Assorted Plant City, Florida signs

[andycal90]

This is my first post here after being just a passive observer for the past few years. I hope I'm doing all right here when it comes to posting and post etiquette.

Anyway, I'm from/live in Tampa, Florida, but I was out in nearby Plant City today and since I had my camera, I decided to get a few pictures of various signs around town.

Florida 39A is sort of an enigma to me. I know it used to be a state route, but I can't seem to find much information regarding its present state. I believe it's only signed around the intersection with US 92. Here's FL 39A just north of westbound US 92 (Baker Street):



Westbound US 92 (Baker Street) approaching FL 39A (Alexander Street):


Florida 566 (Thonotosassa Road) is a short highway linking I-4 with US 92. It is signed at the junction with US 92, but I couldn't find any reassurance shields along the route. This sign is on eastbound US 92 (Reynolds Street):


Florida 39 enters Plant City from the south on James Redman Parkway, becoming Collins Street once it gets closer to downtown. At eastbound US 92 (Reynolds Street), northbound 39 heads up Collins Street and then is cosigned with westbound US 92 briefly along Baker Street until Wheeler Street, where it proceeds alone north out of town towards I-4. Conversely, southbound 39 heads down Wheeler Street, has a brief concurrency with eastbound US 92 along Reynolds Street, and then rejoins with northbound 39 at Collins Street. For whatever reason, FDOT has signed northbound FL 39 twice: correctly along Collins Street and incorrectly along the same two-block stretch of Wheeler Street that only carries southbound FL 39. I believe this sign should read "To North Florida 39," right?


On that note, these signs are on eastbound US 92 (Reynolds Street) at Wheeler Street, where southbound FL 39 begins its two-block concurrency with eastbound US 92. I believe this sign should read "To North Florida 39," too,


This pair is on the two-block stretch of Wheeler Street that carries only southbound Florida 39:


Sign on eastbound US 92 (Reynolds Street) directing traffic to the temporary Florida 39 truck route:


Here's the northbound Florida 39 truck route coming up Evers Street:


Florida 553 (Park Road) is another highway whose sole purpose is to link I-4 with US 92. The whole route is signed, but there's only one reassurance marker in each direction due to its short length.


Finally, Florida 574 is a long cross-county route, running from just west of Downtown Plant City to Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. It's known as MLK Drive in Tampa and in unincorporated Hillsborough County and as Reynolds Street in Plant City. An old alignment of the route is now CR 574 in parts of Tampa and there's also CR 574A and CR 574B.

[SignGeek101]

Nice pics. I've only been to Florida once, back in 2008/09 (the new year). I've never seen the "temp" signs before. I've only seen those in construction zones.

There is the Welcome board that is designed for new members. But I want to welcome you from blooming Winnipeg anyway.

[Brian556]

You did very well with your pics. Also, you pointed out an interesting situation with the TEMP plaques.

[andycal90]

SignGeek101

Thanks! I'm from Florida and I don't think I'd seen any TEMP signs until these. Thanks for the heads up; I went over there and said hello. Hah, I'd die in Winnipeg. Even Tallahassee, Florida got too cold for me!

Brian556

I appreciate it! Those TEMP signs are weird. They've been up for over a year now, maybe two. So much for being temporary.

[TXtoNJ]

I appreciate it! Those TEMP signs are weird. They've been up for over a year now, maybe two. So much for being temporary.

TEMP 41 in Haddonfield, NJ has been that way for well over half a century now. Depending on the political situation, "TEMP" can be very relative in its meaning.

[Alex]

Nice array of photos and welcome from very nearby!

The SR 39 situation in Plant City will be rectified once it is fully signed along the new alignment to the west and the old alignment is turned over fully to the city.

TEMP signs are very rare, but there are Temp END signs for SR 54 just north of the Hillsborough line at CR 54/SR 56 and on westbound at CR 54/SR 581:





SR 553 and SR 566 are similar in nature to SR 579 and SR 678 in Tampa and SR 160 and SR 162 in Tallahassee. Basically state road connectors between the freeway and adjacent US Routes.

I last drove SR 566 in 2008 and it was not signed then either. Still have to drive SR 553 (on my to do list along with some other Plant City area roads).

[andycal90]

Alex

I'd completely forgotten about FL 54. I haven't been up there in a long time. Just another reason to go back up there. I remember Pasco having a few county roads that have both their beginning and endpoints signed, which I believe is fairly uncommon. What exactly is the plan for FL 39, if you know? Are there upgrades planned for FL 39A (Alexander Street) or the Park Road bypass? I had just associated the TEMP signs with the straightening of a few city streets just south of downtown.

FL 566 is signed on the sign for the Thonotosassa Road exit off of I-4 and I need to figure out a way to get a good picture of that. I can't remember if FL 553 gets the same treatment.

I was not familiar with those two roads in Tallahassee. I really need to get back up there. There are a few roads up there that intrigue me and I'd really like the chance to check out again, especially CRs 1557 and 1559.

[andycal90]

I was back in Plant City again this afternoon and I was able to take a few more pictures.

FL 39 runs from Dade City to an intersection with FL 60 about three or four miles south of Plant City. This view is looking south down FL 39 towards the intersection with FL 60:


South of the intersection, FL 39 continues as CR 39, running through the communities of Picnic and Fort Lonesome until it crosses into Manatee County and ends at FL 62. Florida is pretty spotty when it comes to signing the beginning and end points of highways. Here we see that the endpoint of FL 39 has been signed:


Looking south down CR 39:


A close-up of the first southbound CR 39 shield:


Looking north up FL 39 from its southern terminus at FL 60:


Eastbound FL 60 as it approaches its intersection with FL 39/CR 39. There's a weigh station in the median about half a mile past this intersection and the Polk County line is not too far after that. (FL 60 is a main east-west route running from Vero Beach on the east coast to Clearwater on the west, passing through Tampa, Bartow, Lake Wales, Yeehaw Junction, and an interchange with Florida's Turnpike.)


FL 39/CR 39 shield assembly on eastbound FL 60:

[Alex]

I'd completely forgotten about FL 54. I haven't been up there in a long time. Just another reason to go back up there. I remember Pasco having a few county roads that have both their beginning and endpoints signed, which I believe is fairly uncommon. What exactly is the plan for FL 39, if you know? Are there upgrades planned for FL 39A (Alexander Street) or the Park Road bypass? I had just associated the TEMP signs with the straightening of a few city streets just south of downtown.

FL 566 is signed on the sign for the Thonotosassa Road exit off of I-4 and I need to figure out a way to get a good picture of that. I can't remember if FL 553 gets the same treatment.

I was not familiar with those two roads in Tallahassee. I really need to get back up there. There are a few roads up there that intrigue me and I'd really like the chance to check out again, especially CRs 1557 and 1559.

Generally speaking, Florida rarely signs Ends. I think the bulk of them are down in Sarasota and maybe South Florida. I know there are some End signs for County Roads in Seminole and Hernando as well, but they are definitely not the norm.



See this previous post in the Florida thread for the plan for SR 39 and Plant City:

After the bypass is constructed, FDOT plans to transfer ownership of the portion of State Road 39 from Alexander Street to Knights-Griffin Road to Plant City.

SR 160 and SR 162 are connector roads linking US 319 and SR 61 by Exit 203:



Florida 160 is signed, Florida 162 is not.

Just got back from Tallahassee last week where I did map research and data acquisition, which led me to drive around extensively. Leon is pretty straight forward with posting shields for intersecting routes, but never posting reassurance markers. Some of the county roads are not even paved:



CR 1557, CR 1559 and CR 2196 are all fairly well signed where they come together in the shadow of US 27. Since Leon does not post reassurance markers though, you forget you are on a county road once you leave the intersecting routes. There are some remnant signs for CR 1555 still posted as well, even though it has been removed from the GIS files since at least 2010.

[jhuntin1]

I used to live in Plant City from 1997-2002. My how times have changed. The 3-di routes weren't signed nearly that well when I lived there, and I don't remember there being a FL-39A at all.

[andycal90]

juntin1

I have an out over there, so I spend a lot of time driving around there. Those FL 39A signs surprised me. They might be the only ones currently on the road. The rest of 39A (Alexander Street) is just referred to as a truck route and I believe the route is unsigned. I've seen a few maps that feature FL 39A, but most don't. It's just a weird shield. My next trip out there, I'm going to try and see if Sammonds Road, Park Road south of 92, and Coronet Road are signed with their proper county signage. I could've sworn there was a CR 39B shield at one point, but I think it's been removed. I really like Plant City. Aside from the sprawl on James Redman (FL 39), I think the city has a nice layout and minimal traffic, at least from a Tampa standpoint.

I also need to get the county road signage on some stretches of the old Dixie Highway just over the Polk Line. Nice to see someone familiar with Plant City!

[andycal90]

These should be the last picture additions to my Plant City thread. I just didn't realize that I would be over there so much lately.

In my initial post, I said that FL 566 (Thonotosassa Road) was a mile-long route linking I-4 with US 92. It turns out that FL 566 extends about 2.25 miles north of the I-4 interchange to a four-way stop with Forbes/Branch Forbes and Stafford Roads. This section of FL 566 is unsigned as well, even at the Forbes/Branch Forbes/Stafford intersection.

This directional assembly is at the foot of the eastbound I-4 offramp.


Interstate 4's Thonotosassa Road exit signs feature the FL 566 shield. This sign is on eastbound I-4 as well. Sorry for the flaky colors in this one. A bunch of clouds came out of nowhere as I took this one.


(Both pictures taken on May 24, 2015)

[NE2]

It turns out that FL 566 extends about 2.25 miles north of the I-4 interchange to a four-way stop with Forbes/Branch Forbes and Stafford Roads.

No, it ends just beyond I-4 at the end of state maintenance.

[Alex]

Just drove through Plant City today to clinch Florida 553, 39A and reclinch 39. One comparison that can be made with SR 553 and 566 is SR 539 in Lakeland. its completely unmarked heading southbound outside of an End shield assembly at US 92. Northbound has shields at the beginning too.