Florida

[Brian556]

New CR 437 sign installed by FDOT Oct 2013. It replaced an oversized CR sign. Strange that FDOT installed a non-cutout CR sign



18x18 CR 535 sign NB at Winter Garden City Limits. The markings on the back say FDOT, which is strange, 'cause this should have nothing to do with FDOT. It replaced an old oversized sign.



Strange gas station close to the above sign. I'm wondering if they designed it like this to appease rich snobs that though a normal station would be too ugly for their fancy asses.

[lamsalfl]

So having a lot of money automatically makes you a snob?

[formulanone]

They probably have to keep the appearances of all structures within the same local architectural standards; not too many colors nor logos, signs kept to a minimum of size and height.

If anything, it's rare you see completely uncovered gas pumps, although my guess is that they're diesel pumps.

[FLRoads]

It's also rare to see fuel pumps that close to a store front.

[countyguy]

The fuel pumps aren't under shelter?

[xcellntbuy]

Usually you do not see unprotected pumps anymore.  It was common when I was small in the 1960s and 1970s, but very rare today.  Only station I know of that has no canope over the pumps is an old station on North Powerline Road on the Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach line in south Florida.

[roadman65]

That station, BTW, is around the corner from my sister's house.  What I find strange is the fact that the pump filling bay is actually a parking space in that particular 7 Eleven.  There is one more odd 7 Eleven on Colonial Drive in Orlando at Magnolia Avenue.  This one has a fancy facade around the outdoor pump area that gives it the illusion from the street that the whole 7 Eleven property is a "Store Front" of the two intersecting streets with its walls up against the sidewalk typical of a Downtown area. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Orlando,+FL/@28.553131,-81.377106,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sfu9q1OJzulOSP5VD2yJztQ!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x88e773d8fecdbc77:0xac3b2063ca5bf9e

Also, being my sis lives near this station, I can tell you its nothing about the class of people living there.  The Hess Station north of SR 429, is a normal gas station that is about one half mile to the north near the Winter Garden Village shopping center. https://www.google.com/maps/@28.522022,-81.587639,3a,75y,270h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1skPhZUBLZdNlf8NJJ4YkrZQ!2e0

[formulanone]

I think Brian has found one the oddest gas stations...parking lot-style pumps (pull in and then back out?), oddball facade (although there's some stations in Boca Raton that might qualify), and unprotected/unsheltered modern pumps.

The only time I've seen the first instance is for electric car charging stations. The second reason seems like bad design, since drivers usually line up behind the pump they want to use next. And the third thing just seems to leave itself exposed to accidents, or at least, rust and decay.

Overall, I can't say I've seen anything like it anywhere.

[brownpelican]

They haven't been that bad over here in Louisiana.

[Brian556]

[realjd]

FDOT is planning to change the Viera Road overpass over I-95 into a diverging diamond interchange, the first in Florida. This will significantly help with traffic at the two adjacent interchanges. Of course the NIMBY crowd is out in full force, and the old folks have decided that the DDI is a scary death trap (like the nearby Viera roundabout) and are trying to fight that design also.

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2014/05/20/viera-residents-concerned-about-i-95-interchange/9356683/

[FLRoads]

It will be interesting to see which DDI (if built) gets done first as the one along I-75 at University Parkway (Sarasota/Manatee County line) is also slowly moving along in planning and funding. Officials there are touting it as being the first in the state and are wanting it done in 2017.

[formulanone]

Spotted this "partial cutout" just south of FL 50 on I-95 southbound...It's not the best-looking one, but possibly the first new one in 20 years:



Here's how they usually look:

[Brian556]

This really is a nice picture. perfectly straight, construction on the left, signs, and a truck mentioning the Miami Heat. Well Done.

[lepidopteran]

New BGSs in Miami for the port tunnel.



When this article was written, the signs were "redacted", i.e., blacked-over to prevent confusion.  It should be open now.
http://wlrn.org/post/what-s-redacted-signs-i-95-and-395

[agentsteel53]

what is "ABCDEFG"? 

[formulanone]

^ I presume they're Variable Message Signs.

Just "guess" - I took these back in March, and I thought the billboard arrangement was perfect...









I wonder if passenger cars will be able to clinch SR 887...

[rickmastfan67]

I wonder if passenger cars will be able to clinch SR 887...

I think people should be able to as long as it ends @ the cruse ship access.

[florida]

I wonder if passenger cars will be able to clinch SR 887...

I think people should be able to as long as it ends @ the cruse ship access.

Yes, when I clinched SR 886 (back in 2009), I was allowed to turn around at Australia Way. The tunnels connect further west of there.

Edit: Still waiting for the Straight-Line Diagrams to be updated with it.....

[formulanone]

886 isn't difficult, and it's accessible to all. I thought the tunnel might only be for trucks, but I guess not.

[Alex]

That is what happens when man tries to create the perfect bug.

That's an urban legend. FWIW, the love bugs have finally started to die down over the last week.

^ I presume they're Variable Message Signs.

<snip>
Just "guess" - I took these back in March, and I thought the billboard arrangement was perfect...
I wonder if passenger cars will be able to clinch SR 887...

They had an opening ceremony on Monday, but the tunnel is not actually open to motorists yet...

Opening ceremony for Miami port tunnel

[1995hoo]

FDOT is planning to change the Viera Road overpass over I-95 into a diverging diamond interchange, the first in Florida. This will significantly help with traffic at the two adjacent interchanges. Of course the NIMBY crowd is out in full force, and the old folks have decided that the DDI is a scary death trap (like the nearby Viera roundabout) and are trying to fight that design also.

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2014/05/20/viera-residents-concerned-about-i-95-interchange/9356683/

Heh. My sister-in-law is terrified of that roundabout after a near-miss with some old fart who didn't yield. If she wants to go to the Super Target on Wickham Road, she goes across I-95 on Viera Boulevard, down Murrell Road to Wickham, and then back under I-95 to the store, even though it takes a lot longer than just going straight down Stadium Parkway (she lives near the new Publix at the corner of Stadium Parkway and Viera Boulevard). When we're down there in a few weeks I'll have to ask her what she thinks of this proposal, if she even knows about it!

(I, naturally, drive her crazy whenever we visit because I go through the roundabout every chance I get.)

The idea of taking pressure off the Wickham Road interchange, in particular, makes some sense. I don't understand the fear of the diverging diamond. If anything, for the average American driver it ought to be less "complicated" than a roundabout because you still have traffic lights ordering you around–that is, the roundabout requires you to stop when necessary to yield but relies on you to understand when that is, whereas the DDI tells you when to stop.

[realjd]

^^^
There was an article a few years ago about how that roundabout is one of the safest intersections in the county. Lots of folks have no clue how to drive in it (especially common is turning left from the right lane) but the confusion makes everyone drive defensively. Accidents are surprisingly rare.

[Brian556]

Why is there a little sand pile next to every mile marker on I-10 in the FL Panhandle?

[mefailenglish]

Why is there a little sand pile next to every mile marker on I-10 in the FL Panhandle?

Fire ants?