The AARoads Blog

The Crosstown Connector, an elevated toll road that will link Interstate 4 with the parallel Florida Toll 618 (Leroy Selmon Crosstown Expressway) and the Port of Tampa, is under construction presently. With work starting on March 1, 2010, major progress is underway with flyovers nearing completion above both the I-4 mainline and the Crosstown. The tentative completion date is set for late 2013. We passed through the north end of the $400 million project yesterday and took these photographs:

The main flyovers at the north end join Interstate 4 east from the left-hand side with the Connector southbound and the Connector northbound with the left-hand side of Interstate 4 west.

The toll gantry appears above the future Connector mainline viaduct in this southward scene from Interstate 4 east. All tolls will be collected electronically using the Sunpass or toll by plate tolling.

Stubs exist at the north ends of the Crosstown Connector mainline.

A left-hand ramp will depart from Interstate 4 in this westbound scene for the Crosstown Connector southbound.

Traffic from the Connector northbound will join Interstate 4 west after the CSX Railroad under crossing.

The first segment of the first phase of the Mid-Bay Bridge connector (Toll Florida 293) opened to traffic on May 12 from the existing toll plaza at the north end of the bridge across Choctawhatchee Bay to Florida 20. The second portion of Phase I will open later this summer and will dump local traffic onto Range Road east of Niceville. The following photos were taken May 13 by ABRoads.

Toll Florida 293 north (from U.S. 98 to Florida 20):

Florida 293 begins its ascent northward from U.S. 98 in the eastern portion of Destin. It begins as a six-lane arterial, but quickly loses lanes to become a two lane corridor by the time it reaches the Mid-Bay bridge over Choctawhatchee Bay. This reassurance marker is the only one in the entire northwest region that displays the orange outline of Florida, often seen on other toll facilities in other parts of the state.

Currently, motorists pay a $3.00 toll for the Mid-Bay bridge crossing. The toll plaza is just over 5-miles away along the north shore of Choctawhatchee Bay. The traffic signal in the background allows access to the commercial centers that align either side of Florida 293.

A quick progress report on two local projects, the Florida 85/Florida 123 interchange improvements and the Mid-Bay Bridge connector, part of the Toll Florida 293 bypass around Niceville. The Florida 85/Florida 123 project is slated to be done by summer of 2012 while the Mid-Bay Bridge connector will be completed in stages over the next three years, with a portion of the first phase opening this Thursday, as posted in today’s edition of the Northwest Florida Daily News…

Map of Niceville showing the under construction and proposed alignment of the extension of Toll Florida 293 around the eastern and northern portions of the city. The toll route will eventually end at a trumpet interchange with Florida 85 about a mile north of College Drive.

Future Florida 85/Florida 123 Interchange improvements:

A guide sign with an older style Florida 123 shield lets motorists know of the impending departure. Since a lot of traffic (regular and military) uses Florida 123 as a short-cut to get to Florida 85 northwest of Niceville, a well extended three-quarters of a mile left-turn lane exists to allow motorists the necessary room to queue for the turn. During peak hours in the afternoon this extended turn lane often fills quickly, and at times past capacity.

Northbound traffic along Florida 85 continues through a static green signal while traffic departing for Florida 123 north must wait for their phase of movement. The wait here can often get long during the afternoon peak as commuters leave from the Fort Walton Beach and Eglin areas heading toward Crestview and beyond. The abutments and pier of future Florida 123 north are in place awaiting the installation of the beams.

The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority is making moves toward a 25 cent toll increase at all 14 toll plazas and most toll ramp facilities in the greater Orlando area. The OOCEA covers about 105 miles of toll roads in the central Florida region such as Toll Florida 408, 417, 429 and the newly partially opened Toll Florida 414. Some motorists are against this type of increase and have already suggested that if indeed the tolls are raised, they will begin to take the more congested routes, such as Interstate 4 and Colonial Drive. The OOCEA stated that they have no choice since their revenues and ridership have fallen consistantly for the last 11 months, which according to them is unprecedented in the agency’s history. It has also been suggested that the increase could bring in more than $40 million annually. This increase could help pay for projects such as the extension of Toll Florida 414 west of Toll Florida 429, construction of the 25 mile Wekiva Parkway, the proposed limited access toll facility connecting the proposed 414/429 with Interstate 4 near Sanford, among a few other projects. Read here for more information on this story.

So that means for all those motorists who are currently using the 25 cent toll ramps, beginning in April you will start paying double. To some that may not seem like much but when you break it down quarter by quarter it starts adding up real quick, especially if you use the toll roads everyday. That also means motorists on expressways such as the Beachline (Toll Florida 528) are going to get screwed as well as a portion of that facility is also maintained by the OOCEA, more specifically the portion that runs directly north of the Orlando International Airport. I imagine even more motorists will avoid that specific toll plaza (as it can be done and I purposely have done it many times). Not that I took the toll roads much, but if I did need to get across town in a hurry and didn’t feel like using the congested arterials or Interstate 4, I would use them.

So, once again, thanks to this wonderful recession that we are currently in, an agency of the government gets to pass the buck onto you.

Yep, so glad I don’t live there anymore…

Today I took a little jaunt up and over to US 331 to see if by chance I could find any remaining colored shields along the route. Alas, as previously told to me, none were found. Along my journey today though, I found an oddity.  I stumbled across a reassurance shield assembly located in Florala, Alabama for Alabama 55 and Florida 85, just south of the intersection with US 331.

Reassurance assembly for both Alabama 55 and Florida 85 just south of the intersection with US 331 in Florala, Alabama

I believe that the ‘SOUTH’ banner for Florida 85 should instead be a trailblazer showing ‘TO’ Florida 85, but never the less, it is signed as if it is actually cosigned along with Alabama 55 heading south into Florida. So, for all intents and purposes according to the signage, Florida 85 begins its 57 mile trek toward Fort Walton Beach at the intersection with US 331 in downtown Florala, not at the state line. It is cosigned with Alabama 55 south to the state line where the Alabama state designation ends, though there is no ‘END’ shield assembly, and continues on into Florida. This is, though, another good example of an erroneous sign error made by DOT’s and sign companies across the country. Way to go ALDOT.

Just some road news from the Navarre neck of the woods…

U.S. 98 to Change

December 19, 2008

Several safety upgrades to U.S. 98 at Mustang and Coral streets in Navarre, will be made in the new year, according to the Santa Rosa County Engineering Department.

Santa Rosa County spokeswoman Joy Tsubooka said Improvements include closing the median opening on U.S. 98 at Mustang Street; removing the U.S. 98 westbound left-turn lane at Mustang Street; construction of a new paved median opening on U.S. 98 at Coral Street; and construction of an eastbound left-turn lane on U.S. 98 at Coral Street.

Construction is scheduled to begin Jan. 5 and is anticipated to be completed in about 30 days, Tsubooka said.

The improvements on U.S. 98 are safety upgrades recommended in the U.S. Highway 98 Corridor Management Report and are part of a planned Santa Rosa County project to install a traffic signal on U.S. 98 at Coral Street in late spring or early summer.

http://www.pnj.com/article/20081219/NEWS01/81219021

By the way, this will be the third traffic light installed since moving here in the middle of November.   So much for having just a few traffic lights in the area…

Well, the masterminds over at Google Maps have done it again. Upon going on Google Maps on Monday night, it was discovered that one of their features, Street View, has been drastically modified. First off, Street View can now take up your entire screen, whereas the previous version displayed it in a pop-up window. Second, there is now more extensive coverage, especially in rural areas in the southeast. So, one might think, wow, this is great news! Thanks, Google!

Photo from Google Maps, copyrighted 2008

Well, from a roadgeek’s standpoint (meaning mine) this is NOT great news. Now thanks to the enhanced Street View, one can virtually go on road trips without ever leaving the comfort of their own home. So you want to take some back roads over in the Tallahassee area, well, just go on the PC or laptop, go to Google Maps, find your area, drag the little Street View icon onto the road you want, and away you go!

I personally feel that this enhanced mapping product is going to be the end all to end all for some roadgeeks out there. For some, no, but for others who are not as inclined to jump in a car and take a trip due to the current state of the economy, yes. They will no longer have to spend money on gas to take a road trip. Nope, they can go just about anywhere from their living room. For any roadgeeks in Florida they no longer have to drive endlessly trying to find that one last colored U.S. Highway shield or that Key shield. With just a couple of clicks and pans with the mouse, you can check out most intersections in Florida now and see if those rare but cherished road markers are in place.

Granted, there are still some flaws with Street View, such as the resolution in some areas, the age of the photography used (most is still at least a year behind, if not more), the fact that they travel east in the morning and west in the evening so the sun is in full view and you can’t see anything of importance, the problem areas where the road numbers and road names are STILL incorrect, and the fact that they still do not have Street View in all areas, but the Google guys are probably working hard to resolve those issues.

Needless to say, it’s my personal belief that Google Maps is well on its way, if not already there, to replacing the exploration and fun in roadding. When one sits at the computer and virtually roads where ever they want, you lose that aspect of maybe finding some rare piece of road history or that rare sign that should no longer exist when you can go online and see it before actually field checking. I understand some may not agree with me on this and may feel that this updated Street View on Google Maps is yet another tool in the roadding tool belt, and that is fine. I do agree that it could be, but I strongly feel that it is NOT an end all to end all. But for me personally, I still love the aspect of actually getting in my car, driving somewhere and stumbling across some rare colored Florida U.S. Highway shield or that old alignment alongside a new roadbed.

As I said, this is my personal opinion, so any comments on this are suggested and welcomed by my fellow roadgeeks.

There has been renewed interest in expediting the widening of the final stretch of Pine Island Road (SR 78) in Cape Coral, Florida. State representative Gary Aubuchon plans to reintroduce a bill during next springs legislative session that would allow the city of Cape Coral to proceed with construction of the remaining piece of two lane road lies between the Burnt Store Road/Veterans Memorial Parkway intersection and Chiquita Boulevard intersection. Bonds would be issued for up to 30 years to help pay for the estimated $60 million project and would be backed by increased property taxes from commercial development along the road. The city would then be repaid by the state when state funding became available for the project.

This portion of Pine Island Road desperately needs to be four laned as it is a major hurricane evacuation route for those on Pine Island as well as those in the northwest portion of the Cape. Currently, there is no state money to fund the construction until after 2014. But if Aubuchon’s bill passes next spring construction can begin in 18 months to two years.

This is not the first time this particular project has been on a bill to be fast tracked. It was part of a bill that was vetoed in June 2008 by Governor Charlie Crist. But Aubuchon sees no such problems with next years bill.

Most Cape city officials are in favor of this bond as it will pave the way for future development on the final untouched stretch of Pine Island Road. Current plans for commercial development along this stretch include a Super Wal-Mart and a million square foot shopping mall, both of which have been in the plans for several years but are contingent on the widening of this particular stretch of Pine Island Road.

To go along with the “Possible Insect Swarms” sign on Florida 417, we present to you two other finds from today:

Both of these signs are located along Florida 70 (one per direction) in Okeechobee County.

I’ve always wondered if the Turnpike should be extended northwest to US 19/98.  While I’ve heard rumors that it has been considered in the past, I’ve never seen or heard much to substantiate it other than “possibly maybe long-term”.  I also do not have any traffic statistics or projections, but the few times I’ve driven on US 19/98 through the Big Bend I’ve noted the road was a fast 4-lane without much traffic on it.  S.R. 44 was recently 4-laned from Crystal River to Wildwood (I-75) as well, which could relieve some pressure on other roads.  US 27 Alt from Ocala to US 19/98 in Chiefland is another highway that doesn’t have much to say either. 

The real beast is I-75, which is becoming very congested and dangerous.  Perhaps the reason why US 19/98 doesn’t have much traffic is because of the way to get there.  Both SR 44 and US 27 Alt have towns to pass through (Bronson, Willison, Inverness, etc.), which to most people is a hassle that they want to avoid completely.  Would a Turnpike extension to the Lebanon area clear some traffic away from I-75 now or in 20 years?  Also consider hurricane evacuations.  What about a Turnpike extension to Tallahassee?  That’s probably not viable now, but just how wide can I-75 be, and how much of that is long distance traffic?