After Exit 49, Junction Broward County Route 833/Miccosukee Indian Reservation/Big Cypress Indian Reservation, Interstate 75 almost immediately enters Collier County (right around Milepost 50), leaving Broward County. Interstate 75 will remain four-lane, divided freeway, but there are no services on the freeway until Exit 101, Junction Collier County Route 951/Collier Boulevard and Florida 84/Davis Boulevard. Interstate 75 continues due west toward Naples. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Upon entering Collier County, Interstate 75 also enters the Big Cypress National Preserve. Interstate 75 is one of a rare group of Interstate highways that enter National Parks/Monuments. Others include Interstate 94 (Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota) and Interstate 15 (Mojave National Preserve in California). Photo taken 12/28/03.
The first exit along northbound (westbound) Interstate 75/Everglades Parkway/Alligator Alley within Collier County is Exit 80, Junction Florida 29. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Florida 29 extends north to Immokalee and La Belle before merging with U.S. 27 near Palmdale (northwest of Clewiston and west of Lake Okeechobee). Florida 29 extends south to meet U.S. 41/Florida 90 four miles west of Ochopee, and it ends at that intersection. Collier County Route 29 continues south from there, connecting Everglades City and Chokoloskee to the state highway system. Use Florida 29 south to access swamp attractions, including the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, and Everglades National Park. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Twenty-one miles west of the Florida 29 interchange (Exit 80), northbound (westbound) Interstate 75 reaches its next interchange, which connects Interstate 75 with Collier County Route 951 south to Marco Island, Florida 84 west to Naples, and Collier County Route 951 north to Golden Gate. Florida 84 is no longer silently merged with Interstate 75/Florida 93 after Exit 101. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Northbound Interstate 95 reaches Exit 101, Junction Collier County Route 951/Collier Boulevard and Florida 84/Davis Boulevard. Collier County Route 951 is a major north-south expressway that originates as a state highway in Marco Island, then changes into a county route upon reaching U.S. 41 southeast of Naples. From there, Collier County Route 951 continues north as a divided highway with four to six lanes. It passes Florida 84 and Interstate 75 within a quarter mile of each other, and it then continues north to Golden Gate and ultimately Collier County Route 846. Use Collier County Route 846 east to reach Immokalee and a junction with Florida 29. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along northbound Interstate 75 is Exit 107, Junction Collier County Route 896 to Naples and Golden Gate, five miles after the Collier County Route 951 interchange (Exit 101). However, plans call for a new interchange to be constructed at Golden Gate Parkway approximately midway between these two points. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Northbound Interstate 75 changes direction from westbound to northbound between Exits 101 and 107. The freeway retains only two lanes in each direction, which can get congested during commuting hours and during peak tourist seasons. Southwest Florida is well-known as a winter and spring vacation destination, so the period between Thanksgiving and Easter are generally the busiest times of the year in this part of the state. While there are a good number of retirees living in this region and tourism is a major economic driver, the Naples economy is well diversified with a variety of other sectors driving the economy. Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along northbound Interstate 75 is Exit 107, Junction Collier County Route 896/Pine Ridge Road. Use Pine Ridge Road east to Collier County Route 951/Collier Boulevard and west to North Naples (with connections to Collier County Route 31/Airport-Pulling Road and U.S. 41/Tamiami Trail). Unlike the section of Interstate 75 between Hialeah and Weston, the stretch of Interstate 75 around Naples mostly avoids the city. At the time the freeway was completed in the early 1980s, there was limited suburban development along the Interstate 75 corridor. Today that has changed, and more businesses and residences have relocated to spots closer to the freeway. This is even more evident a bit further north in Lee County. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Northbound Interstate 75 reaches Exit 107, Junction Collier County Route 896/Pine Ridge Road. The ramp exits to a traffic signal at the base of the offramp, with connections to eastbound (to Golden Gate and Immokalee) and westbound (to North Naples and Vanderbilt Beach). Photo taken 12/28/03.
The next exit along northbound is Exit 111 (former Exit 17), Junction Collier County Route 846/Immokalee Road. Use Collier County Route 846 east to Immokalee and west to Naples Park and Vanderbilt Beach. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park is located at the western terminus of the county route, after it crosses onto a barrier island north of Vanderbilt Beach. Photo taken 12/28/03.
Northbound Interstate 75 reaches Exit 111, Junction Collier County Route 846/Immokalee Road. This is the last exit in Collier County; the next exit along northbound is in Lee County. Photo taken 12/28/03.
