DC to Sebring, FL

[Mergingtraffic]

I might be taking a trip in June from NYC to Sebring, FL.  Sebring is along the US-27 corridor north of Lake Okeechobee.  I'm pretty knowledgeable of roads of DC and north but not that much south of there.  Last time I was in FL was 2002.  Yikes!


Any stubs, non-reflective button copy, state-named interstate shields, soon to be opened freeways, colored US shields (you know the usual)?

[NE2]

Florida is boring.

Not far south of Sebring, this "green" US 27 was still up in 2011.

If you're into old freeway design, check out the non-Interstates in Jacksonville. I think all the old signs like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hart_Bridge_toll_sign.jpg are gone, but there's some remaining older stuff on the freeways with the Florida outline cut out.

[Brian556]

GSV shows two colored US highway shields on Citizens Blvd in Leesburg. There are some old secondary SR signs in Wellborn, FL, which is near I-75/I-10 interchange.

[NE2]

GSV shows two colored US highway shields on Citizens Blvd in Leesburg.

Interesting. Something looks off about them - are they city jobs?

[Brian556]

quote from NE2:

Interesting. Something looks off about them - are they city jobs?

The 1972 shows that Citizens Blvd was SR 25A. I don't know who installed them, but I do agree that they look a little off spec. They also appear to use single bolts, top and bottom, which is a another clue that the state might not have installed them.

[formulanone]

There's more green 27s in Lake Placid, just a few miles south of Sebring. These are all within 5 minutes of one another:







There's a few more off some of the bits and pieces of CR 17 (collect them all!)...

Yes, verified that was gone in December 2011. As mefailenglish reported, none of the US 19-27A-98 colored shields are left.

If it's any consolation, I found a couple of "new" (to me) Green 27 shields this weekend while roading around Glades, Hendry, and Highlands Counties.


Here's one of them.  On CR 17 north of Lake Placid (the piece of CR 17 that runs between US 27 and US 98).


Here's the other.  This one is on CR 29, south of Lake Placid.

Most of the remaining Keys shields are in the Panhandle, but there's a few scattered about just north of Gainesville (Starke and Lawtey). A bit out of the way from the I-95 or US 27 corridors.

FL 17 (former Alternate 27) north of Sebring is one of the most scenic drives the the state. It's not too bad through the Sebring Circle, either.

Not a whole lot of button copy left. Someone posted a faded button copy sign leading to I-95, located somewhere in Jacksonville - can't recall where that was, but I think the ginormous Florida thread has a pic or two.

[NE2]

As for state-name shields, the only ones I know of are random recent jobs and some I-275s in Pinellas from the 1980s.

[1995hoo]

I might be taking a trip in June from NYC to Sebring, FL.  Sebring is along the US-27 corridor north of Lake Okeechobee.  I'm pretty knowledgeable of roads of DC and north but not that much south of there.  Last time I was in FL was 2002.  Yikes!


Any stubs, non-reflective button copy, state-named interstate shields, soon to be opened freeways, colored US shields (you know the usual)?

The thread is pretty focused on Florida so far. What route(s) (if you know) are you considering using between New York and Florida? Anything you've clinched, need to clinch, particular interests? Any specific timing requirements (important because we can all come up with various routes that are bound to add time, so if you need to leave and arrive within particular windows, that'd be good to know because it might rule out some routes)?

[Mergingtraffic]

I'm basically hoping to make the trip in 2-3 days one way. Along the I-95 corridor.  Of course I'm not married to it.

[Alex]

quote from NE2:

Interesting. Something looks off about them - are they city jobs?

The 1972 shows that Citizens Blvd was SR 25A. I don't know who installed them, but I do agree that they look a little off spec. They also appear to use single bolts, top and bottom, which is a another clue that the state might not have installed them.

Definitely a city-install job.

There used to be a standard shaped green 27 a short distance north on Griffin Road west at U.S. 27/441. It was replaced by 2011.

Citizens Boulevard also had two city-installed brown 441's eastbound. The arrow shield was removed, but the junction sign still appears in 2013 GSV imagery.



Any state named shields you find in Florida nowadays, outside of the county-installs in Pinellas and one in Miami, are newer installs. Some are contractor based, others are sporadic FDOT based ones. In Lakeland the SR 33 south interchange (Exit 33) with I-4 has a handful of new state-named shields for instance.

[1995hoo]

I'm basically hoping to make the trip in 2-3 days one way. Along the I-95 corridor.  Of course I'm not married to it.

Two days would probably represent two fairly full days of driving straight along the most direct routes. When we drive to Florida it typically takes us a day and a half, depending on destination of course, leaving Northern Virginia between 7:00 and 8:00 in the morning, stopping for the night around 6:00 or 7:00, then hitting the road again between 8:00 and 9:00 the next morning. Sebring is further south than our usual destinations of either Viera or Venice, and you're starting further to the north, so I'd figure two full days if you don't allow time for exploring or detours. I estimate starting in the NYC area adds about 4.5 hours to the overall travel time; I have less of a sense for Sebring simply because I haven't been there and because the route you use in Florida could make a big difference.

In the context of stubs and soon-to-be-opened freeways, Florida 9B east of Jacksonville is to be upgraded to I-795, but based on its status in December the Sunday before Christmas it doesn't look like it will be opened particularly soon, certainly not in 2015. There's a lot of work to be done to finish it. We almost always take I-295 around the east side of Jacksonville, originally on the advice of forum members here, because it's a nicer drive than going through the city and because the Dames Point Bridge is a nice scenic break from what by then is the boredom of I-95. On the most recent trip, rather than taking I-295 all the way back to I-95 I dropped south on 9B and then connected back to the Interstate via US-1 and Old St Augustine Road (i.e., turned right off the end of 9B to go a short distance north, then a left). It was nothing all that special, so I'd say whether it's worth your time depends on (a) whether you pass near Jacksonville, (b) how you intend to head south from there, and (c) whether you plan to pass through the area again in the next year or two. It doesn't add too much time to the trip to go that way, but it's such a short route that you don't really get to see all that much.

Of course, driving directly through Jacksonville on I-95 lets you see my favorite Chinese restaurant. I've never eaten there, I just love the name. First saw this in December 1991 on a football trip and it was still there in 2011 or 2012 when I took the route through the city for clinch purposes.

[NE2]

We almost always take I-295 around the east side of Jacksonville, originally on the advice of forum members here, because it's a nicer drive than going through the city and because the Dames Point Bridge is a nice scenic break from what by then is the boredom of I-95.

Taking US 1 Alt. through Jax is more interesting than either. If you have a little extra time, I recommend it.

[1995hoo]

We almost always take I-295 around the east side of Jacksonville, originally on the advice of forum members here, because it's a nicer drive than going through the city and because the Dames Point Bridge is a nice scenic break from what by then is the boredom of I-95.

Taking US 1 Alt. through Jax is more interesting than either. If you have a little extra time, I recommend it.

What in particular makes it interesting? I've used portions of that route near the football stadium but not the entire thing. Might consider going that way next time we head south because it's a new route that doesn't add substantial time. On our last trip, the alternate route I chose through the Carolinas added probably two hours and the commentary from the passenger seat made it clear the added time was not appreciated......

[NE2]

Taking US 1 Alt. through Jax is more interesting than either. If you have a little extra time, I recommend it.

What in particular makes it interesting?

The Hart Bridge and its approach (moreso coming from downtown, but that's harder to get to) is old pre-Interstate freeway design.

[Mergingtraffic]

There's more green 27s in Lake Placid, just a few miles south of Sebring. These are all within 5 minutes of one another:

Where are these two? I can't seem to find them on GSV.  I always knew when Lake Placid was around as there's only one overpass in the area, a train overpass over the Orange Groves.

[formulanone]

Where are these two? I can't seem to find them on GSV.  I always knew when Lake Placid was around as there's only one overpass in the area, a train overpass over the Orange Groves.

CR 621, and continue along CR 17A for the other one. Not sure of any black US 98 shields in the area (another off CR 621 bit the dust around 2005), I know of one near the coastal Panhandle area.

Folkston, Georgia has the famous seven-way concurrency signs (three are just Georgia's policy of signing secret state routes numbers with US routes), but most US 301 is unimaginably dull throughout most of southeastern Georgia. It might be worth a diversion, that's your thing.

[Mergingtraffic]

Trip change of plans.....actually I'll be flying into Ft Meyers.  So anything road geeky around Ft. Meyers to Sebring down to Boca and Miami?

[Alex]

Trip change of plans.....actually I'll be flying into Ft Meyers.  So anything road geeky around Ft. Meyers to Sebring down to Boca and Miami?

There are some state-named shields in Ft Myers, but they are newer installs. Old signs are pretty much nudda in SW Florida.

There are a few old shields in South Florida previously mentioned elsewhere on the forum.

Infrastructure wise, there is more to see, like flyovers for turn lanes at CR 865 (Gladiolus Drive) and 869 (Summerlin Road) in the Ft. Myers area. Miami is loaded with things like the Port Tunnel, HOT lanes along I-595, the Golden Glades Interchange, etc.

[1995hoo]

There's a weird traffic light on San Carlos Boulevard just before the bridge to Fort Myers Beach. The two lanes both go straight towards the bridge, but they have pylons between them and one lane will get a red while the other has a green. The idea is to control traffic flow since the bridge is a single lane each way–the red light theoretically reduces tailbacks due to merging traffic. But after you've gone through the light once or twice you quickly learn how to judge it as you approach so as to get in the lane that will have sooner or longer green time.

Oddity-wise, there is an off-Interstate rest area east of I-75 at the Daniels Parkway interchange. Nothing too fascinating, just odd.

Watch your speed if you use Michael G. Rippe Parkway. Our relatives live off Briarcliff Road and they said the cops are all too aware of how enticing Rippe is when it comes to going far faster than is legal.

[FLRoads]

Oddity-wise, there is an off-Interstate rest area east of I-75 at the Daniels Parkway interchange. Nothing too fascinating, just odd.

For some reason it was decided when I-75 was built between Tampa and Naples to build the rest areas adjacent to interchanges rather than off the mainline. There were a total of three rest areas built: the Lee County one at Daniels Parkway, one in Charlotte County (Exit 161 - Jones Loop Road) and one in Sarasota County (Exit 191 - River Road). The Sarasota County rest area was the only one that closed soon after opening and now sits abandoned. As of now, the Lee County one is the only remaining operational one, as the Charlotte County rest area closed permanently a couple of months ago. 

Watch your speed if you use Michael G. Rippe Parkway. Our relatives live off Briarcliff Road and they said the cops are all too aware of how enticing Rippe is when it comes to going far faster than is legal.

I'm not surprised that that portion is patrolled for speeders. That traffic light at Briarcliff and SR 739 (Rippe Parkway) was erected not too long ago because when it first opened there were too many traffic accidents from people speeding through the intersection and not paying attention to traffic from Briarcliff. Its a small world in knowing you have relatives living off of Briarcliff Road, as so do I (cousin)!

[1995hoo]

One of our relatives was one of the people involved in pushing for that light because she felt the intersection was so dangerous. I'm not sure if there is a term for the relation: my wife's nephew's wife (in other words, I'm related to my wife's nephew solely by marriage, so I have no idea how I am related to his wife).

[roadman65]

I-10 still has some rest areas that are off the interstate.  One I know for sure in Florida and the other is in Mississippi.