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

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Brian556

Quote from: Alex on May 23, 2020, 10:16:48 AM
Drove 249 miles yesterday to check out the I-4/SR 408 interchange, which has five ramps opening per an announcement by FDOT and Governor DeSantis earlier this week. Traffic has been noticeably increasing throughout this week, and congestion has returned to the Downtown Interchange (I-4/275), Howard Frankland Bridge, I-75 at SR 56, etc.

The never ended repaving project that started in October 2018 along I-4 from 50th Street east to McIntosh Road (Exit 14) resulted in "replaced in kind" sign installs.

Did not get a photo, but the half mile sign for Orient Road was replaced (should have been moved to an overhead): https://www.aaroads.com/fl/004/i-004-e-exit-006-01.jpg

There's even less padding between the text and border on the replacement of the signs for McIntosh Road:
https://www.aaroads.com/fl/004/i-004-e-exit-014-05.jpg
https://www.aaroads.com/fl/004/i-004-e-exit-014-06.jpg

Heading westbound, the original sign plans were dusted off, as Ybor City is now referenced twice! The Tampa - 13 mile sign now has Ybor City - 12. Because YBor City was reinstituted as its own city...
The assembly further west was carbon copied: https://www.aaroads.com/fl/004/i-004-w-exit-009-03.jpg

The one mile sign for Exit 10 was installed in 2016, but apparently already needed to be replaced. The new panel is narrower with condensed font for Thonotosassa and Mango off centered.

C. Fred Jones Boulevard is still signed as CR 559A and no other changes have been made for the approved SR 559 realignment. A new traffic light is being installed for the massive distribution center built along the north side. One lane is closed for additional grading and work for the site along CR 559A westbound as well. There are inanely placed TRUCK ROUTE banners on all of the shields.

Took SR 559 south to Downtown Auburndale and U.S. 92. It is still posted.

Drove U.S. 92 east to Lake Alfred for the first time in over decade so I can replace a remaining page on southeastroads.com. There is a reassurance marker for CR 555 on the old alignment along S Buena Vista Drive. It was date stamped January 2019 no less.

Clinched CR 547 leading north from Davenport. There are shields for it at Ernie Caldwell Boulevard. North of that arterial, the road varies between a rural two lane roadway and stretches of widened roadway at subdivisions built.

SR 538 trailblazers are posted on US 17/92 at Ronald Reagan Parkway (former Kinnie Harmon Road). No signs for CR 54 though. The sprawl at the intersection continues with two self storage facilities coming soon within the southeast quadrant of the intersection. SR 538 has begin and end shields just past the intersection with Sienna Boulevard.

The 2.215 mile long widening of US 17/92 from west of Poinciana Boulevard to Ham Brown Road is dragging on toward the east. While the new southbound roadway is partially in place west of Poinciana Boulevard, there is still a lot of remaining grading work to the east. Started in February 2019, work extends until Spring 2022. Way too long IMO.

No signs of construction for the planned flyover from US 17/92 south to Ham Brown Road (unsigned CR 535) either. Traffic is definitely returning to Florida, as the turn lane for Poinciana was backed up. The project is still listed in the design phase on the FDOT D5 site.

Heading into Kissimmee, traffic sucked. Signage for US 17/92 and the Truck route for US 17/92 is inconsistent. There's a set of trailblazers for the truck route at the off-ramp for Osceola Parkway from John Young Parkway northbound. The amount of development added by the SPUI there in the last five years is insane. This includes a massive apartment complex abutting the west side built in 2017-18.

Osceola Parkway traffic was terrible. The already congested intersection with Orange Avenue is getting more growth with the addition of "Renaissance Park II". The area development is fueled by the nearby Sunrail station.

Widening of Florida's Turnpike north from Osceola Parkway to SR 528 and US 17/92/441 still has a ways to go. The last of the flyovers at SR 417 are mostly built however. A pair of new overheads are up for Exit 254. These omit "Orange Blossom Trail" and instead display shields for SR 528, US 17/92/441 and an Airport trailblazer similar to https://www.aaroads.com/fl/091/fl-tpk-n-exit-254-02.jpg This works because, everyone refers to roads solely by number in Orlando...

Some of the piers for the flyover that will directly link I-4 west with Florida's Turnpike are in place. This is being built as part of an expansion project along the Turnpike from SR 528 northward to Interstate 4. Work extends to 2022.

Took I-4 into Orlando but bailed at John Young Parkway (CR 423) due to two lanes being blocked further north and the subsequent gridlock. Navigated along the street grid to check out the I-4/SR 408 interchange from below. There's still some work ongoing along the flyover from SR 408 west to I-4 west and bridge painting to be done on other ramps.

Still SR 527 shields for Orange Avenue / Rosalind Avenue on Anderson Street east and South Street west. The uncovered East-West Expressway trailblazer on Orange Avenue northbound is still in place as well.

US 17/92-SR 50 (Colonial Drive) at I-4 is still a mess. Traffic was backed up eastbound leading  to the signal with Hughey Avenue.

New Clearview signage is in place along I-4 westbound for SR 408 and Anderson Street. The kerning is awful on the Anderson Street overhead.

All signs on SR 408 westbound were replaced in kind and use Clearview font. Of course, CR 431 is still shown for Pine Hills Road, CR 526 for Old Winter Garden Road, etc...

The lone shield for CR 438 along Maguire Road southbound is still in place.

Replacement of the SR 33 bridge over Green Swamp south of CR 561 results in one lane of traffic controlled by signals. Was a surprising amount of truck traffic using SR 33 and several were queued up at the temporary traffic lights.

No confirming marker for CR 464 east of SR 33.

Construction on SR 33 had one lane of traffic for the addition of turns lanes for yet another distribution center between Polk City and I-4. Further southwest, the signal at University Boulevard is now fully operational. Heading into Lakeland, some grading work is underway on the curve southwest of SR 659. Widening of SR 33 is listed as in the design phase on the D1 web site, so maybe its for something else. There's a wall of apartment buildings built along the south side of SR 33 now along this stretch too.

The eastern leg of CR 582 along Griffin Road and Florida Avenue in Lakeland is not signed.

A single head signal was recently added in each direction at the Fletcher Avenue (unsigned CR 582A) intersections with Morris Bridge Road, Lettuce Lake Parkway and 56th Street. What is their purpose?

"The lone shield for CR 438 along Maguire Road southbound is still in place." Maguire Rd in Ocoee is CR 439, not 438. Otherwise, thanks for the update


VTGoose

Quote from: Alex on May 24, 2020, 09:20:35 AM
Quote from: Verlanka on May 24, 2020, 05:28:03 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on May 23, 2020, 09:08:13 PM
BTW, the Welcome Center is closed on I-95 entering Florida, but a checkpoint is there instead.  SR 121 at MaClenny is not secured so if you want a way into our state, head west on GA 40 to GA 121 through the area of Georgia that is south of the rest of the state border as the GA- FL line on SR 121 is 8 miles north of I-10 still west of Jacksonville.
So I-95 heading into the state is under security. Or am I reading it wrong?

There are COVID19 check points on both I-95 south and I-10 east.

The checkpoints were set up back at the end of March when people were fleeing from New York, New Jersey, and New Orleans as the Coronavirus was rapidly spreading. The I-95 checkpoint was initially botched, backing up traffic into Georgia, so after a day of operation, it was shut down and reconfigured. When we passed by going north on April 5, traffic was flowing much better. The ramp for U.S. 17 at exit 380 was closed, the welcome center was closed, and traffic moved to a single lane approaching the (closed) truck weigh/inspection station. Trucks were passed on through while all other traffic was routed off the highway. There was a heavy police presence should someone decide they didn't need to get checked and tried to bypass the checkpoint. Per news reports, a quick question about origin (and license plate look for a New York or New Jersey plate) determined if travelers moved on or were shuffled to another area for a more in-depth exam. Per the news, people were being told to quarantine themselves for 14 days at their destination before venturing out in public (there was no mention as to how this would be monitored). There is also the issue of those who could read a map (and were aware of the checkpoint) and picked up U.S. 17 in Kingsland and took that to Yulee to get around the checkpoint. It will be interesting to see if this is still in effect when we head back to Apollo Beach in mid-June to see our new grandson.

Bruce in Blacksburg
"Get in the fast lane, grandma!  The bingo game is ready to roll!"

Jim

We entered Florida last week and went through the checkpoint on I-95.  With Massachusetts plates on a rental car, we were asked where traveling from and answered honestly New York.  That got us a 5-minite side trip to fill out a form and get additional information.  When I said I'd checked the information on the web site and knew what the rules were, we were quickly moved through.  The whole process delayed us under 10 minutes.  As I understand it, the quarantine order really only applied to NYC metro area residents ("Tri State Area") and Louisiana, and we came from well outside areas of any significant disease rates.  We've also been very good about limiting our contacts when at home since mid-March, being able to work at home.  Even so, we've been very cautious here and have had only limited interaction with others, keeping our distance, and almost exclusively when outdoors.  We would be taking the same precautions at this point regardless of where we are and of any government orders.  No one has followed up with us nor do I expect anyone will.
Photos I post are my own unless otherwise noted.
Signs: https://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/
Travel Mapping: https://travelmapping.net/user/?u=terescoj
Counties: http://www.mob-rule.com/user/terescoj
Twitter @JimTeresco (roads, travel, skiing, weather, sports)

Jaxrunner

I live the Jacksonville FL area I still notice that the new highway SR 9B hasn't been signed as I 795 yet. I would have thought with with the 2 mile extension into St John's County it would have been signed two years ago. It is a good road but it just randomly ends past the new town center. I suppose it's good for the developers. Hopefully it will tie into the first coast expressway when it's built.

I feel JTB should be given an interstate number. It's really good road and the beaches would be served well by an interstate designation. Perhaps I 995 or maybe even an eastern extension for Interstate 10.

Alex

Quote from: Brian556 on May 24, 2020, 08:21:03 PM
"The lone shield for CR 438 along Maguire Road southbound is still in place." Maguire Rd in Ocoee is CR 439, not 438. Otherwise, thanks for the update

Whoops, obviously meant CR 439. The shield shot from last week:



Quote from: Jaxrunner on May 26, 2020, 03:02:32 PM
I live the Jacksonville FL area I still notice that the new highway SR 9B hasn't been signed as I 795 yet. I would have thought with with the 2 mile extension into St John's County it would have been signed two years ago. It is a good road but it just randomly ends past the new town center. I suppose it's good for the developers. Hopefully it will tie into the first coast expressway when it's built.

SR 9B is fully complete. CR 2209 will be extended south to the First Coast Expressway (SR 23) as a continuation of the at-grade arterial that it is.

I-795 will not be signed until FHWA gets around to approving it. Flaroads (Brent) emailed D2 about it in February and was told "check back Next Spring".

Posted the photos shot on US 17/92 from Auburndale to Kissimmee over the weekend. One thing I noticed at the cloverleaf interchange with US 27:



Despite not being the best route to Ocala from Haines City in decades, let's just keep replacing it in kind.  :ded:

DeaconG

North Florida Trip May 14 and May 17, 2020

   I had to take a trip up to the Florida Panhandle for personal reasons (older brother passed away), so I thought I'd give some observations on my trip with eyes that hadn't done any travelling up that way in four years; some of the projects quite pleasing with a few WTF's in the mix, along with some general observations.
   Trip length: approximately 360 miles
   Trip To/From: Port St. John, FL to Bascom, FL

May 14, 2020, 3 PM EDT
Trip North/West
Port St. John Pkwy/I-95/I-295/I-10/US 90/FL 71/FL 167
Sunny to Partly Cloudy

I-95/I-4/US 92/FL 400 Interchange Daytona: ME LIKEY FDOT. It's well designed to insure that the traffic entering/exiting from I-4, US 92 and FL 400 are separated from the main drag and it's a noticeable speedup in the trip. Well lit, a bit swoopy but that's not a problem here.

Accidental 9B: You would think I would have known better than this screwup, but I got so fixated on the I-295 part of the BGS that I somehow didn't notice the 9B sign until I was past the gore point...and then I realized I'd screwed up. Well...looks like I'm going to get a good look at 9B up to Philips Highway! In truth, it's done really well and if I were travelling through JAX, this is the route you need to take (and keeps you from having to use that loop ramp SB at the I-95/295 interchange). Not thrilled at the wait time for the light at US 1 coming off, it's way too long (over three minutes).

I-295 Toll Lanes: WTF FDOT? Oh, no...no, no, no. What possessed you to put HOT lanes on the Beltway and take away a free lane in each direction to do that? The damn highway was already a chokepoint with four lanes due to the traffic coming on and off both Old St. Augustine Road and San Jose Boulevard, plus the through traffic heading for I-10 WB or I-95 SB, but you idiots took away a FREE LANE to have two HOT lanes in each direction and three free? I won't even describe the cluster that stretch was, the traffic was badly backing up at both interchanges and it didn't look like the HOT lanes were getting a ton of traffic at all. And you're going to extend this postpartum abortion across the Buckman. BAD FDOT. BAD!

Blanding/Collins Extension: This was in the works the last time I came up this way and I knew it would be needed once they built the ramp extension for Blanding Blvd. It looks like the interchange was handling the rush hour traffic well. A well-executed and well-done C/D upgrade for I-295.

Hammond Road/Marietta Interchange: I was so involved trying to merge out of the loop ramp from I-295 to I-10 Westbound (Earth to FDOT...FLYOVER!) that I nearly didn't realize that I was driving past the old Marietta off-ramp westbound and was blindsided by the Hammond Road interchange. For those who haven't been in the area, it made the merge onto I-10 from I-295 NB challenging because the Marietta RIRO was literally RIGHT THERE once the ramp from I-295 SB merged in. There used to be a convenience store right there on the corner where the ramps were located, I stopped for gas there a couple of times. It was well done and badly needed for the area, two lanes on and off from the east side works quite well.

Capital Circle NW Interchange: That actually caught me by surprise as I knew that FDOT and the county was working on widening Capital Circle there, but they didn't do the actual interchange for some time...but now they've cleaned it up pretty well with two lane ramps both coming off and on. The BGS's were a bit disappointing as they ham-fisted the "International"  add-on to the signs; hopefully they will clean that up in the future.

Elapsed Time: 5 Hours 35 Minutes

May 17, 2020, 4:10 PM EDT
Trip South/East
FL 167/FL 71/US 90/I-10/I-95/FL 407
Spot Rain Showers to Partly Sunny

I-10/I-95 Add-On (Lake City ramp widening): I decided not to take I-295 SB on my return home and cut through downtown JAX and see the second reconstruction of the I-95/Fuller Warren/US 1 interchanges, I always believed the I-10/I-95 reconstruction was masterful, so I was caught by surprise when I saw the construction going on there and realized when I saw the pylons that they were widening the I-95 NB to I-10 WB Lake City flyover...GOOD. I knew it was only a matter of time before they were forced to widen it, but widen it they are and it's a good thing.

Fuller Warren add-on: The second thing that blindsided me was the lane add-ons for the Fuller Warren, which absolutely blew me away. Not that they didn't need it-even with eight lanes it's a diva especially during rush hours-but dayum, guys...someone is making sure JAX catches up with other metro areas in getting their downtown interstates in order.

US 1-90/I-95 Second Reconstruction: Jaw Drop. Drool. Magnificent three-to-five lane local/express braided ribbons (I had to go back in Google Satellite to see them all since I was rolling at the time and trying to take it all in). They built Space Mountain. It's absolutely sweet. I think they fixed it this time. GOOD ON YOU FDOT!

I-95/FL 202 Flyover: Nearly missed it, but it was worth it, another badly needed reconstruction that looks like it turned out well, and that loop ramp to I-95 SB makes all the difference.

Elapsed Time: 5 Hours 45 Minutes

General

FL 23 BGS: EB is fine, WB...WHY? God I wish I'd thought to mount my phone to record it (that's not gonna happen again), but it's a mishmash of text and symbols that a third grader with Visio could have done better. No, FDOT, you can't slop like that, dammit; Capital Circle was bad enough.

BusyBee's in Greenville and Lake City: I've read mentions of BusyBee's here on the forum and apparently their footprint is growing, they've built two locations along I-10 and have billboards along I-10 both ways, so they're playing it up.

Traffic: Thursday, I-95 from PSJ to Daytona was flowing well, once I got north of Daytona that went away quickly. Traffic was running roughly 70-75-80 with a small handful running 80+, but the ones running in the left lane are running 70-75 and not paying attention to the trains they're building up behind them until someone whips past them in the suicide lane, then they get a clue. Once you got them out of the way you could run 80 and most folks would stay put. I-295 was a mess until you got past the Buckman, then it did manage to smooth out somewhat, though there were a few who were clearly not paying attention to what they were doing. I-10, well...if you love getting caught behind a rig attempting to pass another rig, you'll love this road! Otherwise, once you cleared the rigs you had clear sailing through Tallahassee. Not much of a FHP presence.

Sunday, basically a reverse of Thursday though the ride to downtown Jax on I-10 was smooth and I-95 was flowing freely. FHP's were out in force between Tallahassee and Lake City, two EB and one westbound, the second one EB had two cars on them.

Effects of Hurricane: Just as an aside, I saw the effects of Hurricane Michael on my family farm (which is 65 miles north of Panama City) and it wasn't good. Our old barn had collapsed, my grandmother's clapboard home was still standing but it was a mess and badly overgrown, when they regraded the road after the storm it effectively blocked car access to the yard. I couldn't get to the back of the house because I wasn't exactly prepared (and those gnats were effing with me). One of my late uncles had a trailer on the corner where the road ended in a T intersection, it's been abandoned for 20 years but it was always a marker to use when you reached the farm...and I missed it, the undergrowth had sprung up that badly. I managed to find the old driveway leading up to his trailer and it was still there...how about that. My aunt tells me that the farm is going to clean it up, so I am hopeful.

That ends my report. May ye be edified and amused.
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

RoadPelican

Quote from: DeaconG on May 29, 2020, 01:26:54 AM
North Florida Trip May 14 and May 17, 2020

   I had to take a trip up to the Florida Panhandle for personal reasons (older brother passed away), so I thought I'd give some observations on my trip with eyes that hadn't done any travelling up that way in four years; some of the projects quite pleasing with a few WTF's in the mix, along with some general observations.
   Trip length: approximately 360 miles
   Trip To/From: Port St. John, FL to Bascom, FL

May 14, 2020, 3 PM EDT
Trip North/West
Port St. John Pkwy/I-95/I-295/I-10/US 90/FL 71/FL 167
Sunny to Partly Cloudy

I-95/I-4/US 92/FL 400 Interchange Daytona: ME LIKEY FDOT. It's well designed to insure that the traffic entering/exiting from I-4, US 92 and FL 400 are separated from the main drag and it's a noticeable speedup in the trip. Well lit, a bit swoopy but that's not a problem here.

Accidental 9B: You would think I would have known better than this screwup, but I got so fixated on the I-295 part of the BGS that I somehow didn't notice the 9B sign until I was past the gore point...and then I realized I'd screwed up. Well...looks like I'm going to get a good look at 9B up to Philips Highway! In truth, it's done really well and if I were travelling through JAX, this is the route you need to take (and keeps you from having to use that loop ramp SB at the I-95/295 interchange). Not thrilled at the wait time for the light at US 1 coming off, it's way too long (over three minutes).

I-295 Toll Lanes: WTF FDOT? Oh, no...no, no, no. What possessed you to put HOT lanes on the Beltway and take away a free lane in each direction to do that? The damn highway was already a chokepoint with four lanes due to the traffic coming on and off both Old St. Augustine Road and San Jose Boulevard, plus the through traffic heading for I-10 WB or I-95 SB, but you idiots took away a FREE LANE to have two HOT lanes in each direction and three free? I won't even describe the cluster that stretch was, the traffic was badly backing up at both interchanges and it didn't look like the HOT lanes were getting a ton of traffic at all. And you're going to extend this postpartum abortion across the Buckman. BAD FDOT. BAD!

Blanding/Collins Extension: This was in the works the last time I came up this way and I knew it would be needed once they built the ramp extension for Blanding Blvd. It looks like the interchange was handling the rush hour traffic well. A well-executed and well-done C/D upgrade for I-295.

Hammond Road/Marietta Interchange: I was so involved trying to merge out of the loop ramp from I-295 to I-10 Westbound (Earth to FDOT...FLYOVER!) that I nearly didn't realize that I was driving past the old Marietta off-ramp westbound and was blindsided by the Hammond Road interchange. For those who haven't been in the area, it made the merge onto I-10 from I-295 NB challenging because the Marietta RIRO was literally RIGHT THERE once the ramp from I-295 SB merged in. There used to be a convenience store right there on the corner where the ramps were located, I stopped for gas there a couple of times. It was well done and badly needed for the area, two lanes on and off from the east side works quite well.

Capital Circle NW Interchange: That actually caught me by surprise as I knew that FDOT and the county was working on widening Capital Circle there, but they didn't do the actual interchange for some time...but now they've cleaned it up pretty well with two lane ramps both coming off and on. The BGS's were a bit disappointing as they ham-fisted the "International"  add-on to the signs; hopefully they will clean that up in the future.

Elapsed Time: 5 Hours 35 Minutes

May 17, 2020, 4:10 PM EDT
Trip South/East
FL 167/FL 71/US 90/I-10/I-95/FL 407
Spot Rain Showers to Partly Sunny

I-10/I-95 Add-On (Lake City ramp widening): I decided not to take I-295 SB on my return home and cut through downtown JAX and see the second reconstruction of the I-95/Fuller Warren/US 1 interchanges, I always believed the I-10/I-95 reconstruction was masterful, so I was caught by surprise when I saw the construction going on there and realized when I saw the pylons that they were widening the I-95 NB to I-10 WB Lake City flyover...GOOD. I knew it was only a matter of time before they were forced to widen it, but widen it they are and it's a good thing.

Fuller Warren add-on: The second thing that blindsided me was the lane add-ons for the Fuller Warren, which absolutely blew me away. Not that they didn't need it-even with eight lanes it's a diva especially during rush hours-but dayum, guys...someone is making sure JAX catches up with other metro areas in getting their downtown interstates in order.

US 1-90/I-95 Second Reconstruction: Jaw Drop. Drool. Magnificent three-to-five lane local/express braided ribbons (I had to go back in Google Satellite to see them all since I was rolling at the time and trying to take it all in). They built Space Mountain. It's absolutely sweet. I think they fixed it this time. GOOD ON YOU FDOT!

I-95/FL 202 Flyover: Nearly missed it, but it was worth it, another badly needed reconstruction that looks like it turned out well, and that loop ramp to I-95 SB makes all the difference.

Elapsed Time: 5 Hours 45 Minutes

General

FL 23 BGS: EB is fine, WB...WHY? God I wish I'd thought to mount my phone to record it (that's not gonna happen again), but it's a mishmash of text and symbols that a third grader with Visio could have done better. No, FDOT, you can't slop like that, dammit; Capital Circle was bad enough.

BusyBee's in Greenville and Lake City: I've read mentions of BusyBee's here on the forum and apparently their footprint is growing, they've built two locations along I-10 and have billboards along I-10 both ways, so they're playing it up.

Traffic: Thursday, I-95 from PSJ to Daytona was flowing well, once I got north of Daytona that went away quickly. Traffic was running roughly 70-75-80 with a small handful running 80+, but the ones running in the left lane are running 70-75 and not paying attention to the trains they're building up behind them until someone whips past them in the suicide lane, then they get a clue. Once you got them out of the way you could run 80 and most folks would stay put. I-295 was a mess until you got past the Buckman, then it did manage to smooth out somewhat, though there were a few who were clearly not paying attention to what they were doing. I-10, well...if you love getting caught behind a rig attempting to pass another rig, you'll love this road! Otherwise, once you cleared the rigs you had clear sailing through Tallahassee. Not much of a FHP presence.

Sunday, basically a reverse of Thursday though the ride to downtown Jax on I-10 was smooth and I-95 was flowing freely. FHP's were out in force between Tallahassee and Lake City, two EB and one westbound, the second one EB had two cars on them.

Effects of Hurricane: Just as an aside, I saw the effects of Hurricane Michael on my family farm (which is 65 miles north of Panama City) and it wasn't good. Our old barn had collapsed, my grandmother's clapboard home was still standing but it was a mess and badly overgrown, when they regraded the road after the storm it effectively blocked car access to the yard. I couldn't get to the back of the house because I wasn't exactly prepared (and those gnats were effing with me). One of my late uncles had a trailer on the corner where the road ended in a T intersection, it's been abandoned for 20 years but it was always a marker to use when you reached the farm...and I missed it, the undergrowth had sprung up that badly. I managed to find the old driveway leading up to his trailer and it was still there...how about that. My aunt tells me that the farm is going to clean it up, so I am hopeful.

That ends my report. May ye be edified and amused.

Thanks for the report it was very interesting to read.

A couple things:

1) While the HOT lanes are a big pain to the JAX area, at least it's not as bad as the double tolling concept, which is present on the Suncoast Expressway in Tampa, and will soon be the Beachline Exp. in Orlando, and a few years later when the Turnpike gets widened in Martin and Palm Beach Counties.

Question: Whatever happened to the "anti-toll-higher sales tax instead position of JAX"?  I thought this legislation was passed in the late 1980's, did it get repealed or did FDOT tell JAX that sales tax revenues won't be enough to build new roads?

2) I agree with you, traffic has gotten really heavy on I-95 from Daytona to JAX, no it's not as bad as I-95 in Northern VA or even the Carolinas, as you still move around 70-75 MPH, but even during off peak hours this corridor is busy.  I remember driving to JAX from Orlando on a Saturday Morning in Sept a few years back and I could not put my cruise control on nor have much open space around me and this was 8-9 AM in the morning.  Ditto, for early January 2020, around 7 AM in the morning on a weekday, day after New Year's, a Thursday (most people off work until following Monday) lots of traffic surprisingly!

On the other hand, I-95 is an easy, all-cruise control drive from south of Daytona all the way until Fort Pierce. (Maybe a couple hiccups in Melbourne, but those are very short-term as opposed to between Daytona and JAX)

Conclusion, FDOT needs to start planning for another widening of I-95 from Daytona to JAX, the last widening here was 15-20 years ago, which may seem recent, but Volusia, Flagler and St. John's County are all among the fastest growing in the US and a lot of growth has happened here since 2000 and it shows no sign of slowing down.

Widening to 10 lanes will probably be able to keep up with growth for the next 50 years or so, but if it's just an 8 lane widening, then the corridor will probably be antiquated by 2040, and if it stays 6 lanes then by 2030 it will start looking like Northern VA.

DeaconG

More than likely you won't see them consider another widening before they complete the First Coast Expressway connection to I-95, so you're probably looking at no earlier than 2025-26; more than likely they only widen it to FL 23 and leave the four lanes headed to JAX. The way they dragged their feet on the widening from Fort Pierce to Palm Bay doesn't give me any warm fuzzies.

I'm not even going to start screaming on the Veterans Expressway/Suncoast HOT lane insanity. As far as the Beachline HOT lanes are concerned, they would have been better served to add lanes in both directions between the Turnpike and I-4 AND completely rebuild the Beachline/Turnpike/Orange Blossom Trail clusterfuck.

Melbourne will probably clear up a touch once the Ellis Road/St. John's Heritage Parkway interchange gets done around the end of the year. (Of course, if they don't widen Ellis Road between I-95 and NASA Blvd/Wickham Road, this is going to turn into a major cluster in short order with the intersection with John Rodes RIGHT THERE.
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

VTGoose

Quote from: RoadPelican on May 30, 2020, 12:13:41 PM

Thanks for the report it was very interesting to read.

A couple things:

2) I agree with you, traffic has gotten really heavy on I-95 from Daytona to JAX, no it's not as bad as I-95 in Northern VA or even the Carolinas, as you still move around 70-75 MPH, but even during off peak hours this corridor is busy.  I remember driving to JAX from Orlando on a Saturday Morning in Sept a few years back and I could not put my cruise control on nor have much open space around me and this was 8-9 AM in the morning.  Ditto, for early January 2020, around 7 AM in the morning on a weekday, day after New Year's, a Thursday (most people off work until following Monday) lots of traffic surprisingly!

The pandemic has changed a lot of things. When we were returning from Apollo Beach to Virginia after the birth of our grandson, I opted to take I-4 to I-95 instead of the usual route up I-75 to Ocala, then U.S. 301 to Baldwin, Callahan, and on to I-95. Between the stay-at-home orders, the total shutdown of Disney et al, and it being Sunday, April 5, I expected a whole lot less traffic -- and that's how it turned out. We zipped though Orlando with no delays (other than slowing in some places for the massive construction) and pretty much flew unimpeded by much traffic all the way to Jacksonville. I chose to go through the city instead of around and again, it was only in some construction areas that we were slowed. The whole trip was like that and we made it home in record time -- making the trip in about 11 hours when it usually takes between 12 (the best up until now) to 14-15 (Thanksgiving trips with 25 MPH traffic on I-95 in S. Carolina).

Bruce in Blacksburg
"Get in the fast lane, grandma!  The bingo game is ready to roll!"

Alex

Nice roadtrip report, thanks for posting it.  :nod:

Quote from: DeaconG on May 29, 2020, 01:26:54 AM

I-95/I-4/US 92/FL 400 Interchange Daytona: ME LIKEY FDOT. It's well designed to insure that the traffic entering/exiting from I-4, US 92 and FL 400 are separated from the main drag and it's a noticeable speedup in the trip. Well lit, a bit swoopy but that's not a problem here.

Finished well over a year behind schedule though (Spring 2020 vs late 2018). I am not a big fan of being dumped onto a c/d roadway from I-4 east to I-95 north through. The sign consistency on I-95 leaves a bit to be desired as well:




I-4 should have west and SR 400 should have east, but perhaps that is a bit too nitpicky.

Quote from: DeaconG on May 29, 2020, 01:26:54 AM

I-295 Toll Lanes: WTF FDOT? Oh, no...no, no, no. What possessed you to put HOT lanes on the Beltway and take away a free lane in each direction to do that? The damn highway was already a chokepoint with four lanes due to the traffic coming on and off both Old St. Augustine Road and San Jose Boulevard, plus the through traffic heading for I-10 WB or I-95 SB, but you idiots took away a FREE LANE to have two HOT lanes in each direction and three free? I won't even describe the cluster that stretch was, the traffic was badly backing up at both interchanges and it didn't look like the HOT lanes were getting a ton of traffic at all. And you're going to extend this postpartum abortion across the Buckman. BAD FDOT. BAD!

At least the Express Lanes they are adding on the East Beltway of I-295 are additional lanes that were not there presently. I echo what others wrote, the Jacksonville Express Lanes are good in that they are toll free during non peak hours. The ones added to the Veterans Expressway (SR 589) are like that (no additional charge during off peak, though I've never seen them charging additional tolls thus far).

Quote from: DeaconG on May 29, 2020, 01:26:54 AM

Hammond Road/Marietta Interchange: I was so involved trying to merge out of the loop ramp from I-295 to I-10 Westbound (Earth to FDOT...FLYOVER!) that I nearly didn't realize that I was driving past the old Marietta off-ramp westbound and was blindsided by the Hammond Road interchange. For those who haven't been in the area, it made the merge onto I-10 from I-295 NB challenging because the Marietta RIRO was literally RIGHT THERE once the ramp from I-295 SB merged in. There used to be a convenience store right there on the corner where the ramps were located, I stopped for gas there a couple of times. It was well done and badly needed for the area, two lanes on and off from the east side works quite well.




That change took place between 2013 and 2016. Caught the former ramp you mentioned in the photo we took 06/16/16 (looks like I need to swap this photo out with one from 2019).


Quote from: DeaconG on May 29, 2020, 01:26:54 AM

Capital Circle NW Interchange: That actually caught me by surprise as I knew that FDOT and the county was working on widening Capital Circle there, but they didn't do the actual interchange for some time...but now they've cleaned it up pretty well with two lane ramps both coming off and on. The BGS's were a bit disappointing as they ham-fisted the "International"  add-on to the signs; hopefully they will clean that up in the future.


That Capital Circle (SR 263) was being widened south from SR 20 to SR 371 in 2014. Thought to check that out last month when I was through the area, but didn't have enough time. The expanded ramps from I-10 were part of the Moving I-10 Forward project in 2006-09.

Did shoot photos of those wretched greenouts for the renaming of Tallahassee Regional to International Airport one month ago today (need to get those posted to the site still). They also greened out the guide sign on US 90 (Mahan Drive) west at I-10 with series C Highway Gothic below Tallahassee in series D.

Quote from: DeaconG on May 29, 2020, 01:26:54 AM

I-10/I-95 Add-On (Lake City ramp widening): I decided not to take I-295 SB on my return home and cut through downtown JAX and see the second reconstruction of the I-95/Fuller Warren/US 1 interchanges, I always believed the I-10/I-95 reconstruction was masterful, so I was caught by surprise when I saw the construction going on there and realized when I saw the pylons that they were widening the I-95 NB to I-10 WB Lake City flyover...GOOD. I knew it was only a matter of time before they were forced to widen it, but widen it they are and it's a good thing.

Fuller Warren add-on: The second thing that blindsided me was the lane add-ons for the Fuller Warren, which absolutely blew me away. Not that they didn't need it-even with eight lanes it's a diva especially during rush hours-but dayum, guys...someone is making sure JAX catches up with other metro areas in getting their downtown interstates in order.


The I-10/I-95 Interchange Improvements project adds a lane per direction and a multiuse path along the southbound side of the Fuller Warren Bridge. Work started in May 2017 and runs until Spring 2021 (was originally scheduled to finish this Summer).

Quote from: DeaconG on May 29, 2020, 01:26:54 AM

US 1-90/I-95 Second Reconstruction: Jaw Drop. Drool. Magnificent three-to-five lane local/express braided ribbons (I had to go back in Google Satellite to see them all since I was rolling at the time and trying to take it all in). They built Space Mountain. It's absolutely sweet. I think they fixed it this time. GOOD ON YOU FDOT!


That was the Overland Bridge Project, started in January 2013. It was supposed to wrap up in mid-2016, but dragged onto to Spring 2018. The project added those c/d roadways and resulted in US 1 and US 90 being relocated onto them (a portion of old US 1 was resigned as SR 5).

I photographed it for the site last November with roadman65, and again in March with flaroads:
Northbound: https://www.aaroads.com/guides/i-095-north-southside-fl/
Southbound: https://www.aaroads.com/guides/i-095-south-southside-fl/

Quote from: DeaconG on May 29, 2020, 01:26:54 AM

I-95/FL 202 Flyover: Nearly missed it, but it was worth it, another badly needed reconstruction that looks like it turned out well, and that loop ramp to I-95 SB makes all the difference.


That was another nice addition and it included upgrades on SR 202 (Butler Boulevard) too. The flyover opened on September 7, 2017. Work started in 2015.


This was a change made on SR 202 westbound.

Quote from: DeaconG on May 29, 2020, 01:26:54 AM

FL 23 BGS: EB is fine, WB...WHY? God I wish I'd thought to mount my phone to record it (that's not gonna happen again), but it's a mishmash of text and symbols that a third grader with Visio could have done better. No, FDOT, you can't slop like that, dammit; Capital Circle was bad enough.


Agreed, they are ridiculous. I need to update the site with our photos of these as well.
Simplify it with "SR 23 South - Middleburg / U.S. 90 Beaver St." Done and done. Drop the superfluous Cecil Commerce Center Parkway and have the Toll SR 23 shield suffice instead of always writing out FIRST COAST EXPRESSWAY.

Alex

My wife and I went over to Titusville last Wednesday to see the SpaceX launch (it was scrubbed right after we found a place to see it). Have posted most of the photos from trip to AARoads already. Some observations from the ride:

The way over we took I-4 to SR 408 east to SR 50 east into Bithlo. Did a loop north to circumvent some traffic via Taylor Road north, Lake Pickett Road (unsigned CR 420) east and Chuluota Road (unsigned CR 419) south. Resumed along SR 50 east to SR 520 east, SR 528 east, SR 407 north, local roads into Titusville.

Interstate 4 eastbound photos updated from I-275 to SR 408. I mostly aimed to replace any from 2015 or older. Look for 05/27/20

There is now a "Last Rest Area on I-4" sign ahead of the eastbound facility in Polk County.

The weather worn guide sign for Exit 58/SR 532 was replaced in kind. Still references Kissimmee, as if it was 1990 and US 17/92 was still a good route to take to it.

I'd replace Kissimmee with Loughman or Intercession City and add Champions Gate. Would put Poinciana with a SR 538 shield on a supplemental sign.

The South Street ramp was renumbered from Exit 82B to Exit 83.
Had the chance to take another one of the flyovers at the systems interchange with SR 408. You get a great view of Downtown Orlando from up there:


I posted photos from May 22 along I-4 west at SR 408 over the weekend as well. Control points for SR 408 (Ocoee and Titusville) were finally added on guide signs from I-4: https://www.aaroads.com/fl/004/i-004-w-exit-082-4.jpg

Rephotographed SR 408 east from Mills Avenue (Exit 11B) to SR 50: https://www.aaroads.com/guides/fl-408-east-union-park/

All of the blue/white toll rate placards on SR 408 eastbound guide signs were overlayed with yellow/black ones displaying simply "Pay Toll"
The guide signs for the toll plazas were also changed to more prominently display EPass:



The control points for SR 417 were changed since my last drive on SR 408 from Sanford / Orlando International Airport to the inane Tampa and Daytona Beach.


Sanford and OIA however were retained on sign replacements at the flyover split: https://www.aaroads.com/fl/408/fl-408-e-exit-018-7.jpg

The interchange upgrade at SR 408/417 was completed last year, as was the widening of the East-West Expressway to Exit 21 / Alafaya Trail. All signs were replaced and now use Clearview font.

Still no advance mention of the toll booth along the entrance ramp from SR 520 to SR 528 eastbound. The toll shields don't count IMO as SR 281 in Santa Rosa County is signed with toll shields south from I-10, despite it being toll free until the last turn off before the Garcon Point Bridge. Plus standard SR 528 shields are posted at the on-ramp in both directions:



Noticeable grading underway and initial bridge construction all along the south side of SR 528 for the Virgin Trains USA / Brightline high speed rail project.




Way back was Grissom Pkwy south to Port St. Johns Parkway west to I-95 south. Was running with Waze and had previously looked at Google Maps and saw the blood red traffic on SR 528, so I opted for this way and Waze was in agreement. Took I-95 to SR 524 west, SR 520 west to SR 528. Took I-4 back to Tampa, with two brief loops to avoid traffic jams due to accidents/thunderstorms.

There's still a few orange barrels along SR 528 at the Beachline Express Lanes, but the overall project is finally done. As a result, you get 5 overheads for Toll Florida's Turnpike Turnpike and US 17/92/441 with no destination westbound:


The first one. Plenty of space on this sign bridge to add Ocala/Miami or Orange Blossom Trail, but instead overheads were replaced in kind.

Diverted from I-4 onto SR 429 north to Sinclair Road east to Old Lake Wilson Road (CR 545) south to circumvent traffic. As if the Orlando area needed another, a massive apartment complex was quickly built within the small wedge of land between the northbound off-ramp at Exit 1 and Sinclair Road. https://www.google.com/maps/@28.295015,-81.6013804,3a,75y,62.62h,94.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1si9ZUdFVTs3TTkIgO7sNpgg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 The GSV image is from February and they are already putting the finishing touches on the buildings.

New traffic lights added on CR 532 (Osceola Polk Line Road) at Heritage Pass. This section will become that much more of a cluster once the Orlando Health hospital and more retail is crammed in along the north side. Plus frontage road construction from CR 532 north to Celebration continues in earnest for more suburban development.

Jumped off I-4 again via CR 557 south, CR 557A west and SR 559 south to avoid this:



Sloppy replace in kind sign for I-4 east on CR 557 south. The lone shield for CR 17 south on CR 557 south is gone, but one for CR 557A was added.

And got another look at this terrible sign:


Saw the signing plans, and it was done perfectly, complete with the off centered Mango and poor kerning for Thonotosassa.

DeaconG

Quote from: Alex on June 02, 2020, 11:23:52 AM
My wife and I went over to Titusville last Wednesday to see the SpaceX launch (it was scrubbed right after we found a place to see it). Have posted most of the photos from trip to AARoads already. Some observations from the ride:

The way over we took I-4 to SR 408 east to SR 50 east into Bithlo. Did a loop north to circumvent some traffic via Taylor Road north, Lake Pickett Road (unsigned CR 420) east and Chuluota Road (unsigned CR 419) south. Resumed along SR 50 east to SR 520 east, SR 528 east, SR 407 north, local roads into Titusville.

Interstate 4 eastbound photos updated from I-275 to SR 408. I mostly aimed to replace any from 2015 or older. Look for 05/27/20

There is now a "Last Rest Area on I-4" sign ahead of the eastbound facility in Polk County.

The weather worn guide sign for Exit 58/SR 532 was replaced in kind. Still references Kissimmee, as if it was 1990 and US 17/92 was still a good route to take to it.

I'd replace Kissimmee with Loughman or Intercession City and add Champions Gate. Would put Poinciana with a SR 538 shield on a supplemental sign.

The South Street ramp was renumbered from Exit 82B to Exit 83.
Had the chance to take another one of the flyovers at the systems interchange with SR 408. You get a great view of Downtown Orlando from up there:


I posted photos from May 22 along I-4 west at SR 408 over the weekend as well. Control points for SR 408 (Ocoee and Titusville) were finally added on guide signs from I-4: https://www.aaroads.com/fl/004/i-004-w-exit-082-4.jpg

Rephotographed SR 408 east from Mills Avenue (Exit 11B) to SR 50: https://www.aaroads.com/guides/fl-408-east-union-park/

All of the blue/white toll rate placards on SR 408 eastbound guide signs were overlayed with yellow/black ones displaying simply "Pay Toll"
The guide signs for the toll plazas were also changed to more prominently display EPass:



The control points for SR 417 were changed since my last drive on SR 408 from Sanford / Orlando International Airport to the inane Tampa and Daytona Beach.


Sanford and OIA however were retained on sign replacements at the flyover split: https://www.aaroads.com/fl/408/fl-408-e-exit-018-7.jpg

The interchange upgrade at SR 408/417 was completed last year, as was the widening of the East-West Expressway to Exit 21 / Alafaya Trail. All signs were replaced and now use Clearview font.

Still no advance mention of the toll booth along the entrance ramp from SR 520 to SR 528 eastbound. The toll shields don't count IMO as SR 281 in Santa Rosa County is signed with toll shields south from I-10, despite it being toll free until the last turn off before the Garcon Point Bridge. Plus standard SR 528 shields are posted at the on-ramp in both directions:



Noticeable grading underway and initial bridge construction all along the south side of SR 528 for the Virgin Trains USA / Brightline high speed rail project.




Way back was Grissom Pkwy south to Port St. Johns Parkway west to I-95 south. Was running with Waze and had previously looked at Google Maps and saw the blood red traffic on SR 528, so I opted for this way and Waze was in agreement. Took I-95 to SR 524 west, SR 520 west to SR 528. Took I-4 back to Tampa, with two brief loops to avoid traffic jams due to accidents/thunderstorms.

There's still a few orange barrels along SR 528 at the Beachline Express Lanes, but the overall project is finally done. As a result, you get 5 overheads for Toll Florida's Turnpike Turnpike and US 17/92/441 with no destination westbound:


The first one. Plenty of space on this sign bridge to add Ocala/Miami or Orange Blossom Trail, but instead overheads were replaced in kind.

Diverted from I-4 onto SR 429 north to Sinclair Road east to Old Lake Wilson Road (CR 545) south to circumvent traffic. As if the Orlando area needed another, a massive apartment complex was quickly built within the small wedge of land between the northbound off-ramp at Exit 1 and Sinclair Road. https://www.google.com/maps/@28.295015,-81.6013804,3a,75y,62.62h,94.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1si9ZUdFVTs3TTkIgO7sNpgg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 The GSV image is from February and they are already putting the finishing touches on the buildings.

New traffic lights added on CR 532 (Osceola Polk Line Road) at Heritage Pass. This section will become that much more of a cluster once the Orlando Health hospital and more retail is crammed in along the north side. Plus frontage road construction from CR 532 north to Celebration continues in earnest for more suburban development.

Jumped off I-4 again via CR 557 south, CR 557A west and SR 559 south to avoid this:



Sloppy replace in kind sign for I-4 east on CR 557 south. The lone shield for CR 17 south on CR 557 south is gone, but one for CR 557A was added.

And got another look at this terrible sign:


Saw the signing plans, and it was done perfectly, complete with the off centered Mango and poor kerning for Thonotosassa.

I made sure I kept my behind in the house that day...you were less than 10 minutes away! No, my idiot behind went out on Saturday to pay some bills before the launch and go to MI afterwards...I forgot how ugly the traffic gets around here for a launch. Also, Barna and Park Avenues in Titusville become your friends during a launch; you can decide whether to risk Space View/Sand Point/Parrish (via Garden Street) or find a place along US 1 using Knox-McRae, Country Club or Harrison. Kennedy Point Park is still undergoing reconstruction so you can't park your car there (that was my fallback point, my normal point is at the base of the A Max Brewer, then I would schlep me and my camera gear to the top of the bridge).

I have got to do the I-4/408 as soon as I get a new transponder.
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

rickmastfan67

Has anybody been up to Pensacola lately to see if FL-99 has been signed yet?

D-Dey65

Quote from: rickmastfan67 on June 04, 2020, 08:12:23 PM
Has anybody been up to Pensacola lately to see if FL-99 has been signed yet?
I never even went close.

But I did get some shots of Hernando County Road 576 a week or two ago, which I still have yet to post.




Hwy 61 Revisited

Isn't it odd how DisneyWorld has its own freeway system?
And you may ask yourself, where does that highway go to?
--David Byrne

kevinb1994

Quote from: Hwy 61 Revisited on June 17, 2020, 11:26:45 AM
Isn't it odd how DisneyWorld has its own freeway system?
Not necessarily, it's for logistical purposes.

74/171FAN

The southbound lanes of Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart (US 1 over the St. Lucie River) are closed along with Dixie Hwy below it due to a large crack having been found on the south side of the bridge.  Two lanes (one in each direction) are in place on the northbound lanes.
I am now a PennDOT employee.  My opinions/views do not necessarily reflect the opinions/views of PennDOT.

kevinb1994

Quote from: 74/171FAN on June 17, 2020, 01:12:19 PM
The southbound lanes of Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart (US 1 over the St. Lucie River) are closed along with Dixie Hwy below it due to a large crack having been found on the south side of the bridge.  Two lanes (one in each direction) are in place on the northbound lanes.
I've never been there, how old is the bridge?

Kniwt

Quote from: 74/171FAN on June 17, 2020, 01:12:19 PM
The southbound lanes of Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart (US 1 over the St. Lucie River) are closed along with Dixie Hwy below it due to a large crack having been found on the south side of the bridge.  Two lanes (one in each direction) are in place on the northbound lanes.

All lanes are now closed in both directions after "structural issues" were found on the other side. However, local officials are contradicting the Coast Guard's claim that the bridge is at "risk of imminent collapse."
https://www.wptv.com/news/state/region-martin-county/roosevelt-bridge-at-risk-of-an-imminent-collapse-in-stuart

Quote from: kevinb1994 on June 17, 2020, 01:13:33 PM
I've never been there, how old is the bridge?

"Construction of the new Roosevelt Bridge began in April 1994 when the first test pilings were driven into the riverbed. The northbound span of the bridge opened in November 1996. Traffic in both directions shared the span until the southbound bridge was completed."
https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/martin-county/2020/06/17/coast-guard-warns-roosevelt-bridge-risk-imminent-collapse-stuart/3204479001/

Kniwt

Quote from: Kniwt on June 17, 2020, 09:43:27 PM
All lanes are now closed in both directions after "structural issues" were found on the other side. However, local officials are contradicting the Coast Guard's claim that the bridge is at "risk of imminent collapse."

The situation appears to have gotten much worse on Thursday:
https://www.wptv.com/news/region-martin-county/stuart/testing-underway-at-roosevelt-bridge-in-stuart-after-chunks-of-concrete-fall

QuoteThe mayor of Stuart has declared a local state of emergency after inspectors uncovered "severe corrosion" and ruptured steel tendons on the Roosevelt Bridge on Thursday.

Transportation officials are warning people not to go "anywhere close" to the structure after chunks of concrete fell earlier this week, forcing the entire bridge to shut down until further notice.

... In a pair of tweets around 2:30 p.m., the Florida Department of Transportation said that "latest inspections and calculations show that the first span of the southbound bridge has severe corrosion resulting in steel tendons that support the bridge being ruptured."

The tweets went onto say that "the first span of the southbound bridge will need to be temporarily supported as soon as possible in an abundance of caution. Nobody should be under, over or anywhere close to this segment. We will be fencing off the entire area immediately."

Great Lakes Roads

I am not sure on where to put this, but it's pretty exciting!

The Florida Turnpike is currently working on two all-electronic (AET) conversions along the Turnpike itself.

The first one being the "northern" part of the Turnpike between Kissimmee Park Road (MP 236) to Interstate 75, and the completion date is 2021.
http://www.floridasturnpike.com/content/downloads/Current%20Project%20Descriptions/FACT%20SHEET%20-%20AET%20Northern%20Coin%20Construction.pdf

The other one is the "All-Electronic Tolling (AET) Phase 8 Conversion Project" from the Lantana Toll Plaza (MP 88) to the Three Lakes Toll Plaza (MP 236), and the completion date is 2024.
http://www.floridasturnpike.com/content/downloads/Current%20Project%20Descriptions/AET%208%20Project%20Map.pdf
http://www.floridasturnpike.com/content/downloads/Current%20Project%20Descriptions/AET%208%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

Once this whole project is complete, the Florida Turnpike will be an all-electronic toll road the whole way.  :clap:

pianocello

Quote from: Great Lakes Roads on June 27, 2020, 02:54:43 AM
I am not sure on where to put this, but it's pretty exciting!

The Florida Turnpike is currently working on two all-electronic (AET) conversions along the Turnpike itself.

Interesting. I don't know much about how the existing AET system works on Turnpike-maintained roads, but I'm concerned about how this will mesh with the potentially high amount of out-of-state traffic north of SR 429. Is there an extra surcharge for vehicles without SunPass? Does it cost FTE any more to bill by plate for out-of-state plates?

That said, I'm glad they're finally making it possible to bypass cash lanes system-wide. On my first time driving on the Turnpike, I was in a rental car paid by the company I was interviewing for and I didn't know you couldn't go back and pay tolls online later like in Illinois.
Davenport, IA -> Valparaiso, IN -> Ames, IA -> Orlando, FL -> Gainesville, FL -> Evansville, IN

emory

I took a look at Google Street View to see the Starke Bypass and noticed that the split on both ends from US 319 facing the intersection signs the bypass as US 319 ALT and the main road as US 319 BUS. The latter must be in error because I don't remember there being plans to re-sign US 319 as a business route.


Verlanka

Quote from: emory on July 01, 2020, 10:59:54 PM
I took a look at Google Street View to see the Starke Bypass and noticed that the split on both ends from US 301 facing the intersection signs the bypass as US 301 ALT and the main road as US 301 BUS. The latter must be in error because I don't remember there being plans to re-sign US 301 as a business route.
Edited for accuracy.

Alex

Quote from: emory on July 01, 2020, 10:59:54 PM
I took a look at Google Street View to see the Starke Bypass and noticed that the split on both ends from US 319 facing the intersection signs the bypass as US 319 ALT and the main road as US 319 BUS. The latter must be in error because I don't remember there being plans to re-sign US 319 as a business route.

There are no plans to designate a business route for U.S. 301. Instead the Business banners are an attempt to steer some of the traffic into Starke to patronize area businesses.

Similarly, there are also business banners (somewhat erroneous) for SR 16 and SR 100 on the off-ramps from U.S. 301 ALT / Starke Truck Route:



Have complete coverage of the Starke Truck Route in both directions on the site.



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