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Traipsing around the southeast

Started by Mapmikey, January 29, 2015, 04:31:03 PM

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Mapmikey

I recently returned from a 10-day trip:

Virginia to Charleston, SC and back.  From Charleston I took 3 round trips to Columbia SC, Melbourne FL, and Tallahassee FL respectively...

Not much to report going to Charleston.  Took the fastest (boring) way using I-95 and US 52 to our destination in Goose Creek both directions.  This was my first look at NC 295 being posted on I-95 BGSs, although the I-295 END shield is still up.  I note that the (AFAIK) unique SC 57 square shield in the new design WB leaving I-95 is still present.  The state named 95 shields in each direction between US 64 and NC 43 have been replaced with neutered shields.

Going to Columbia got me the opportunity to drive SC 35 which didn't exist when I lived in SC.  It is a pretty good back door into Cayce and West Columbia.  SC 35 has a 0.7 mile bridge with 3 curves and an intersection just south of SC 2.  Instead of using I-26 back to the Charleston area, I instead went via Sumter to check out the US 521 reroute.  At the northern end it seemed to be posted as if it were still the US 15-521 CONN but from SC 763 southward it was definitely posted as US 521, especially at US 15 and also where it meets back up with the previous 521 alignment.  In Alcolu there is a US 301 CONN (well known) and a US 301 CONN-2, both posted on the small black rectangles used for secondary routes.  There is also a lengthy SC 453 TRUCK for Holly Hill that starts at SC 45 in Eutawville.

The trip to Melbourne FL was a solo excursion, so I was able to take some liberties.  I drove US 17 ALT to Walterboro.  SC 642's widening from SC 165 to US 17 ALT is completed with an absurd 35 mph posting.  In Walterboro there is a posted SC 64 TRUCK (for traffic coming via US 17A-SC 63) that uses SC 303 and Robertson Blvd.  Not sure why this isn't signed as US 17 ALT TRUCK.  I followed SC 63/363 so that I could pick-up all but 4 miles (US 321 north of Clover to NC) I was missing in the US system in South Carolina by taking US 278 to Barnwell, SC 70 to Denmark, then US 321 south to SC/GA 119 to GA 21.  Although the new style SC shields are supposed to be installed as replacements are needed.  I saw very few older style route shields.  I used I-95 to Jacksonville and I-295 around the east.  I took FL 100 to FL A1A south to Daytona Beach so that I could drive US 92 to Kissimmee and pick up US 192 to Melbourne.  From Sanford to Orlando US 17-92 is as expected pretty painful.

On the return trip I picked my way up the coast to drive as much new territory as I could:  I-95 to FL 519 to FL 520 to FL 3 then through part of Kennedy Space Center to use FL 405 which had some state-named I-95 shields.   After briefly on US 1 I used FL 46 to Sanford and FL 15A around Deland.  I drove FL 11 to Bunnell and FL 100 to I-95.  I used FL 9B to I-295 then FL 202 and FL 115 so that I could drive US 90 ALT, which does follow FL 10 despite what multiple print maps and on-line maps say.  There are some missing signs to help one follow US 1-90 in downtown Jax.  I used US 23 out of downtown and I-295 east back to I-95.  There are two US 90 ALT postings that follow US 23 from US 1 and turn left onto Laura St south.  I don't know if these are left over from a US 90 ALT reroute off of Arlington Expwy or a new 90 ALT.  In Brunswick GA I took US 25-341 to Jesup, then US 84/GA 196/US 17 back to I-95 at Richmond Hill.  Once back in South carolina I took US 278 east from Hardeeville out to Hilton Head Is and the recent toll road.  Returning I used SC 170 to the rerouted US 21 (old SC 280) Bypass, then US 21 and US 17 to SC 165.  The US 17 widening is complete and very nice.

For driving to Tallahassee, we used SC 165 to US 17 to I-95 to Yulee FL.  I drove FL A1A to use US 301 and FL 24 to go to Cedar Key on a scoping mission for a future trip.  FL 24 is very quiet west of Gainesville.  We used CR/FL 345 to Chiefland and US 19 then US 27 to Tallahassee.  Did our usual things in Tallahassee plus visited the St. Marks Lighthouse and Bald Point State Park for the first time for both.  Doing this I saw 3 4-keys shields:  CR 59 south leaving US 98 into St Marks Refuge; a FL 267 shield from CR 61 north adjacent to Wakulla Springs State Park; CR 375 shield in Sopchoppy.  My pictures are only so-so, so here are the GMSV links:
https://goo.gl/maps/5h3NT
https://goo.gl/maps/CZRAb
https://goo.gl/maps/eqadQ

I also saw that FL 160 is fully posted on both ends from FL 61 and US 319, plus reassurance, even though it is barely 500 ft long between FL 61 and US 319.

Coming back to Charleston I used I-10, then FL 14/53 to Madison, then FL 145/GA 31 to Valdosta, so I could get US 221 on the bypass around the east, whcih may not have been US 221's routing when I drove all of US 221 in Georgia more than 10 years ago.  I took US 221 to Lakeland, then GA 37 east to US 84 and followed the standard route back to Goose Creek via I-95 and Walterboro.  Heading back to Florence I found an error - I use a back route short cut to cut between US 52 near US 521 to reach I-95 at Sardinia.  On SC 527 approaching I-95 instead of a 95 JCT assembly there was a SC 527 JCT assembly.

The standard speed traps in Hopewell VA, Ridgeland SC, and Waldo FL were all in full effect.  Although to be fair Waldo has billboards telling you the town is a speed trap and the town specifically says speed limits are strictly enforced, which most Florida towns do not post.  The Georgia State Patrol was also running a sting with an unmarked patrol car on an overpass, and would send a second trooper onto the interstate to pull over offenders...

National Clinches - US 221 and US 521, both re-clinches of rerouted pieces
South Carolina: US 278, US 521, SC 35
Georgia: US 25, US 221, GA 31
Florida: US 23, US 90 ALT (Jax), FL 3, FL 9B, FL 11, FL 14, FL 15A, FL 24, FL 145, FL 160, FL 363, FL 405, FL 519


Mapmikey


NE2

Quote from: Mapmikey on January 29, 2015, 04:31:03 PM
I used FL 9B to I-295 then FL 202 and FL 115 so that I could drive US 90 ALT, which does follow FL 10 despite what multiple print maps and on-line maps say.  There are some missing signs to help one follow US 1-90 in downtown Jax.  I used US 23 out of downtown and I-295 east back to I-95.  There are two US 90 ALT postings that follow US 23 from US 1 and turn left onto Laura St south.  I don't know if these are left over from a US 90 ALT reroute off of Arlington Expwy or a new 90 ALT.
US 90A used to stay with SR 115 and unsigned SR 139 into downtown (and US 1A used the entire south part of SR 115, rather than SR 126). The signs at Laura Street are left over from this, though as far as I can tell Laura Street was never actually state maintained.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

1995hoo

We drove on that widened South Carolina segment of US-17 between Charleston and I-95 last month. Much nicer than during construction and I was impressed they'd finished it as quickly as they did, but you know what, at night (and it wasn't late at night, say between 6:00 and 7:00) it was still a bit nerve-wracking worrying about deer running out into the road.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

froggie

We drove some of US 17 in a government van (returning from Mayport, FL) about a year ago.  Was impressed with the interchange at 17/21.



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