Florida

[DeaconG]

The widening project on I-95 between SR 528 and SR 406 is practically complete, all they need to do is finish mounting some of the overhead signs and restriping.  I have no idea what the hold-up is on getting that third lane in service.

Had a chance to drive down US 1 in Cocoa and the widening project between SR 528 and Main Street is in full gear, most of the former grassy median has either been paved over or in preparation to be filled and paved (there are a couple of places where they still have the grassy median in place, I expect they will get cleared soon).  Maybe Christmas?

[roadman65]

I am interested in seeing the SR 407 interchange with full turn capability.  I just wonder if that will cut down on head on collisions for SR 407 as people will see SR 407 as the two lane non freeway it is with the new configuration.  In the past that merge area was fooling some into thinking that SR 407 was divided and a one way to boot resulting in some serious accidents!

Plus no more illegal turns as many would make a left off both ramps to u turn on to the opposite direction of I-95 is a great thing.

[FLRoads]

SunPass now works in North Carolina

SunPass transponders can now be used on the toll roads of North Carolina and will by October 2016 be able to be used on all toll roads nationwide.

[realjd]

The widening project on I-95 between SR 528 and SR 406 is practically complete, all they need to do is finish mounting some of the overhead signs and restriping.  I have no idea what the hold-up is on getting that third lane in service.

Had a chance to drive down US 1 in Cocoa and the widening project between SR 528 and Main Street is in full gear, most of the former grassy median has either been paved over or in preparation to be filled and paved (there are a couple of places where they still have the grassy median in place, I expect they will get cleared soon).  Maybe Christmas?

They were incredibly slow getting the third lane open on the Malabar to Fiske section of I95 also, and when they did open it, they opened t one mile at a time over the course of several weeks IIRC.

[roadman65]

Just saw a message on a VMS along FL 528 in Orlando, FL and it said that the NC electronic toll device known as QUickPass is now interchangeable with SunPass.  I do not know if it is going to respond on E Pass system in Orange County, as the message did not say E Pass use.

I wonder if QuickPass will take SunPass?

[NE2]

Look two posts above yours...

[roadman65]

Did not see that one for sure, but interesting to know. 

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: Florida Turnpike to replace legacy Allegro protocol tags with 6B+ stickers as part of national interoperability

Florida's Turnpike is beginning an effort to swap-out about 2 million remaining Allegro transponders that were the backbone of state's SunPass electronic toll collection in Florida from its beginning in 1999 through 2008. In July 2008 the Turnpike switched to issuing ISO 18000 6B+ or SeGo protocol tags (the sticker tag branded Mini and the hardbody called the Portable for its velcro attachment and hence ability to be moved between vehicles.) TransCore remained the Turnpike's supplier.

Florida readers are at least dual protocol and can read Allegro and 6B+, but Allegro won't be supported under industry plans for national interoperability. So they would be no use outside Florida unlike the 6B+s which will be one of the recognized nationwide IOP protocols.

Eliminating Allegros from windshields will open up a channel in Florida's multi protocol readers to read 6C or E-ZPass protocols.

[NE2]

Found scans of route logs from 1929 to 1939: http://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Florida.+State+Road+Dept.%22
Sadly they don't have 1941-43, when things really got interesting in the legislature (and I have no complete information on the numbers).

If you downloaded these, redownload 1935-39, since the initial uploads were missing pages.

[clef]

Found this little guy cruising around.

[clef]

Also, I finally found these red US 1 signs that clef posted back in January:

I found them unexpectedly, no Street View Researching required. Turns out there's a pair of them, both installed in March of 2003!

Nice find formulanone. I forgot I never showed y'all where those were. And I never did manage to check out the date.

[hotdogPi]

Since this is all about Florida, did you know that there is a town called Florida in Massachusetts?

[Interstate275Fla]

Found a map of the unbuilt St. Pete freeways: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00017174/00001/2x?vo=32&vp=0,3777

I see most of these corridors made it to Gene's 1970 Pinellas mini-map:

A reminder of this legacy is the wide median on Interstate 275 at 38 Av N (Exit 25) in St. Petersburg:

http://www.interstate275florida.com/I275SP-06.htm

If a freeway were to be constructed from 38 Av N at Interstate 275 according to the map it would have went in a southwestward direction to 22 Av N and then merging from a planned connector freeway coming out of Kenneth City the planned freeway would have followed 31 St N and 31 St S right up to today's 31 St S exit at Interstate 275 (Exit 20):

http://www.interstate275florida.com/I275SP-09.htm

Which leads us to another reminder of the Pinellas freeway legacy at Exit 20, and only a very small portion was built as the northbound exit and southbound entrance ramp.  If you exit Interstate 275 at 31 St S in St. Petersburg it looks like you are getting ready to go onto another freeway but in reality you are not when you are greeted with speed reduction warning signage prior to the intersection with 31 St S.

Additionally, this is where the tolled Pinellas Expressway from St. Petersburg to Clearwater would have begun and followed basically the right of way of what is today the Pinellas Trail.

[formulanone]

Since this is all about Florida, did you know that there is a town called Florida in Massachusetts?

Since there's also Floridas in Missouri and New York (and probably elsewhere), that discussion would be best served in their own threads. Also, there's a Lorida, Florida...so I wonder if anyone's suggested that Lorida go F itself?

[florida]

Found this little guy cruising around.
[pic of C-255 shield]

Found the location ....on what could be thought of as a random road, but this gives me ideas to look on roads serving churches.

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: FL/95 Express Lanes so successful they're bumping up against the politicians' $7.00 ceiling to tolls

2013-08-12: The 95 Express heading north out of downtown Miami to Golden Glades has been one of the most successful express toll lanes projects in the country, but that success could turn it into an embarrassing fiasco if officials don't move soon to lift a $7.00 cap on the toll. Dynamic pricing used to manage traffic and ensure free flow depends on the ability of managers to raise prices when demand is strong and traffic is getting too dense.

Increasingly Florida DOT's Sunguide traffic management system that operates 95 Express is stymied by tolls that need to go above the $7 to do their job of pricing out the lowest value trips, but they can't because of a legal ceiling of a $1.00 a mile under which they operate.

[cpzilliacus]

Found a map of the unbuilt St. Pete freeways: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00017174/00001/2x?vo=32&vp=0,3777

I see most of these corridors made it to Gene's 1970 Pinellas mini-map:

Cool.  I see an A19A.  Never heard of that one before. 

A Gulf Coast version of A1A? Does it still exist? 

[formulanone]

Sadly, no. There also used to be a G1A up along the Gulf Coast, but for only about 10 miles or so.

Of course, there's that odd northern section of FL 811 called "Alternate A1A". I'm sure there was a reason for it at some point, but it makes no sense today.

[NE2]

A1A Alternate was the original routing of A1A: http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~212056~5500200:Shell-Map-of-Florida--cover-title-- (707 was also original A1A, but it was already 707 by 1956)

[roadman65]

Good map scan!  I like how SR 3 went through what is now the Kennedy Space Center as a public road and indeed part of the State Road System.  It is interesting to see what eminent domain can do!

Changing the subject now to something very interesting I noticed about Florida freeways.  In general, most interchanges have the freeways over the local road on three interstates. In fact many of the original interchanges constructed with the freeways are all built on top!  Only I-4 do you have it where you have many original interchanges where the cross road overpasses the freeway.

Exit 7 ( US 301)
Exit 11 (CR 579)
Exit 25 (County Line Road)
Exit 31 (FL 539)
Exit 44 (FL 559)
Exit 48 (CR 557)
Exit 55 ( US 27)
Exit 64 (US 192)
Exit 77 (Turnpike, for obvious reasons)
Exit 92 (FL 436)
Exit 114 ( FL 472)
Exit 116 (Lake Helen)
Exit 118 ( FL 44)
Exit 129 (US 92, although now defunct)

All the others have most original interchanges underpassed rather than overpassed. I find that most interesting.

[NE2]

I like how SR 3 went through what is now the Kennedy Space Center as a public road and indeed part of the State Road System.

But note off to the east how A1A was already cut. This was a through road back in 1946 (CCAFS was created in 1949): http://cartweb.geography.ua.edu:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=North%20America%20and%20United%20States&item=States/Florida/Florid1946b.sid&wid=1500&hei=800&props=item%28Name,Description%29,cat%28Name,Description%29&style=simple/view-dhtml.xsl

[roadman65]

I like how SR 3 went through what is now the Kennedy Space Center as a public road and indeed part of the State Road System.

But note off to the east how A1A was already cut. This was a through road back in 1946 (CCAFS was created in 1949): http://cartweb.geography.ua.edu:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=North%20America%20and%20United%20States&item=States/Florida/Florid1946b.sid&wid=1500&hei=800&props=item%28Name,Description%29,cat%28Name,Description%29&style=simple/view-dhtml.xsl

Yeah I notice that.  I thought that was odd because I do remember it going straight through with the Port Canaveral Canal not being there and it cutting across it on dry land where the Port is now.  Also it used Atlantic Avenue after it now veers away from current SR A1A.

A lot of towns displaced like Wilson and Playlinda and after talking to many locals there were some good fishing spots taken over by the KSC.  The last time I was there you could not even go down any of old SR 3 as the security checkpoint has been moved further south.  Now a new road is built to the west intersecting NASA Parkway to the west of the Visitor's Complex where before all of Kennedy Parkway south of NASA Parkway was open to the public. 

[DeaconG]

I like how SR 3 went through what is now the Kennedy Space Center as a public road and indeed part of the State Road System.

But note off to the east how A1A was already cut. This was a through road back in 1946 (CCAFS was created in 1949): http://cartweb.geography.ua.edu:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=North%20America%20and%20United%20States&item=States/Florida/Florid1946b.sid&wid=1500&hei=800&props=item%28Name,Description%29,cat%28Name,Description%29&style=simple/view-dhtml.xsl

Yeah I notice that.  I thought that was odd because I do remember it going straight through with the Port Canaveral Canal not being there and it cutting across it on dry land where the Port is now.  Also it used Atlantic Avenue after it now veers away from current SR A1A.

A lot of towns displaced like Wilson and Playlinda and after talking to many locals there were some good fishing spots taken over by the KSC.  The last time I was there you could not even go down any of old SR 3 as the security checkpoint has been moved further south.  Now a new road is built to the west intersecting NASA Parkway to the west of the Visitor's Complex where before all of Kennedy Parkway south of NASA Parkway was open to the public. 

Space Commerce Way.  You probably drove right past my old job and didn't even know it, the straight part of the road before you get to NASA Causeway used to be part of the MILA Access Road to the tracking station I worked at (which has been completely eliminated).

[roadman65]

The last time I went through KSC all gates were even closed and NASA Causeway was the only open gate into the complex.  Even Gate 4 from CR 402, which always had a lot of traffic on 402 at the change of shifts, was closed. 

I am guessing that with the Space Shuttle nixed the Center is not that much employed these days, so cut back on security (I assume that Loss Prevention is not used here still) is mandatory. 

[roadman65]

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