What are the Toll Roads Near Miami and How Do They Work?

When was the last time you drove through Miami? Have you had experience with Miami toll roads before but you’re not really sure if things have changed? Or maybe you’ve never driven through Miami and had to deal with toll roads before. Either way, we’re going to take a little closer look at what you need to know to get around Miami as easily as possible. 

The Basics of Understanding Toll Roads

First, we’re going to take a look at just what toll roads are. These are specific roads in the area that you have to pay a fee in order to drive on. In some parts of the country you pay a toll to enter a specific section of road. Because the toll prices Miami has are based on things like the distance you’re going, however, you’ll actually pay as you’re leaving certain sections. 

If you have a SunPass with a card on file you’ll go through the SunPass lanes and keep moving. If you have cash you’ll go through the attendant lanes. This can be more complicated and can slow you down when you’re traveling because you have to get in line and make sure you have cash. In some areas you might need to make sure you have exact change because there is a booth you have to pay for but no actual attendant. 

Another possibility is that you’ll have to ‘pay-by-plate,’ which means you’ll go under the sensor and your plate will be scanned and a bill will be sent to your house instead. If you’re traveling, it could take a while before you see all of those bills, but make sure that you keep track and you pay them, because you could even have your license suspended if not. 

No matter how you pay, you’ll pay a toll based on the size of your vehicle and the specific distance you’ve gone. The further you go on a toll road the more you’ll pay. 

Where Are the Toll Roads?

Okay, so now you’re aware of what toll roads are, and you’ve checked out a luxury car for rent, but you want to know how to get around Miami as easily as possible. And that means knowing where the toll roads are. 

There are actually a lot of toll roads in the area around Miami. These include:

• Florida’s Turnpike
• Polk Parkway
• Card Sound Bridge
• First Coast Expressway
• Alligator Alley
• I-4 Connector
• Florida 924
• Florida 869
• Florida 836
• Florida 878
• Central Florida GreeneWay
• MidPoint Memorial Bridge

Each of these offers access to slightly different parts of Miami or areas outside of Miami if you’re looking to travel to other parts of Florida. For many, it’s important to know where the toll roads are, even if you know that you’re going to have to drive through them anyway. It lets you be prepared. 

Some of these sections of road are large, like Florida’s Turnpike, which covers 309 miles from the northwest to the southeast. Others, however, are short, like the Card Sound Bridge, which provides access to and from the Florida Keys. 

Keep in mind that some of these may be avoidable, while others are generally not. For example, the Card Sound Bridge is one of only two ways that you can enter or leave the Florida Keys. 

Preparing for Toll Roads

If you’re planning a trip to Miami, what’s the best thing you can do about toll roads? They’re put in place to make sure that people who drive to certain locations are helping to support the infrastructure it takes to get there. That includes things like upkeep on the roads themselves. 

It also means that unless you’re looking to go quite far out of your way it’s unlikely you’ll be able to avoid those toll roads in Miami, Florida entirely. Some areas of the city are going to be nearly impossible to access without paying tolls. And others are just going to take you a whole lot more time and effort to get there without paying tolls. That’s because the most direct route is usually going to take you through at least one toll road. 

If you want to be prepared, the best thing that you can do is get a SunPass, which makes it quick and easy to go through all of the different toll checkpoints and pay any of the tolls that you come across along the way. 

What is a SunPass?

SunPass is a device that you install into your vehicle that interacts with the sensors at all toll checkpoints. You install the device according to the instructions (which generally means up at the high point of the windshield of your vehicle) and then you set up a credit card on file so that when you pass through a toll checkpoint it automatically charges the amount of that particular toll to your credit card (or deducts it from an account balance if you have one set up).

The SunPass makes things a whole lot easier for those who are looking to travel through Miami and other parts of Florida because you don’t need to worry about digging out cash when you get to a checkpoint. You’re able to drive straight through a specialized lane without even stopping. 

If you’re traveling through Florida with your own vehicle you can get a SunPass for yourself, even if you don’t live in the area. It can be useful in other parts of the country as well that might use the same system. And it’s available to anyone who needs it, no matter how long or short a time you might need it. 

If you rent a car, however, often it will come with a SunPass already installed. For example, if you rent from RealCar.Miami you’ll have everything you need to make the toll process easier. And you can get an account set up much easier. 

Setting Up Your Car Rental

For anyone looking to travel to Miami you want to make sure you’re ready for everything. Getting a car rental in Miami airport, as soon as you arrive, is one way to make sure that you are. When you’re ready to pick out your next vehicle for a trip, go to the RealCar Miami website and see what you can find. You’ll be surprised at all the great vehicles, and especially luxury vehicles, that can make your next vacation even better.