Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from State Road 826 (SR 826, Palmetto Expressway) and SR 924 (Gratigny Parkway) on the Hialeah– Miami Lakes border (northwest of Miami, Florida) to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Canadian border. It is the second-longest north–south Interstate Highway (after I-95) and the seventh-longest Interstate Highway overall. I-75 passes through six different states. The highway runs the length of the Florida peninsula from the Miami area and up the Gulf Coast through

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

. Farther north in Georgia, I-75 continues on through Macon and Atlanta before running through

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

and Knoxville and the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee. I-75 crosses Kentucky, passing through Lexington before crossing the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

into Cincinnati, Ohio. In Ohio, the highway runs up the western side through Dayton and Lima before crossing into Michigan north of

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

. I-75 runs northeasterly along the Lake Erie shoreline and Detroit River into the city of Detroit before turning northwesterly and northward to the Mackinac Bridge where the freeway crosses the strait between Lakes Huron and Michigan. Farther north, I-75 approaches the Canadian border at Sault Ste. Marie, downriver from Lake Superior, from its origins near the subtropical Atlantic Ocean.

Route description

, - , FL , , 470.88 , , 757.81 , - , GA , , 355.11 , , 571.49 , - , TN , , 161.86 , , 260.49 , - , KY , , 191.78 , , 308.64 , - , OH , , 211.30 , , 340.05 , - , MI , , 395.54 , , 636.56 , - , Total , , 1786.47 , , 2875.04

Florida

I-75 starts at an interchange with SR 924 and SR 826 on the Hialeah– Miami Lakes border in suburban Miami. After an intersection with the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike and an interchange with I-595 and the Sawgrass Expressway (SR 869), the Interstate leaves the

Miami metropolitan area The Miami metropolitan area (also known as Greater Miami, the Tri-County Area, South Florida, or the Gold Coast) is the ninth largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the 34th largest metropolitan area in the world with a ...

and turns westward to travel through the

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical climate, tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orland ...

along the tolled Alligator Alley, which brings the highway to the Gulf Coast and Naples, where it again heads north. Passing through

Bonita Springs (beautiful), eng, beautiful springs , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Bonita_Beach.JPG , imagesize = 250x200px , image_caption = Bonita Beach , image_flag ...

, Fort Myers, and Sarasota, I-75 is six lanes all the way to Georgia. The freeway enters the Tampa Bay area before the interchange with I-275 northbound, which handles St. Petersburg-bound traffic. Within the Tampa metro are three more major junctions: one with the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway which carries traffic into

Downtown Tampa Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area. It is second only to Westshore regarding employment in the area. Companies with a major presence downtown ...

, one with I-4 (a

turbine interchange In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, using ...

) which carries traffic across the center of the state to the

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

, and another as I-275 traffic defaults back onto northbound. The freeway proceeds to enter suburban portions of Pasco, Hernando, and Sumter counties on its way to Ocala and Gainesville. At

Lake City, Florida Lake City is a city in northern Florida. It is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 12,329. It is the principal city of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which ...

I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

, intersects with I-75. Afterward, the northmost stretch of I-75 in Florida exits the Sunshine State into southern Georgia.

Georgia

I-75 (unsigned State Route 401 R 401within Georgia) enters Georgia near Lake Park, and it continues northward through the towns of Valdosta,

Tifton Tifton is a city in Tift County, Georgia, United States. The population was 17,045 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Tift County. The area's public schools are administered by the Tift County School District. Abraham Baldwin Ag ...

, and

Cordele Cordele is a city in and the county seat of Crisp County, Georgia, Crisp County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 11,147 at the 2010 census. Cordele calls itself the Watermelon Capital of the World. History Cord ...

until it reaches the Macon area, where it intersects with

I-16 I16 may refer to: * Interstate 16, an interstate highway in the U.S. state of Georgia * Polikarpov I-16, a Soviet fighter aircraft introduced in the 1930s * Halland Regiment * , a Japanese Type C submarine * i16, a name for the 16-bit signed integ ...

eastbound toward I-75's route. After Macon, it passes the small town of

Forsyth Forsyth may refer to: Places Oceania * Forsyth Island, Queensland, Australia, one of the West Wellesley Islands (aka Forsyth Islands) * Forsyth Island, Tasmania, Australia * Forsyth Island (New Zealand), in the outer Marlborough Sounds of South Isl ...

. The freeway reaches no major junctions again until in the

Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ...

. The first metropolitan freeway met is

I-675 Interstate 675 may refer to: *Interstate 675 (Georgia), a connection south of Atlanta, Georgia *Interstate 675 (Michigan), a loop through Saginaw, Michigan *Interstate 675 (Ohio) Interstate 675 (I-675) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in t ...

, then followed by I-285, Atlanta's only beltway dubbed as the Perimeter Beltway. It crosses inside the I-285 beltway and heads north several miles toward Downtown Atlanta. I-75 then runs concurrently with I-85 due north over the Downtown Connector through the central business district of Atlanta, where it intersects with

I-20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...

. The areas where I-85 and I-75 run concurrently are some of the most traffic-prone Interstate Highways in the nation. After the two Interstates split, I-75 diverts from I-85 and heads toward the northwest suburbs of Atlanta, with the major cities being

Marietta Marietta may refer to: Places in the United States *Marietta, Jacksonville, Florida *Marietta, Georgia, the largest US city named Marietta *Marietta, Illinois *Marietta, Indiana *Marietta, Kansas *Marietta, Minnesota *Marietta, Mississippi *Mar ...

and Kennesaw that it bypasses. To the northwest of Marietta, the highway runs concurrently with

I-575 Interstate 575 (I-575) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the United States, which branches off I-75 in Kennesaw and connects the Atlanta metropolitan area with the North Georgia mountains, extending . I-575 is also the unsigned State R ...

. After the interchange with I-575, the highway leaves the Atlanta metro area and traverses the Blue Ridge Mountains in the north Georgia region as it heads toward Chattanooga.

Tennessee

The freeway enters Tennessee directly in the Chattanooga metropolitan area, where it intersects with I-24. Exiting

to the northeast, I-75 passes through an area known for dense fog. Twelve people were killed and 42 were injured in a 1990 I-75 fog disaster on that stretch of I-75 in heavy fog on December 11, 1990. I-75 does not meet any other freeways until it overlaps I-40 near Farragut and heads eastbound. Together, they enter the outskirts of Knoxville, where I-75 overlaps itself with a different road, this time

I-640 Interstate 640 (I-640) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee. It serves as a bypass for I-40 around Downtown Knoxville and is also an alternative route for traffic passing between I-40 and I-75. All trucks ...

, but only for a short time. When the two meet I-275, I-75 encounters some of its highest points of elevation through the Cumberland Mountains, cutting through the uppermost peaks and ridges.

Kentucky

I-75 continues northbound through the hilly terrain of the Cumberland Plateau region of Kentucky, passing through London and Richmond and eventually reaching Lexington, where it briefly runs concurrently with I-64 before splitting off in the direction of Georgetown. Afterward, the route heads in the direction of Ohio. Near Walton, I-71 runs concurrently with I-75 for the next or so and heads toward Cincinnati. The two concurrent Interstates then make an interchange with I-275, the Cincinnati beltway. After passing through

Covington Covington may refer to: People * Covington (surname) Places United Kingdom * Covington, Cambridgeshire * Covington, South Lanarkshire United States * Covington, Georgia * Covington, Indiana * Covington, Kentucky, the largest American cit ...

, the I-71/I-75 highway traverses the

via the lower level of the Brent Spence Bridge and continues into Downtown Cincinnati.

Ohio

Immediately after entering Cincinnati, I-75 diverges from I-71, remaining generally due north through the Cincinnati metro area while I-71 curves more to the east and northeast through downtown Cincinnati and its surrounding suburbs. I-74, Ohio State Route 562, and

Ohio State Route 126 State Route 126 (SR 126) is a state route starting at the Ohio-Indiana border, at a split with State Route 129 near Scipio, Ohio, and ending east of Cincinnati at an intersection with U.S. Route 50 in Milford. State Route 126 is locally known fo ...

all intersect the freeway as it makes its way northward. After another interchange with the I-275 beltway, the freeway continues within the metro area, passing through Middletown and heading toward Dayton, where

, I-70, and U.S. Route 35 have interchanges with I-75. The interchange of I-75 with I-70 is known as the Freedom Veterans Crossroads. After exiting the city of Dayton, I-75 makes its way northbound through Ohio, passing through smaller cities of Troy, Wapakoneta, Lima, Findlay and Bowling Green before finally reaching

located on the western shore of Lake Erie and the border of Michigan. I-75 meets the I-475 interchange in the southern suburbs of Toledo in Perrysburg and then I-80,

I-90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

, and the Ohio Turnpike. As the interstate highway passes through downtown Toledo, I-475 meets with I-75 again just north of the downtown area of Toledo. It then continues through some industrial areas as it progresses north before approaching I-280, which is the last major junction in Ohio. I-75 then passes by the Lake Erie neighborhoods of Shoreland and Point Place, just before entering the US state of Michigan with the sign welcoming motorists to Michigan.

Michigan

Upon entering Michigan, I-75 follows the northwestern shore of Lake Erie, passing through the residential neighborhoods of Toledo and Luna Pier until about Monroe in which it then heads northeast to enter Detroit. The freeway makes an interchange with I-275 in northern Monroe County. On a further note, it does not meet with any major junctions until in

Downtown Detroit Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Locally, downtown tends to refer to the 1.4 square mile region bordered by M-10 (Lodge Freeway) to the west, Interstate 75 ( ...

. Once near downtown, I-75 meets several interchanges: an interchange that leads into Canada via the Ambassador Bridge (international bridge border crossing) to Windsor, Ontario; an interchange with I-375; I-94; I-96; M-10; M-8.

I-696 Interstate 696 (I-696) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Metro Detroit region of the US state of Michigan. The state trunkline highway is also known as the Walter P. Reuther Freeway, named for the prominent auto industr ...

also intersects I-75 in the northern metro area. When the freeway reaches Pontiac, there is a junction with M-59 and in Flint further northward. It meets I-475 and I-69 and overlaps U.S. Route 23 (US 23). The Interstate then heads north toward Saginaw where

acts as a

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...

into the city. Further north in Bay City, US 10 provides access to

Midland Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, Nagal ...

as well as downtown Bay City. When it nears Standish, US 23 diverts from I-75 to Lake Huron, where it heads further north. The last major interchange in the state of Michigan before it crosses the international border into Canada is at 4 Mile Road just south of

Grayling Grayling or Greyling may refer to: Animals Fish * Grayling, generically, any fish of the genus ''Thymallus'' in the family Salmonidae ** European grayling (''Thymallus thymallus''), the European species of the genus ''Thymallus'' ** Arctic grayli ...

where US 127 ends with traffic merging onto northbound I-75 and southbound taking drivers through the center of the state. At Mackinaw City, I-75 makes an interchange with US 31 and US 23 before crossing the Mackinac Bridge to reach the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I-75 is the only Interstate located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and it continues until it crosses the Canadian border via the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge.

History

This limited access highway that was planned in the 1950s roughly follows the general route of many older at-grade highways, including US 2, US 27, US 25, and US 41, among others. Some of these older US Highways (several of which are still in existence) previously had replaced the eastern route of the old Dixie Highway. I-75 was planned to end in Tampa, Florida, in the original plan for of Interstate Highways. However, beginning in the 1960s, there was a huge growth in the population of Southwest Florida ( Sarasota, Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, etc.), hence the need for new highways, especially a north–south freeway, as well as one connecting Florida's Gulf Coast to

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

. At first, Florida state legislators proposed a toll in the new highway, and, by 1968, it was decided that the federal government would pay 90 percent toward the extension of I-75 to southwestern and southeastern Florida. This included subsuming a toll highway from Naples to the Fort Lauderdale area, the Alligator Alley, and furthermore to connect this expressway with I-95 in

North Miami North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, and the North Miami ...

—though due to some local opposition, I-75 presently ends a few miles short of I-95. I-75 was completed in Kentucky in 1970. The last segment in Michigan opened to traffic on November 1, 1973. The last section of I-75 in Tennessee was completed on December 20, 1974. On December 21, 1977, I-75 was completed from Tampa to Sault Ste. Marie with its final segment opening between northern Marietta, Georgia, and Cartersville, Georgia. It was estimated to have cost $3.5 billion in 1977 dollars (equivalent to $ in ) to build the original section. The final stretch of I-75 in South Florida was completed in 1986 in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, and the last stretch to receive the signs for I-75 was the reconstructed (rebuilt and widened) Alligator Alley on November 25, 1992.

Junction list

;Florida : on the Hialeah– Miami Lakes city line : on the Davie– Sunrise- Weston tripoint : in Weston : on the Solana– Cleveland CDP line : in Ellenton : east-northeast of Terra Ceia : in Palm River-Clair Mel : in

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

: on the Lutz– Wesley Chapel CDP line : west-northwest of Ridge Manor : southeast of Ocala : in Ocala : in Alachua : in Ellisville : in Lake City : west-northwest of Five Points : north-northeast of Suwannee Springs ;Georgia : in Valdosta : northwest of Valdosta. The highways travel concurrently to

Hahira Hahira is a city in northwest Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,737 at the 2010 census, up from 1,626 at the 2000 census. Hahira has a mayor-council form of elected government. It is led by Mayor Bruce Cain and the f ...

. : in

: in Tifton : in

: in Unadilla : in Perry : in Perry : southwest of Macon : in Macon : in Macon : in Macon : northwest of Macon : northwest of Bolingbroke : in Stockbridge : west of Morrow : in Forest Park : on the Atlanta– Hapeville city line : in Atlanta. The highways travel concurrently through Atlanta. : in Atlanta : in Atlanta : in Atlanta. End of the concurrency with I-85. : in Atlanta : in Atlanta : in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

: north-northwest of

: in Cartersville : in Resaca : in Dalton : southeast of Ringgold ;Tennessee : in East Ridge : on the East Ridge–

city line : in Chattanooga. The highways travel concurrently to north of Collegedale. : in Cleveland : in Lenoir City : west of Farragut. The highways travel concurrently to Knoxville. : in Knoxville : in Knoxville : in Knoxville. I-75/I-640 travels concurrently through Knoxville. : in Knoxville. The highways travel concurrently through Knoxville. : in Knoxville : in Rocky Top : in Rocky Top. The highways travel concurrently to Caryville. : in Jellico ;Kentucky : in Goldbug : in Corbin : east-southeast of Mount Vernon : in Mount Vernon : in Richmond : south-southeast of Lexington. The highways travel concurrently to Lexington. : in Lexington : in Lexington. The highways travel concurrently through Lexington. : in Lexington : in Georgetown : in Georgetown : in Walton. The highways travel concurrently to Cincinnati, Ohio. : in Florence : in Erlanger : in Fort Mitchell : in

;Ohio : in Cincinnati : in Cincinnati : in Cincinnati. I-75/US 27/US 52 travel concurrently through Cincinnati. : in Cincinnati : in Sharonville : southeast of Miamisburg : in Dayton : in Vandalia : in Vandalia : in Piqua : in Wapakoneta : in Findlay : in Findlay : in Bowling Green : in Perrysburg. I-75/US 23 travels concurrently through Perrysburg. : in Perrysburg : in Rossford : in

: in Toledo : in Toledo ;Michigan : north-northeast of Monroe : in Taylor : in Detroit : in Detroit : in Detroit : on the Ferndale– Hazel Park– Royal Oak– Madison Heights city line : west-northwest of Clarkston : west of

Grand Blanc Grand Blanc is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Flint. The population was 7,784 as of the 2020 US Census. History The unincorporated village of Grand Blanc, or Grumlaw, was a former Indian campground firs ...

: south-southwest of Flint. The highways travel concurrently to southwest of Standish. : in Flint : west of

Beecher Beecher may refer to:__NOTOC__ People *Beecher (surname) Places United States *Beecher, Illinois *Beecher, Michigan, a census-designated place and unincorporated community near Flint *Beecher, Wisconsin, a town *Beecher (community), Wisconsin, an ...

: east of Saginaw : north-northwest of

Zilwaukee Zilwaukee is a city in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 census places the population at 1,534. The city is adjacent to and was created from Zilwaukee Township. It is the home of the Zilwaukee Bridge. History Zilwaukee was ...

: west of Bay City : south of

: north-northeast of Carp Lake : in Mackinaw City : in St. Ignace : Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge at the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie is a cross-border region of Canada and the United States located on St. Marys River, which drains Lake Superior into Lake Huron. Founded as a single settlement in 1668, Sault Ste. Marie was divided in 1817 by the establishment of ...

Auxiliary routes

– St. Petersburg, Florida: I-175, I-275, I-375 *

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

: I-475 * Atlanta, Georgia:

*Suburban spur to Canton, Georgia:

in the Atlanta area * Knoxville, Tennessee: I-275 * Cincinnati, Ohio: I-275 * Dayton, Ohio:

* Toledo, Ohio: I-475 * Detroit, Michigan: I-275, I-375 *

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

: I-475 * Saginaw, Michigan:

References

* * * *

External links

*
Interstate 75
at Michigan Highways

on Cincinnati-Transit.net {{Authority control 75 U.S. Route 10 U.S. Route 31 U.S. Route 25 U.S. Route 2