Interstate 75 begins its northerly journey at an interchange with State Road 924 and State Road 826 in Hialeah, a suburb of Miami. After intersections with Interstate 595 and the Florida's Turnpike, the interstate leaves the Miami metropolitan area and turns westward to travel along Alligator Alley, which brings the freeway to the Gulf Coast and Naples, where it again heads north. Passing through Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, and Sarasota, Interstate 75 encounters a series of construction projects that will increase the lane count from two lanes in each direction to three. The freeway enters the Tampa Bay metropolitan area after an interchange with Interstate 275 northbound, which handles St. Petersburg-bound traffic. Within the Tampa metro are two more major junctions: One with Interstate 4 and another as Interstate 275 traffic defaults back onto northbound. The freeway proceeds to enter rural portions of Pasco, Hernando, and Sumter counties on its way to Ocala and Gainesville. At Lake City, transcontinental Interstate 10 meets Interstate 75, providing access to Tallahassee and Jacksonville; and a few miles later, the interstate exit the sunshine state into southern Georgia.