving 85 mph or over on I-75 (and other Georgia interstates) will be fined an extra $200. Many do drive at this excessive speed and state officials expect to raise more than $20 million in fines.
2009-Dec-23, Florida, I-75 southbound construction completed in Lee and Collier Counties.
FDOT has completed the southbound construction between Exit 107 (Naples) and exit 123 (Estero), expanding the expressway to three lanes on the southbound side. I-75 is now 3 lanes in both directions through Lee and Collier counties.
2009-Dec-17, Georgia, Northbound rest area closed.
The rest area on Georgia's northbound I-75 at mile marker 45 (Cook County) will close on Thursday, December 17, to re-open eight months later in late July, 2010.
2009-Dec-2, Florida, I-95 in Miami/Dade: New Express lanes open.
Drivers southbound on I-95 should be aware that new restricted express lanes will be opened on December 2nd, starting near exit 26 (Davie Blvd) and running down to exit 3 (north of the MacArthur Causeway). These High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes are separated from the regular I-95 lanes by bright orange poles and are intended for long distance drivers; the stretch has very few exits. If you accidentally enter the express lanes, you must stay in them until you can safely exit. For more information, visit the 95Express website.
2009-Nov-24, Ambassador Bridge, Detroit: Owner files law suit against MDOT.
Canadians using the Ambassador Bridge will need to continue using the short detour to reach I-75 south (see "Along I-75," page 47) for the foreseeable future. Today, the company owning the Bridge launched a lawsuit against Michgan DOT for not opening I-75 ramp access to and from the Bridge on time. See News Item dated October 22, 2009, for further information.
2009-Nov-23, I-75, Dayton: I-75/I-70 Interchange construction finally completed.
Today, Ohio's Governor Strickland officially opened the new $145 million interchange of these two major interstates, naming it the Freedom Veterans Crossroads. Work on the project started seven years ago.
2009-Nov-20, I-75, Florida: Northbound I-75 north of Naples now 3 lanes.
FDOT announced that construction which commenced in 2007 has now been completed between Exit 107 (Naples) and exit 123 (Estero), expanding the expressway to three lanes on the northbound side. The southbound construction is planned for completion in mid-December.
2009-Nov-15, Perry, Georgia: I-75 Traffic Enforcement Crackdown.
Georgia's Houston County (I-75 between mile markers 152 and 123) has launched a 90 day strict traffic enforcement crackdown with 85 rolling law enforcement units known as the Thunder Taskforce. Focus is on speeders, impaired driver and those not wearing seatbelts.
2009-Nov-7, Chattanooga, Tennessee: Construction end in sight.
Tennessee DOT recently announced that the construction in this area is months ahead of schedule and expect all project activity to be completed by mid-summer, 2010.
2009-Oct-30: Ontario Driving Licence renewals.
Due to strike action, some Ontario drivers may have been unable to renew their expiring driving licences. Expired licences affected by this have been automatically extended by regulation.
Although the Ontario Government has notified U.S. jurisdictions of this extention, some U.S. law enforcement officers may not be aware of the situation. Thanks to the Canadian Snowbird Association, arrangements have been made to download a letter from the Ministry of Transportation. Please click on this link for more information and to obtain a copy of the letter to carry in your vehicle while traveling in the USA.
2009-Oct-22, Detroit: The imminent opening of I-75 ramps to and from the Ambassador Bridge has been delayed by contract disputes.
This is sad news for Canadian "snowbirds" who have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the new ramps leading directly to and from I-75 and the Ambassador Bridge plaza for several years. Although scheduled to open in mid-November the openings have been delayed indefinitely due to a contract dispute between Michigan Dept. of Transport (MDOT), and the Bridge's owner, the Detroit International Bridge Company (DIBC).
According to news reports, DIBC has refused to construct its portion of the project in accordance with the design agreed upon by DIBC and MDOT. This plan had the approval of the city of Detroit and Federal Highway Administration, with consultation with U.S. Customs and Homeland Security. Both parties had entered into several contracts that identified the various structures, roads, and ramps which each party would construct to directly connect the Ambassador Bridge to the interstate. While MDOT honored these agreements, DIBC has not. This situation has made it impossible for MDOT to open the new ramps.
MDOT is currently pursuing a remedy in the County Court system to hopefully resolve this problem. Until the court acts, or DIBC decides to honor its agreements, the ramps cannot be opened to traffic traveling to or from Canada.
In the meantime, Florida-bound traffic should use the short detour map and driving directions found on page 47 of "Along I-75". The detour is well marked and adds about 4 minutes to your journey from the bridge to an I-75 southbound ramp.
Traffic returning to the Bridge will find the exit ramp from northbound I-75 well marked.
The "snowbird" ramps affected by this dispute are:
- The local and northbound I-75 ramp to the Ambassador Bridge Plaza (used by homebound Canadian snowbirds).
- The eastbound I-96 and southbound I-75 ramp to the Ambassador Bridge Plaza (used by Florida-bound Canadian snowbirds).
2009-Oct-15, New Ohio I-75 exit opens.
The orange barrels disappeared from this area today and the new Liberty Way Interchange opened to traffic, using the SR129 Michael J. Fox exit 24 ramps. I-75 access to Liberty Way will open a new area for exit services, to be developed in the next few years.
2009-Oct-2, New Florida I-10 exit opens.
The five mile Cecil Commerce Center Parkway just west of Jacksonville, opened today.
TN-Knoxville-Confusing construction road signs on I-75.
Those roadside signs located on I-75 north and south of Knoxville, referring to construction on I-40, have now been removed. The I-40 construction (which affected traffic driving on I-40 into the Knoxville downtown area, not I-75) has been completed.
TN-Jellico (mile 161)-Welcome Center.
Tennessee has reopened its newly completed southbound welcome center, on the site of the old one which was demolished several years ago.
FL-Various-Red Light Cameras.
Florida cities continue to roll-out cameras at its stop lights as many have done over the summer. This is a very controversial issue since strangely, these cameras are illegal under current Florida legislation and a number of legal challenges are before the courts. In the meantime, cities using these devices are mailing tickets to vehicle owners (who are not necessarily the drivers) of $125 for the first two offences and $250 for subsequent ones.
FL-St. Augustine (I-95, exit 318)-Prime Outlet Mall.
This fall, shoppers at St. Augustine’s Prime Outlets will discover new additions including Dooney & Bourke, Escada, Talbots, Journeys, Body Central, Red Brick Pizza and Hershey’s Ice Cream.
