Alligator Alley

From Freepedia

For other uses, see Alligator Alley (disambiguation).

Alligator Alley (also Everglades Parkway) is a nickname for that section of Interstate 75 (Florida State Route 93) that runs from Naples on the west coast of Florida to Weston on the east. Much of the highway traverses the Everglades.

It was originally built as a two-lane toll road connecting the two coasts of Florida, and was later connected to Interstate 75 as an east-west continuation of the highway, which otherwise ran north and south. It is still a toll road. Before that time, Alligator Alley was signed as SR 84; the ends that were not redesignated I-75 still retain the SR 84 signage.

Between 1986 and 1992 it was widened to four lanes, with many bridges designed to let water and wildlife pass underneath. This helped to reduce the environmental impact of the highway somewhat, especially upon the severely endangered Florida panther subspecies of the puma.

The name was given by the American Automobile Association during planning; they believed it would be a useless road, an "alley for alligators".

Also, alligators often frequent the waterways beside the road, giving the road nickname a somewhat literal meaning.