[G-fused]

I'll be driving from Orlando to West Palm Beach on a Wednesday afternoon in mid April. Leaving Orlando at 1ish. Then driving back on a Friday morning from West Palm Beach to Orlando, leaving WPB at 10am ish.

Is it better to take I95 or the Turnpike? I hear the Turnpike is more expensive due to tolls but is better due to traffic but for that time of day, does it make a difference. I will not be in a hurry but am not fond of lots of traffic either.

Thanks.

[kbtoy7891]

Turnpike. Much easier drive.

Brightline if you can. But if you MUST drive, Turnpike 100% of the times.

[Ghaati]

Leaving Orlando on Florida's Turnpike at 1ish will be a bit of a drag from Orlando to around halfway to the Canoe Creek rest area. Not horrible, but not optimal. If you could leave between 10-11 it'd be infinitely easier. Traffic from Canoe Creek to West Palm on the Turnpike is usually a breeze. And from West Palm to Orlando starting out at 10ish should be a much better ride than I-95, which is a bear 24/7/365.

[G-fused]

Originally Posted by kbtoy7891

Turnpike. Much easier drive.

Originally Posted by Ghaati

Leaving Orlando on Florida's Turnpike at 1ish will be a bit of a drag from Orlando to around halfway to the Canoe Creek rest area. Not horrible, but not optimal. If you could leave between 10-11 it'd be infinitely easier. Traffic from Canoe Creek to West Palm on the Turnpike is usually a breeze. And from West Palm to Orlando starting out at 10ish should be a much better ride than I-95, which is a bear 24/7/365.

Is it worth the cost? If I don't have a Sunpass, it appears to be about $17. So there and back, an extra $34. I'm a cheap mofo! lol.

[kbtoy7891]

You might end up burning more than $34 worth of gas (and wasting a bunch of time) sitting in traffic on I-95... And you might lose some of your sanity.
I think it's absolutely worth it.
You don't need a Sunpass -- Toll-by-plate. Although you might want to get a cheap $5 one for the trip, as I believe you'll save that back from the discounted fares.

[Ghaati]

Originally Posted by kbtoy7891

You might end up burning more than $34 worth of gas (and wasting a bunch of time) sitting in traffic on I-95... And you might lose some of your sanity.
I think it's absolutely worth it.
You don't need a Sunpass -- Toll-by-plate. Although you might want to get a cheap $5 one for the trip, as I believe you'll save that back from the discounted fares.

Toll-by-plate is more expensive. It's cheaper to get the sticker (as opposed to the removable transponder).

[wizrap]

I routinely drive from Gainesville to Fort Lauderdale to see clients, about 3, 4 times a year.

The easy choice if you’re looking to save money obviously is to take I-95. On the way down, because of the time you’re leaving Orlando, you will start to hit heavy traffic just north of WPB (the Port St. Lucie/Jupiter/Palm Beach Gardens exits) no matter if you take the interstate or the turnpike. However, on returning, no matter which route, you’ll miss the heavier noon traffic in South Florida and you’ll be passing exits to smaller cities (Port St. Lucie, Vero, etc.) which generally have less congestion than WPB.

The problem with both routes is that if there’s a bad accident on either highway, you’ll get diverted to the other route. So if FHP has to close down the turnpike, you’ll get routed off to I-95. And vice versa. I-95 has some advantages because it has more exits so you can get off potentially sooner than the turnpike. The turnpike has fewer exits so you could be stuck for an hour or more while it’s shut down, since it’s more difficult to be rerouted (don’t ask me how I know).

You didn’t say, but where’s your destination in WPB? If it’s out west, closer to the Turnpike, then I say pay the bucks and take the Turnpike, both arriving and departing—unless you’re a glutton for punishment and like experiencing South Florida stop-and-go traffic and long lights that turn from yellow to red just as you approach an intersection. And you’ll be approaching WPB at peak rush hour traffic so after driving down on I-95 and then heading west (if that’s where you’re headed) you’ll be in the middle of awful congestion. And the closer to 11 am/noon you leave WPB, the greater your chances are that you’ll be stuck in lunch hour traffic.

I let my final destination dictate my route, and I do have the Turnpike sticker. I take I-75 to the Turnpike just north of Orlando near The Villages, and then take the Ft. Pierce exit where it joins I-95 if I’m staying in east Fort Lauderdale, and just take the Turnpike all the way down if I’m staying out west. Also, Apple and/or google maps can be your friend and alert you to accidents and congestion so you can be re-routed.

Good luck, and safe travels.

[Arcenal813]

Another question is... Where in Orlando will you be leaving from?
If you take I-95, which way are you taking to get there?

Anyway... I'm down in Weston fairly often. From Downtown Orlando, it's Turnpike there and back. ~80mph, cruise control, roughly 3 hours. Every now and then, there are issues in Kissimmee, but aside from that, it's normally a breeze, seldom adjusting my speed for anything.

[wizrap]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

Another question is... Where in Orlando will you be leaving from?
If you take I-95, which way are you taking to get there?

Anyway... I'm down in Weston fairly often. From Downtown Orlando, it's Turnpike there and back. ~80mph, cruise control, roughly 3 hours. Every now and then, there are issues in Kissimmee, but aside from that, it's normally a breeze, seldom adjusting my speed for anything.

Yes, that’s also a good question. I based myself in Weston when I was in South Florida last week, and took the turnpike to the Sawgrass. Although having many exits can be an advantage if there’s an accident on I-95, it can also be a disadvantage too. More opportunities for drivers trying to merge, and depending on their attention and skill, can cause a lot of breaking and weaving. I find driving the turnpike is generally more pleasurable.

[G-fused]

Originally Posted by wizrap

You didn’t say, but where’s your destination in WPB? If it’s out west, closer to the Turnpike, then I say pay the bucks and take the Turnpike, both arriving and departing

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

Another question is... Where in Orlando will you be leaving from?
If you take I-95, which way are you taking to get there?

Originally Posted by wizrap

Yes, that’s also a good question.

Thanks all.

Leaving from MCO airport (car rental) and going to the Golden Lakes Village Community. Same for the way back.