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Started by FLRoads, January 21, 2009, 12:31:13 AM

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Avalanchez71

Quote from: emory on March 05, 2017, 08:24:51 PM
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on February 28, 2017, 05:49:52 PM
What is the point of connecting Nob Hill Rd to Loxahatchee Rd?  Are there now plans to develop every square inch of property that is not in the conservation areas of Broward County?

From the looks of it, yeah. That land was transferred from Palm Beach to Broward and they're developing the hell out of it.

Quote from: formulanone on February 28, 2017, 07:31:01 PM
I don't think Atlantic Boulevard was ever signed as SR 814 west of US 441, except for the exit signs on Sawgrass Expressway. Recently, the portion east of FL 849, east to A1A was transferred to county maintenance, which has a lot of traffic...seems to be an odd dropping of SR mileage. The straight-line diagram removes the mileage, but the FDOT Key Sheet keeps some of it.

And yet, SR 849 still exists. There's been a Turnpike exit at Atlantic Boulevard since 1994, so I don't get the purpose of keeping that on the system; maybe because it's within unincorporated Pompano Beach?

The straight-line diagram you're referencing only displays the "new" leg of SR 814. The rest of Atlantic Blvd is counted on the old SR 814 mileage sheet, which consists of current CR 912/SR 849/SR 814 east of 849. SR 814 east of Blanche Ely Ave was transferred to city maintenance. They're still keeping the SR 814 signs in place.

The Turnpike exit at Atlantic is a north exit/south entrance only interchange, while the one on SR 849/CR 912 is full access, so I'm more surprised to see Atlantic between SR 849 and US 441 still on the system when it feels like CR 912 should be on the SHS instead.
When did the land swap between Broward and Palm Beach county occur?  Is CR 912 signed at all anywhere?


formulanone

#2276
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on March 16, 2017, 08:02:21 PM
When did the land swap between Broward and Palm Beach county occur?  Is CR 912 signed at all anywhere?

2009, I think.

I don't think CR 912 was ever signed; I want to say they appeared on overheads at US 441, but that was 20-25 years ago. Couldn't have been posted for long, as it was formerly SR 814 until the early-1980s. (There was a brown US 441 sign there until 2004 or so.) The road is a bit narrow, anyhow.

In other useless news, SR 845 has an END sign at SR 808. Usually, END signs aren't very common in the South Florida area, due to relinquished sections and additions that would usually just confuse drivers. 

Edit: miscellaneous updates

- "TOLL" milemarkers on FL 869 up to Powerline Road. This includes the section from SR 849 845 to the Turnpike, which has stoplights along it.

- I-75 North bottlenecks from Turnpike/SR 44 to a point just north of Ocala. Spring Break traffic is no joke.

- Sample Road west of SR 817 is down to one lane in each direction due to median construction and what looks like utility repairs/modification.

- Spotted a blue US 90 shield in great shape and a few keys shields I'd never noticed before, but was driving with kids...no pics.

D-Dey65

Hey, I have to bring this up;

Whenever I take road trips from Florida to New York and back, I always cut through Ocala. And when I come back, I always go west on FL 40 which almost always occurs at night. And no matter what time of the year I make these road trips, there are always these huge parties in the Historic Downtown District, east of US 27-301-441. Does anyone else have any information on them?


emory

Quote from: formulanone on March 17, 2017, 08:26:35 PM
- "TOLL" milemarkers on FL 869 up to Powerline Road. This includes the section from SR 849 to the Turnpike, which has stoplights along it.

Does FTE maintain that stretch of road in addition to the expressway? That's the situation with SR 924 in Dade County where MDX maintains a stretch of conventional highway on Gratigny Road from the last expressway interchange all the way up to SR 9.

1995hoo

Request for routing advice:

This summer I want to go from the Auto Train station in Sanford to a location off Bonaventure Boulevard in Weston. Since I've already taken the I-95 and Turnpike routes, I was debating the following two options and I'm interested in any feedback anyone has:

(1) I-4 (or the 417 Beltway to I-4) down to US-27, then US-27 the whole way to the Weston area.

(2) Turnpike south to Yeehaw Junction, then exit and cut down to Lake Okeechobee, passing by on the east shore of the lake and ultimately connecting to US-27 south of there.

For the trip back to Sanford afterwards we'll either head straight up the Turnpike or we'll go a day early, take I-95, and visit my sister-in-law in Viera en route. Timeliness matters more on the way back due to the need to arrive promptly for the train home. Hence why I'm interested in the options as to the trip down since we'll have no deadline to meet. No clinches will be involved, as the only significant clinch I might manage on this trip would be the Homestead Extension to finish off Florida's Turnpike altogether, and that would only occur if we decide to go down to the Keys at some point.

Thanks in advance.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

slorydn1

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 14, 2017, 10:33:15 PM
Request for routing advice:

This summer I want to go from the Auto Train station in Sanford to a location off Bonaventure Boulevard in Weston. Since I've already taken the I-95 and Turnpike routes, I was debating the following two options and I'm interested in any feedback anyone has:

(1) I-4 (or the 417 Beltway to I-4) down to US-27, then US-27 the whole way to the Weston area.

(2) Turnpike south to Yeehaw Junction, then exit and cut down to Lake Okeechobee, passing by on the east shore of the lake and ultimately connecting to US-27 south of there.

For the trip back to Sanford afterwards we'll either head straight up the Turnpike or we'll go a day early, take I-95, and visit my sister-in-law in Viera en route. Timeliness matters more on the way back due to the need to arrive promptly for the train home. Hence why I'm interested in the options as to the trip down since we'll have no deadline to meet. No clinches will be involved, as the only significant clinch I might manage on this trip would be the Homestead Extension to finish off Florida's Turnpike altogether, and that would only occur if we decide to go down to the Keys at some point.

Thanks in advance.

I am only familiar with the portion of US-27 from I-4 to FL-29 in Palmdale (family in Lehigh Acres) but if the rest of the way is anything like this part I'd say that would be the best bet, even if I-95 or the Tpke were an option for this particular expedition-this coming from a guy that favors freeways should mean something, lol.



Please Note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of any governmental agency, non-governmental agency, quasi-governmental agency or wanna be governmental agency

Counties: Counties Visited

Alex

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 14, 2017, 10:33:15 PM
Request for routing advice:

This summer I want to go from the Auto Train station in Sanford to a location off Bonaventure Boulevard in Weston. Since I've already taken the I-95 and Turnpike routes, I was debating the following two options and I'm interested in any feedback anyone has:

(1) I-4 (or the 417 Beltway to I-4) down to US-27, then US-27 the whole way to the Weston area.

(2) Turnpike south to Yeehaw Junction, then exit and cut down to Lake Okeechobee, passing by on the east shore of the lake and ultimately connecting to US-27 south of there.

For the trip back to Sanford afterwards we'll either head straight up the Turnpike or we'll go a day early, take I-95, and visit my sister-in-law in Viera en route. Timeliness matters more on the way back due to the need to arrive promptly for the train home. Hence why I'm interested in the options as to the trip down since we'll have no deadline to meet. No clinches will be involved, as the only significant clinch I might manage on this trip would be the Homestead Extension to finish off Florida's Turnpike altogether, and that would only occur if we decide to go down to the Keys at some point.

Thanks in advance.

U.S. 27 is significantly developed through the Haines City and Lake Wales vicinity. Several photo cops when I last took it in Haines City too. The highway is more rural south of the split with U.S. 98, and I like any of the routes around Lake Okeechobee. U.S. 27 is all four lanes down there and an interchange was recently added at Florida 80.

U.S. 441 is completely rural from its split with U.S. 192 south to the lake as well. It is only two lanes, but lightly traveled.

1995hoo

Hmmm, thanks. That gives me the idea of maybe stopping in Viera on the way down, then cutting west on 192 to 441. Looks out of the way on the map, but the distance can't be all that far based on the distance across the Bee Line from I-95 en route to Sanford, a drive we've made many times.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Max Rockatansky

On US 441 south there is a handy bypass on FL 715 that gets you around the 45 MPH 90 degree turns that US 441/98 take approaching Belle Glade.  For whatever reason Palm Beach County Sheriff loves to patrol US 441/98 between Belle Glade and Pahokee but they never are on FL 715.  If you are taking US 441 south from US 192 at Holopaw you're in for one quiet drive, there is probably a decent chance you won't see another car until FL 60 at Yee Haw Junction.

formulanone

#2284
US 27 in Glades County is heavily-patrolled, don't go more than five over the speed limit. If you take US 441/98 across to Palm Beach, the twenty-mile section is also a long slog with not much scenery and a strict 65 mph limit. South Bay (where 27 meets SR 80, linking to US 441) has low speed limits, and the local constabulary enforces those 65-55-45-35 limits, so be aware.

FL 17 is a nice diversion from Haines City to Sebring/Avon City. It's two lanes but quite scenic. You'll wish you had brought your RX-7.

There's almost no services between Holopaw and Okeechobee on US 441, and I'd argue 27 is a tad more scenic (also, 27 has more rolling hills). US 27 south of Lake Okeechobee is quite desolate. Going around the big lake is worth the sights...but keep in mind that the lake is walled in by a tall earthen dike. You'll have to find a boat ramp or park to see the actual lake; Canal Point has a nice vista with a huge parking area.

emory

Quote from: formulanone on April 15, 2017, 04:17:41 PM
US 27 in Glades County is heavily-patrolled, don't go more than five over the speed limit. If you take US 441/98 across to Palm Beach, the twenty-mile section is also a long slog with not much scenery and a strict 65 mph limit. South Bay (where 27 meets SR 80, linking to US 441) has low speed limits, and the local constabulary enforces those 65-55-45-35 limits, so be aware.

It'll never happen but since US 98/SR 80 has so many interchanges between US 441 and I-95 I'd be delighted if they converted that whole stretch of road into an expressway.

jwolfer

Quote from: emory on April 15, 2017, 07:12:34 PM
Quote from: formulanone on April 15, 2017, 04:17:41 PM
US 27 in Glades County is heavily-patrolled, don't go more than five over the speed limit. If you take US 441/98 across to Palm Beach, the twenty-mile section is also a long slog with not much scenery and a strict 65 mph limit. South Bay (where 27 meets SR 80, linking to US 441) has low speed limits, and the local constabulary enforces those 65-55-45-35 limits, so be aware.

It'll never happen but since US 98/SR 80 has so many interchanges between US 441 and I-95 I'd be delighted if they converted that whole stretch of road into an expressway.
So many stretches of U.S. highways in Florida that used to be almost freeway  are now choked up with ahopping centers and traffic lights.. If there was some access control back in the day....

LGMS428


jwolfer

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 15, 2017, 09:40:21 AM
Hmmm, thanks. That gives me the idea of maybe stopping in Viera on the way down, then cutting west on 192 to 441. Looks out of the way on the map, but the distance can't be all that far based on the distance across the Bee Line from I-95 en route to Sanford, a drive we've made many times.
SR46 from sanford east to i95 isnt bad either but it is 2 lanes.. Mostly swamp land.

LGMS428


1995hoo

Quote from: jwolfer on April 15, 2017, 07:59:25 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 15, 2017, 09:40:21 AM
Hmmm, thanks. That gives me the idea of maybe stopping in Viera on the way down, then cutting west on 192 to 441. Looks out of the way on the map, but the distance can't be all that far based on the distance across the Bee Line from I-95 en route to Sanford, a drive we've made many times.
SR46 from sanford east to i95 isnt bad either but it is 2 lanes.. Mostly swamp land.

LGMS428



I keep thinking about going that way sometime.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Alex

Quote from: jwolfer on April 15, 2017, 07:57:12 PM
Quote from: emory on April 15, 2017, 07:12:34 PM
Quote from: formulanone on April 15, 2017, 04:17:41 PM
US 27 in Glades County is heavily-patrolled, don't go more than five over the speed limit. If you take US 441/98 across to Palm Beach, the twenty-mile section is also a long slog with not much scenery and a strict 65 mph limit. South Bay (where 27 meets SR 80, linking to US 441) has low speed limits, and the local constabulary enforces those 65-55-45-35 limits, so be aware.

It'll never happen but since US 98/SR 80 has so many interchanges between US 441 and I-95 I'd be delighted if they converted that whole stretch of road into an expressway.
So many stretches of U.S. highways in Florida that used to be almost freeway  are now choked up with ahopping centers and traffic lights.. If there was some access control back in the day....

LGMS428

Last trip down there the sprawl had spread further west of US 98, past Lion Country Safari.

roadman65

#2290
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 15, 2017, 11:05:22 AM
On US 441 south there is a handy bypass on FL 715 that gets you around the 45 MPH 90 degree turns that US 441/98 take approaching Belle Glade.  For whatever reason Palm Beach County Sheriff loves to patrol US 441/98 between Belle Glade and Pahokee but they never are on FL 715.  If you are taking US 441 south from US 192 at Holopaw you're in for one quiet drive, there is probably a decent chance you won't see another car until FL 60 at Yee Haw Junction.
I do not think its patrolled either.  My brother in law used to be a Deputy in Osceola County.  He says that when he was on the force many years ago, cops including FHP did not patrol that road from Holopaw to Yeehaw at all.  SR 60 yes!  Now this is a few years ago so they might of changed tactics but then again its still quite lonely, so I doubt a speed trap would work well as SR 60, with many more cars and lots of semis all going way over the limit.

I doubt anytime soon we will see development in Central and Southern Osceola County.  If anything the US 192 corridor west of Holopaw to Kissimmee is where its at and will be.  The section of the FL Turnpike from St. Cloud to Yeehaw will still have that long exit less gap for years to come except for the Osceola Beltway which may not get built until 2025 or so, but that will still be a long haul south of its proposed interchange with the Turnpike. 

We have some spots of Florida still protected from bureaucrats and developers to enjoy as many other areas like SR 54 in Pasco, thanks to Dick Scott have lost its rural character as well as SR 50 in Lake east of US 27 due to incentives and campaigning out of state to get New York and New Jersey to all move down here and bring more cars and congestion to what is left of rural areas.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

emory

Quote from: jwolfer on April 15, 2017, 07:57:12 PM
Quote from: emory on April 15, 2017, 07:12:34 PM
Quote from: formulanone on April 15, 2017, 04:17:41 PM
US 27 in Glades County is heavily-patrolled, don't go more than five over the speed limit. If you take US 441/98 across to Palm Beach, the twenty-mile section is also a long slog with not much scenery and a strict 65 mph limit. South Bay (where 27 meets SR 80, linking to US 441) has low speed limits, and the local constabulary enforces those 65-55-45-35 limits, so be aware.

It'll never happen but since US 98/SR 80 has so many interchanges between US 441 and I-95 I'd be delighted if they converted that whole stretch of road into an expressway.
So many stretches of U.S. highways in Florida that used to be almost freeway  are now choked up with shopping centers and traffic lights.. If there was some access control back in the day....

LGMS428

They just figure people who want controlled access will use the freeways, except in Palm Beach County there is no east-west freeway connecting the 441 corridor to the I-95 corridor. All expressway plans got canceled, and instead FDOT went halvsies on US 98 converting all major intersections into interchanges, but leaving the remaining traffic lights intact and calling it a day.

Likewise the SR 681 connector near Nokomis was an expressway that linked US 41 to I-75, but in 2015 they began developing on it adding shopping plazas and now the road has two traffic light intersections on it.

roadman65

Developers ruined Florida.   It was okay in the 90's but in the 2000's when it began to escalate and things changed so fast, we never got to catch up and match the highways with the overall added traffic.

We have fallen so far behind we could never catch up now.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Max Rockatansky

#2293
Quote from: roadman65 on April 17, 2017, 07:09:19 AM
Developers ruined Florida.   It was okay in the 90's but in the 2000's when it began to escalate and things changed so fast, we never got to catch up and match the highways with the overall added traffic.

We have fallen so far behind we could never catch up now.

Ironic sentiment, I always thought it was among the best state highway systems on the east coast when I lived there...and that was in the last decade.  There was a couple massive oversights like an outer loop for Tampa which caused so much traffic on roads like FL 589 but as a whole the traffic never seemed near the nightmare level to what I experienced working in Los Angeles and San Diego.  With Miami it always seemed like traffic was dictated by the narrow geographic constraints (I-75 not being completed to I-95 not withstanding) of the terrain not allowing for outward road development out in the Everglades.  I-4 only seemed like an issue in Orlando because people would pile onto it because they didn't want to pay use the tollways that were almost always clear....the street grid is absolutely horrible though.  Jacksonville seems to be constantly improving with I-295 helping greatly and now FL 9B/I-795.   Rural highways almost always were excellent compared to what you'd see in other states; US 19 and US 27 come to mind immediately as full expressways.  Granted I was also spending a substantial amount of time on US 1 in the Keys....that will teach you patience whether you want to learn it or not.

Quote from: roadman65 on April 16, 2017, 01:27:57 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 15, 2017, 11:05:22 AM
On US 441 south there is a handy bypass on FL 715 that gets you around the 45 MPH 90 degree turns that US 441/98 take approaching Belle Glade.  For whatever reason Palm Beach County Sheriff loves to patrol US 441/98 between Belle Glade and Pahokee but they never are on FL 715.  If you are taking US 441 south from US 192 at Holopaw you're in for one quiet drive, there is probably a decent chance you won't see another car until FL 60 at Yee Haw Junction.
I do not think its patrolled either.  My brother in law used to be a Deputy in Osceola County.  He says that when he was on the force many years ago, cops including FHP did not patrol that road from Holopaw to Yeehaw at all.  SR 60 yes!  Now this is a few years ago so they might of changed tactics but then again its still quite lonely, so I doubt a speed trap would work well as SR 60, with many more cars and lots of semis all going way over the limit.

I doubt anytime soon we will see development in Central and Southern Osceola County.  If anything the US 192 corridor west of Holopaw to Kissimmee is where its at and will be.  The section of the FL Turnpike from St. Cloud to Yeehaw will still have that long exit less gap for years to come except for the Osceola Beltway which may not get built until 2025 or so, but that will still be a long haul south of its proposed interchange with the Turnpike. 

We have some spots of Florida still protected from bureaucrats and developers to enjoy as many other areas like SR 54 in Pasco, thanks to Dick Scott have lost its rural character as well as SR 50 in Lake east of US 27 due to incentives and campaigning out of state to get New York and New Jersey to all move down here and bring more cars and congestion to what is left of rural areas.

The biggest issue I always ran into with FL 50 was between the Turnpike west to FL 33 through Clermont  That doesn't so much backup but rather had a ton of traffic lights due to all the little outlets in Clermont.  Usually I would just take the Turnpike up to US 27 and cut through Sumter County to get to CR 48 since it was roughly the same travel time if I was heading to somewhere like Brooksville or Spring Hill...jumping down FL 19 back to 50 wasn't bad either.  FL 54 is roughly in the corridor I described above where Tampa could use an outer beltway, that gets pretty nasty at junction with US 41.  Although using CR 54, US 98, Rockledge Road, and Dean Still Road is a handy shortcut to US 27 to get past the urban slog through Lakeland.

I don't see the urban sprawl really extending southward to much on the Turnpike like you said.  Most of that land on US 441 between Holopaw and Yeehaw Junction is well past its prime due to the railroads pulling out a long time ago.  Really those ranchers aren't too interested in giving up land for developers nor is there enough urban development in any direction to suggest growth any time soon.  I've never once seen FHP or County Sheriff on US 441 or even CR 523 for that matter...always made for a fun and quiet drive home to Orlando...just a shame that CR 15 has gotten so built up lately though.  60 needed help at least to the Turnpike, it dropped out from an expressway way too soon east out of Lake Wales when I lived there.  The traffic was always heavy because it was the most direct route to the Turnpike for Tampa and Lakeland folks. 

roadman65

With CR 15, its all developed from Orlando to St. Cloud.  In fact the Orlando City Limits now extends to the Osceola County Line thanks to Lake Nona and its annexing into Orlando.  The Wawa on the corner of Boggy Creek and CR 15 is in Orlando proper despite it being  several miles from Downtown and across the street from Osceola County.  Yes its no longer that two lane rural road and try to find Narcoossee now among the developments.

Yes FL 60 needs to be six lanes from the Turnpike to near Indian Lake Estates making it full  multi lane highway from coast to coast.  They did install a traffic light at US 441 and SR 60 replacing the four way stop flashers due to traffic volume increases along the state designation.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: roadman65 on April 17, 2017, 10:13:57 PM
With CR 15, its all developed from Orlando to St. Cloud.  In fact the Orlando City Limits now extends to the Osceola County Line thanks to Lake Nona and its annexing into Orlando.  The Wawa on the corner of Boggy Creek and CR 15 is in Orlando proper despite it being  several miles from Downtown and across the street from Osceola County.  Yes its no longer that two lane rural road and try to find Narcoossee now among the developments.

Yes FL 60 needs to be six lanes from the Turnpike to near Indian Lake Estates making it full  multi lane highway from coast to coast.  They did install a traffic light at US 441 and SR 60 replacing the four way stop flashers due to traffic volume increases along the state designation.

They put a WaWa at Boggy Creek Road?...geeze those things were popping all over when I left the city.  I was actually looking at maybe buying a home out on CR 15 before I was transferred out west, the area is super nice but I do miss the old days when it was basically just a back road out of the city.  Before I left FDOT was starting to work on 60 at Yee Haw Junction, good to hear it got fixed up.

Speaking of Narcoossee I managed to snag some photos before the sprawl wiped out any remains that it was once a rural community in the middle of nowhere:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskQbdu9V

Z2 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

roadman65

#2296
Wawas are everywhere!  Even in Lakeland and Tampa, they have sprouted. 

Anyway, nice photo.  Yes its all blended in with the sprawl now if its still there. Pretty soon the sprawl will consume the eastern part of Orange County as that Inovation Way is soon to be developed.  Wegfield to the east is already there so once other sprawl enters the area the many not yet purchased lots along Dallas Boulevard and parallel Bancroft Boulevard will soon be bought.

It surprises me that International Corporate Park did not blossom 30 years ago when it was first built and remained empty for decades as well as Wegfield only taking off in the FL 520 area with the rest of it sparsely developed that also came about in the 80's. 

As far as the other side of FL 528, Lockeed Martin owns a great deal of land to south of it, hence the gate at Exit 24 on the dirt road where Dallas Boulevard ends.  A few miles south on that dirt road (seen in aerials) is a laser testing facility that looks like a runway, but ultra wide at one end and narrow at the other.  I was told be a former employee of them that its not a runway but to test their technology out, so I guess the narrow end is where the laser device is and the wave it back and forth is why the pavement pans outward as it moves away from the start of it.  Anyway, I doubt if they will sell out as the government is paying out a lot to them to invent new warfare material, so that part of Orange County will not fall to rich corporations and real estate people.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: roadman65 on April 18, 2017, 10:18:05 AM
Wawas are everywhere!  Even in Lakeland and Tampa, they have sprouted. 

Anyway, nice photo.  Yes its all blended in with the sprawl now if its still there. Pretty soon the sprawl will consume the eastern part of Orange County as that Inovation Way is soon to be developed.  Wegfield to the east is already there so once other sprawl enters the area the many not yet purchased lots along Dallas Boulevard and parallel Bancroft Boulevard will soon be bought.

It surprises me that International Corporate Park did not blossom 30 years ago when it was first built and remained empty for decades as well as Wegfield only taking off in the FL 520 area with the rest of it sparsely developed that also came about in the 80's. 

As far as the other side of FL 528, Lockeed Martin owns a great deal of land to south of it, hence the gate at Exit 24 on the dirt road where Dallas Boulevard ends.  A few miles south on that dirt road (seen in aerials) is a laser testing facility that looks like a runway, but ultra wide at one end and narrow at the other.  I was told be a former employee of them that its not a runway but to test their technology out, so I guess the narrow end is where the laser device is and the wave it back and forth is why the pavement pans outward as it moves away from the start of it.

Are those two cheeseball gas stations with the $5 dollar gas still in business next to OIA with the Wawa at Lee Vista?  I saw that Innovation Way finally got connected to 528 a couple months back, that should drive a ton of the growth east like you said....especially if Lee Vista gets extended that way. 

I actually went out that way a couple times to check out Old Florida 13.  South of 528 there was a sign saying "private property" which I'm assuming is from Lockeed, I never really bothered to see if there was another sign like it at Nova Road.  There is a cut off stub of 13 from the northern end of Dallas Blvd in Wedgefield over a canal:

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.5177799,-81.0950923,3a,75y,10.78h,68.39t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sTgKpCKBpt3MI94EHPRLJ4w!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DTgKpCKBpt3MI94EHPRLJ4w%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D61.735073%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Not that any of that is a big deal...I always thought it was kind of neat that there was once more grand plans for 13 then really ever became a reality.  I bet a north/south state road that far east of the city would be mighty handy from 528 north 50/520 or even 46 in twenty so years in the future.

Anyways, I'm heading back out that way in about three weeks.  I'm actually looking forward to seeing how much things have actually changed through the years. 

roadman65

I was just noticing how the fact several years ago the former OOCEA took measures in Orange County to spread the tolls out to please future development residents and users who will someday enter FL 528 E Bound at International Corporate Park Blvd to go east.  Before there was one plaza at FL 417 that had a large toll due to previous consolidation when the removed the FL 520 mainline plaza in eastern Orange County several years before, which made this mainline plaza the eastern most plaza on the expressway.  Then OOCEA decided to create urban like toll conditions so they cut the 417 mainline in half and levee the difference on a new plaza near Dallas Blvd further east allowing the future Wegfield and International Corporate Park residents to have urban like tolls instead of paying one high toll in one place.

Well last year the same authority under a new name which is the CFX, decided to consolidate their airport toll plaza into the Florida Turnpike Beeline West Mainline.  Basically the opposite of what they did further east.  Not only is it hypocritical to say the least as they are all for trying to make the road more easier to travel when the boom hits eastern Orange County by charging less money due to the new urban style short hop plaza collection, yet here where its urban now they are making the driver pay a high stiff rate in one spot.

Now I am not disputing the recent airport and Beeline West consolidation, even though I work that one plaza where I hear tourists and locals bitch about paying a $2.25 toll and how its unfair to go from one exit to another and pay a longer distance toll.  Its all the same though as you were paying that before just at two places and now at one.  Plus if you go from anywhere west of the Beeline West to Exits 8 and 9 where you would be paying $1.25 more, Sunpass is issuing rebates via electronic gantry at Exit 8 so you are not paying the full toll.  So basically its an improvement even though some cash customers have to pay more, but overall enough to warrant that sacrifice.

I am though in awe that the same figure heads who decided consolidation in one area did the exact opposite in another area of the same roadway.  Also the spread out of the 417 mainline on 528 was done after that plaza was combined with the old defunct FL 520 plaza several years before.  So its hard to tell what CFX is really standing for as one minute they think the least amount of stops is great for the motoring public, and then the next minute their for making more stops to charge the same as they believe its for the best, and now once again they are for consolidating again because one stop paying is best.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

DeaconG

Quote from: roadman65 on April 24, 2017, 07:01:32 AM
I was just noticing how the fact several years ago the former OOCEA took measures in Orange County to spread the tolls out to please future development residents and users who will someday enter FL 528 E Bound at International Corporate Park Blvd to go east.  Before there was one plaza at FL 417 that had a large toll due to previous consolidation when the removed the FL 520 mainline plaza in eastern Orange County several years before, which made this mainline plaza the eastern most plaza on the expressway.  Then OOCEA decided to create urban like toll conditions so they cut the 417 mainline in half and levee the difference on a new plaza near Dallas Blvd further east allowing the future Wegfield and International Corporate Park residents to have urban like tolls instead of paying one high toll in one place.

Well last year the same authority under a new name which is the CFX, decided to consolidate their airport toll plaza into the Florida Turnpike Beeline West Mainline.  Basically the opposite of what they did further east.  Not only is it hypocritical to say the least as they are all for trying to make the road more easier to travel when the boom hits eastern Orange County by charging less money due to the new urban style short hop plaza collection, yet here where its urban now they are making the driver pay a high stiff rate in one spot.

Now I am not disputing the recent airport and Beeline West consolidation, even though I work that one plaza where I hear tourists and locals bitch about paying a $2.25 toll and how its unfair to go from one exit to another and pay a longer distance toll.  Its all the same though as you were paying that before just at two places and now at one.  Plus if you go from anywhere west of the Beeline West to Exits 8 and 9 where you would be paying $1.25 more, Sunpass is issuing rebates via electronic gantry at Exit 8 so you are not paying the full toll.  So basically its an improvement even though some cash customers have to pay more, but overall enough to warrant that sacrifice.

I am though in awe that the same figure heads who decided consolidation in one area did the exact opposite in another area of the same roadway.  Also the spread out of the 417 mainline on 528 was done after that plaza was combined with the old defunct FL 520 plaza several years before.  So its hard to tell what CFX is really standing for as one minute they think the least amount of stops is great for the motoring public, and then the next minute their for making more stops to charge the same as they believe its for the best, and now once again they are for consolidating again because one stop paying is best.

Here's the project PDF for those that don't know what roadman65's talking about:

https://www.cfxway.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/SR-528-Airport-Plaza-Demo-Project-Fact-Sheet-and-Large-Map-FINAL.pdf

Well, they are slapping toll gates at Sand Lake/Boggy Creek and Conway, so they figure it's a trade off. And I'm still waiting for the eastbound on/westbound off they said they'd do at Dallas Blvd. I won't be holding my breath for it, and don't get me started on the 408 extension...
Dawnstar: "You're an ape! And you can talk!"
King Solovar: "And you're a human with wings! Reality holds surprises for everyone!"
-Crisis On Infinite Earths #2



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