Florida

[NE2]

OT, I guess, but best to ask Floridians: WTF are these?

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.4930968,-81.619981,644m/data=!3m1!1e3

These are detention areas to hold excess water. Years ago when I worked for a survey company in Orlando I remember seeing some further to the south near Florida 429 north of Western Way (Exit 8), and they were somewhat full of water at the time.

Not quite. http://waterconservii.com/rib_anatomy.html

The ones near Western Way are RCID/Disney's version.

[roadman65]

Personally, I find the black-bordered US Route shields to be the biggest non-issue in all of roadgeekdom. Many seem to make a huge deal out of something visually inconsequential.

To me what difference does it make whether a shield has a black border or not.  The feds and their MUTCD which seems to require standardization of things.  The funny thing about this is when all the road agencies finally get around to changing all of the requests set in the manual, a new change takes place rendering the other one's obsolete.

Anyway, what harm is a black border shield that the feds need to mandate their use of them?  Just like why can't a street/road name appear on the same sign as control cities on exit guides?  To me I like the various different ways road agencies work, it creates variety instead of the same ole boring thing.  Long as the job is done that is what is important.

[D-Dey65]

Hey, I know the Anclote River has been severely flooded, but does anybody have any clue if the floods are causing any problems for the Suncoast Parkway?

[FLRoads]

Hey, I know the Anclote River has been severely flooded, but does anybody have any clue if the floods are causing any problems for the Suncoast Parkway?

I haven't seen any news today on issues with flooding along the immediate area of the Suncoast Parkway.

[Brian556]

Double street name signs on signals on SR 50 in E Orlando:
https://www.google.com/maps/@28.565356,-81.19471,3a,29y,133.66h,88.58t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sD0_bK8gL8YZR1pd-fa_ryg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

WTF. I thought at first it was two photos from different times stitched together but that does not seem to be the case.
Look around the intersection.

[florida]

Double street name signs on signals on SR 50 in E Orlando:
https://www.google.com/maps/@28.565356,-81.19471,3a,29y,133.66h,88.58t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sD0_bK8gL8YZR1pd-fa_ryg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

WTF. I thought at first it was two photos from different times stitched together but that does not seem to be the case.
Look around the intersection.

The new signs have to be some new standard with the construction company or with FDOT. They may phase out the old signs after construction is complete.


On a side note, SR 243 in Jacksonville finally has one shield in each direction.

[rickmastfan67]

On a side note, SR 243 in Jacksonville finally has one shield in each direction.

Got pics?  Can then finally add it to OSM.

[FLRoads]

Gridlock in Congress could halt Florida road projects

Faced with an uncertain flow of federal highway funding, Florida transportation officials are working to identify road construction projects which can be frozen or scrapped if the need arises.

Though the state has a reserve that can maintain current spending on road projects for three to six months, officials want to have a plan in place should a full renewal of the Highway Trust Fund not come to fruition by the end of the year.

"There potentially could be a six-month window where we would need to take a look at whether or not we would need to slow down some projects," said Matt Ubben, president of the group Floridians for Better Transportation, pointing to the I-4 Ultimate makeover in Central Florida and widening of I-75 and I-275 in the Tampa Bay area as road project behemoths that could be affected.

[roadman65]

Gridlock in Congress could halt Florida road projects

Faced with an uncertain flow of federal highway funding, Florida transportation officials are working to identify road construction projects which can be frozen or scrapped if the need arises.

Though the state has a reserve that can maintain current spending on road projects for three to six months, officials want to have a plan in place should a full renewal of the Highway Trust Fund not come to fruition by the end of the year.

"There potentially could be a six-month window where we would need to take a look at whether or not we would need to slow down some projects," said Matt Ubben, president of the group Floridians for Better Transportation, pointing to the I-4 Ultimate makeover in Central Florida and widening of I-75 and I-275 in the Tampa Bay area as road project behemoths that could be affected.

Then you got Dick Scott going around America trying to get people to come move to Florida adding more cars each day to an already over capacitated road system that cannot even handle its present day traffic demands.

If they were smart, the government should make all new developments create rights of ways on their land for future rail lines or heck get the developer to build rail lines on their development especially that we have some people in Washington who say that they're green, but allow sprawl big time.  A developer does not need to have studies done to build, but yet the municipality, county, and state need to do endless studies, hearings to convince NIMBY's, and then campaigning for finances to get a road done to finally be out of date when the first bulldozer hits.

[FLRoads]

Does anyone know the history of S-645?

[NE2]

Does anyone know the history of S-645?

Never heard of one.

[FLRoads]

Does anyone know the history of S-645?

Never heard of one.

I was hoping you might have known something about it. I found some 1965 ROW plans at work today. It was never built but it would have gone from SR 60 at its current intersection with Valrico Road, then hook immediately northeast along the CSX rail all the way to Plant City. I'm just curious as to why it was never built (though I'm sure I can guess the whys).

[florida]

On a side note, SR 243 in Jacksonville finally has one shield in each direction.

Got pics?  Can then finally add it to OSM.

No pics, but saw it on GSV. One shield just north of I-295 and another just south of SR 102. No mention of it from either road, but there has been much more clearing of land to the north of SR 102.

Does anyone know the history of S-645?

Never heard of one.

I was hoping you might have known something about it. I found some 1965 ROW plans at work today. It was never built but it would have gone from SR 60 at its current intersection with Valrico Road, then hook immediately northeast along the CSX rail all the way to Plant City. I'm just curious as to why it was never built (though I'm sure I can guess the whys).

I'm pretty sure it's on my 'planning maps' from FDOT. 

[FLRoads]

I'm pretty sure it's on my 'planning maps' from FDOT.

I'm going to try and see if I can find anything more on it today. The only other thing I do know is there is a stamp on the front page that indicates FDOT transferred it to Hillsborough County in 1983. I assume they did this transfer so the county would at least have these plans on record. It was part of the state and secondary road transfer back in the day.

[FLRoads]

MPO approves plan for express toll lanes on I-275, I-4

The Metropolitan Planning Organization on Tuesday approved a $3 billion plan to add express toll lanes to interstates 275 and 4 and rebuild the northbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge.

The board did include some concessions to ease the concerns of the crowd at the meeting, most of whom opposed the project.

The plan adds express toll lanes from the Pinellas County side of Tampa Bay to Bearss Avenue on Interstate 275. There will be no interchanges between Bearss Avenue and downtown so people who live in between won't be able to get onto the express lanes, another issue that was widely criticized Tuesday night.

Toll lanes also would be added along Interstate 4 from downtown Tampa to east of Interstate 75.

Thousands have signed a petition opposing the expansion project, which has been in the state transportation plan since 1996. The transportation department has been purchasing rights of way along the edges of the interstates for years but started drawing community opposition recently when it decided to fast-track the expansion plans.

State officials say design work on the new span of the Howard Frankland could begin in 2019, with construction beginning probably in early 2020. It's a four- to five-year project.

As part of that segment of the work, a platform would be put in place to handle the future addition of "premium transit,"  which could be either light rail, bus rapid transit or a driverless people-mover train.

[rickmastfan67]

On a side note, SR 243 in Jacksonville finally has one shield in each direction.

Got pics?  Can then finally add it to OSM.

No pics, but saw it on GSV. One shield just north of I-295 and another just south of SR 102. No mention of it from either road, but there has been much more clearing of land to the north of SR 102.

Can't use GSV for the basis for changing the 'unsigned_ref' tags to 'ref' tags in OSM.  Need a physical photo that doesn't have any tie to Google for the basis of doing the change.

[lordsutch]

Can't use GSV for the basis for changing the 'unsigned_ref' tags to 'ref' tags in OSM.  Need a physical photo that doesn't have any tie to Google for the basis of doing the change.

Only if there's no OSM editor who's seen the sign in person, or can confirm with someone who has, in which case they can source=survey it.

[roadman65]

Starting this week coming the EB I-4 exit to NB FL 435  near Universal Studios (part of the I-4 Ultimate Project) will be relocated to beyond where the current left exit is.  A new temporary left ramp with a right side merge into Kirkman Road will exist until the new overpasses and the permanent right side exits will be built.

[jwolfer]

On a side note, SR 243 in Jacksonville finally has one shield in each direction.

Got pics?  Can then finally add it to OSM.

No pics, but saw it on GSV. One shield just north of I-295 and another just south of SR 102. No mention of it from either road, but there has been much more clearing of land to the north of SR 102.

Does anyone know the history of S-645?

Never heard of one.

I was hoping you might have known something about it. I found some 1965 ROW plans at work today. It was never built but it would have gone from SR 60 at its current intersection with Valrico Road, then hook immediately northeast along the CSX rail all the way to Plant City. I'm just curious as to why it was never built (though I'm sure I can guess the whys).

I'm pretty sure it's on my 'planning maps' from FDOT.

Just south of SR 102.. There is a SR 243 shield on a distance sign on 295nb

[florida]

Thank you jwolfer. It sure is pretty!

[rickmastfan67]

Thanks for posting that picture jwolfer.   I see lordsutch already beat me to updating it in OSM.

[Brian556]

Thanks for posting that picture jwolfer.   I see lordsutch already beat me to updating it in OSM.

Somebody needs to update the Boggy Creek Rd situation in Osceola Co

[NE2]

Somebody needs to update the Boggy Creek Rd situation in Osceola Co

What situation?

[florida]

Somebody needs to update the Boggy Creek Rd situation in Osceola Co

What situation?

Is it because the east-west section is now Simpson Road?? Boggy Creek no longer intersects itself?

[NE2]

Is it because the east-west section is now Simpson Road?? Boggy Creek no longer intersects itself?

Whoa. I missed that.
http://www.aroundosceola.com/boggy-creek-intersection-to-recive-facelift/
But what happened to the part west of Fortune/Simpson?