WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Cruising down Florida's Turnpike, motorists will soon be able to pull into a service plaza for a fill-up, a cup of coffee and to check their e-mail.

Unlike the fuel and java, the wireless Internet service will be free.

The state Department of Transportation is planning to roll out a project by the end of the year to create 50 to 60 Wi-Fi hotspots at turnpike plazas, welcome centers and rest stops and truck weigh stations on Interstate 95 and other major highways.

DOT officials are negotiating an agreement with Coach Connect, an Austin, Texas-based company that provides a similar service in Oregon and Washington and at recreational vehicle parks across the country. There will be no cost to the state. Coach Connect will make its money off advertising, DOT spokesman Dick Kane said.

''This is for the traveling motorist who pulls into a rest area and needs to get on the Internet to check hotel reservations,'' said Randy Pierce, telecommunications administrator for DOT's intelligent transportation office. ''There's a host of things people are doing with laptops, PDAs and cellphones.''

One thing they won't be doing is watching pornography. Firewalls will be built into the system to block access to such Internet sites, Pierce said.

The high-tech system will include 40-inch plasma screen panels at rest areas and weigh stations that will display travel information on construction road closures and lane-blocking crashes as well as weather reports, amber alerts and public service messages.

As a test program, the state may install Internet-capable computers at selected sites for travelers who do not have their own wireless devices.