Alligator Alley
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Alligator Alley (also Everglades Parkway) is a nickname for that section of Interstate 75 that runs from Naples on the west coast of Florida to near Fort Lauderdale on the east. Much of the highway traverses the Everglades. It was originally built as a two-lane highway connecting the two coasts of Florida, and was later connected to Interstate 75 as an east-west continuation of the highway, which otherwise ran north and south. Before that time, Alligator Alley was signed as SR 84. Between 1986 and 1992 it was widened to four lanes, with many bridges designed to let water and wildlife pass underneath. This helped to reduce the environmental impact of the highway somewhat, especially upon the severely endangered Puma.
The name was given by the American Automobile Association during planning; they believed it would be a useless road, an "alley for alligators".
Also, alligators often frequent the waterways beside the road, giving the road nickname a somewhat literal meaning.
"Alligator Alley" is a grade 2/3 band piece by Michael Daugherty. It is available from Hal Leonard [1] (http://halleonard.com/item_detail.jsp?itemid=4002160).
"Alligator Alley" is also a song by the musician Keller Williams.
See also the Britt Nichols movie Alligator Alley (2000).