Beelines

[bugo]

"Beeline" is a cool word.  Kinda like "ruin" and "viaduct."  A segment of US 75 in Oklahoma is called the "Okmulgee Beeline" because it was a more direct route from Tulsa to Okmulgee than the original route of US 75, which is now Alt US 75.  I seem to remember a highway in Florida being called a beeline.  Are there any other roads in the US or abroad called beelines?

[Ian]

Florida's Beeline Expressway is the only one I know of, but now its called the Beachline.

[bugo]

Florida's Beeline Expressway is the only one I know of, but now its called the Beachline.

Beachline?  That's fucking stupid.  What is a "beachline" anyway?  Typical idiotic renaming of a highway (Kentucky: I'm looking at YOU) that already had a perfectly serviceable name.

[Alex]

Florida still has the State Road 710 Bee Line Highway leading southeast from the Lake Okeechobee area to the coast.

[Mr_Northside]

I'd figure a "Beachline" would be similar to a shoreline.

[florida]

Florida's Beeline Expressway is the only one I know of, but now its called the Beachline.

Beachline?  That's fucking stupid.  What is a "beachline" anyway?  Typical idiotic renaming of a highway (Kentucky: I'm looking at YOU) that already had a perfectly serviceable name.

I agree. It was renamed to "bring tourism" to "Orlando's Beach" (aka Cocoa Beach).

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I'd figure a "Beachline" would be similar to a shoreline.

Or tan line(s) <ducks>

[FLRoads]

Florida's Beeline Expressway is the only one I know of, but now its called the Beachline.

Beachline?  That's fucking stupid.  What is a "beachline" anyway?  Typical idiotic renaming of a highway (Kentucky: I'm looking at YOU) that already had a perfectly serviceable name.

I agree. It was renamed to "bring tourism" to "Orlando's Beach" (aka Cocoa Beach).

And most locals still refer to it as the "Beeline". Hell, I remember listening to traffic reports like a year or so after the "renaming" and even they were still calling it the "Beeline" when they didn't refer to it as "the 528"

[Ian]

I honestly think the Beeline was a better name for Toll FL 528 in my opinion, since it was basically a straight (somewhat) bee line from Orlando to the beaches. The Beachline would sound better if it were running along the beach itself.

[deathtopumpkins]

I'm not exactly sure why, but according to Google Maps AZ-87 is labeled as the "Beeline Hwy" north of its junction with Loop 202 heading out of Phoenix. Signage for the exit on 202 refer to it as Country Club Dr., the name the road is labeled as south of the freeway.

[corco]

According to the official Arizona map, it gets the name "Beeline Hwy" as soon as it leaves Mesa and keeps the designation all the way to Payson. There's a Beeline Cafe at the northern terminus in Payson. I'm not quite sure why that name came into existence- that would be interesting to know.

[bugo]

So we have 3 beelines so far.  Does that make it the rarest road designation in the country? 

[TheStranger]

Not sure if "Calle" is used beyond "Calle Real" in the Santa Barbara area...

"Camino" as in "El Camino Real" IS used elsewhere (speciifcally, Camino Capistrano).

[agentsteel53]

Not sure if "Calle" is used beyond "Calle Real" in the Santa Barbara area...

I know there's a lot in California but I can't remember exactly where offhand.  It is, after all, Spanish for "street" - not very unusual a designation.

type in the word "calle" in Google Maps and it'll auto-complete at least 10 more possibilities.

[bugo]

The "Okmulgee Beeline" name has somewhat fallen from use but it is still used.  There are some businesses along the road that are named Beeline Smoke Shop, Beeline Truck and Trailer, etc.  And Google Maps somewhat incorrectly has the road labeled as "Okmulgee Bee Line Expressway."  Everyone I know just calls it "Highway 75."

[huskeroadgeek]

Not sure if "Calle" is used beyond "Calle Real" in the Santa Barbara area...

"Camino" as in "El Camino Real" IS used elsewhere (speciifcally, Camino Capistrano).

Along this same line, Nebraska City, Ne, has an odd designation for some of their streets. E-W streets in the southern half of town are designated as a numbered "corso". I have never seen a "corso" anywhere else. "Corso" is Italian for course, or street. Why they use this I don't know-there is not and never has been any significant grouping of Italian-Americans in the area.

[Scott5114]

One would be remiss for not mentioning the Kansas City area's "trafficways".

[TheStranger]

One would be remiss for not mentioning the Kansas City area's "trafficways".

Along the US 101 corridor in Southern California, there's a couple of streets flat out named "Traffic Way", though not quite the same appendage as the Kansas City usage.

Isn't "The Paseo" (former US 71 if I'm not mistaken) in KC another unique street name?

California has several examples of "Alameda" in street context (Route 82 in San Jose as "The Alameda" and the street "Alameda De Las Pulgas" in San Mateo County), and IIRC, a couple of "Esplande" streets somewhere.

[bugo]

Along the US 101 corridor in Southern California, there's a couple of streets flat out named "Traffic Way", though not quite the same appendage as the Kansas City usage.

There's a Heavy Traffic Way in downtown Tulsa.

[national highway 1]

Along this same line, Nebraska City, Ne, has an odd designation for some of their streets. E-W streets in the southern half of town are designated as a numbered "corso". I have never seen a "corso" anywhere else. "Corso" is Italian for course, or street. Why they use this I don't know-there is not and never has been any significant grouping of Italian-Americans in the area.

In Manly, Sydney, NSW Australia, there is a street called The Corso.

[Fixed mangled quotes. -S.]

[realjd]

Not sure if "Calle" is used beyond "Calle Real" in the Santa Barbara area...

"Camino" as in "El Camino Real" IS used elsewhere (speciifcally, Camino Capistrano).

"Calle" is used informally in Miami. The Little Havana area is along SW 8th St, or "Calle Ocho".

"Calle" means street, "camino" means road or highway. Camino was historically used for long roads between areas (like El Camino Real, "The Royal Road") while calle was typically used for smaller roads within a city.

[deathtopumpkins]

How's this for interesting?

"Boulevard" No name, just "Boulevard." (Richmond, VA)

"Road St." (abbreviated "Rd St" on signs - Elizabeth City, NC)

[Ian]

"Road St." (abbreviated "Rd St" on signs - Elizabeth City, NC)

There is the opposite, Street Rd. (PA 132) in Philadelphia's northern suburbs.

[Scott5114]

I can't remember how or why it was determined, but some GPS voice generators will read St. St. as "Saint Street" and "Dr. Dr." as "Doctor Drive".

[agentsteel53]

I can't remember how or why it was determined, but some GPS voice generators will read St. St. as "Saint Street" and "Dr. Dr." as "Doctor Drive".

it's all about word order.  The leading "Dr." is assumed to be "doctor" simply because of where it sits in the phrase to be read.