Closed toll lanes on the Suncoast Parkway are slowing down traffic, and some drivers want to know why.
The orange barrels have marked the express lanes at the Oak Hammock toll plaza as off-limits. Kittey Azbell wrote to say that she's frustrated by how long those lanes have been closed.
"Every week when we go through, there are cars with yellow flashing lights driving in the closed Sunpass lanes," she wrote. "What's going on? How long before the Sunpass lane is open?"
Florida Turnpike spokesperson Christa Deeson says that what's happening in that lane is going to make driving the state's turnpikes better for the future.
"We have to keep testing continually to make sure that all the system is upgraded and that we're collecting accurate information before we charge your account for your toll," she said.
So what's been created in that lane is a test track. The state used to have an actual test track in St. Petersburg, but when that land was leased, that testing was moved to the Suncoast Parkway.
As for when that lane will be opened? The short answer is: it won't.
"We currently have no plans to reopen the open road tolling lanes at Oak Hammock," Deeson said.
However, there is some good news. The entire Suncoast Parkway will convert to electronic tolls, making for a faster ride. That should be complete in three to four years.