Florida

[ElishaGOtis]

New state highway map dropped for 2025 https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/co-gis/current-state-map/current-state-map.pdf?sfvrsn=90517147_12

Also, on a slightly different note, I was out investigating some of the new additions to the SHS, and I'm not sure if these are an error or a result of the technicality that FHWA placed... the two SR-93F roads near Exit 293 on I-75 are both (effectively private) DRIVEWAYS, one of which has a gate blocking the roadway entirely.

No clinching this one y'all...  

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Stoaxjxzs9K3V4Ws8 (a non-MUTCD compliant sign was installed stating private property / no trespassing after the GSV image was taken)

https://maps.app.goo.gl/PDyouBw23XrhEwuRA (the gate has since been replaced with a bigger gate)

My best guess would be the driveways originally connecting these properties to CR 41/Blanton Rd were severed when the state built I-75 in the 60s, so I'm figuring the state built the elongated driveways to connect the properties to the road, and then someone many years later decided to inventory these. Hmmm, I'm wondering if these property owners can have the state do repair work on those sections the state built?

If you want the clinch fly a drone over the gate and roadway.

It's no longer a state road though 🤓

It WAS one though.  The odd story about why it existed it is more interesting than a significant percentage of State Roads in Florida.

Valid!

[skatcher]

I think you've had to turn right on Hooks since they built the cloverleaf.

Looking on GSV the "exit ramp" from US 27 north to FL 50 east is at Grand Hwy, which acts as a jughandle only connecting to Hooks St eastbound, taking you around the back of the Fazoli's and the Wawa (nothing says NJ more than a Wawa inside of jughandle  ). Taking Hooks St you will see signage for FL 50 traffic to make a left at Sandhill View Blvd, where you then meet FL 50 at a traffic signal. Alternately, you can take Hooks St farther east to Oakley Seaver Dr, Citrus Tower Blvd or Hancock Rd to connect to FL 50, and avoid ALL THE SUBURBAN TRAFFIC that has popped up on FL 50 between US 27 and the Turnpike over the last 15-20 years. I miss traveling down FL 50 east of US 27 and having nothing but rolling hills and maybe a few orange groves on the 6 mile drive to the Turnpike

[ElishaGOtis]

I think you've had to turn right on Hooks since they built the cloverleaf.

Looking on GSV the "exit ramp" from US 27 north to FL 50 east is at Grand Hwy, which acts as a jughandle only connecting to Hooks St eastbound, taking you around the back of the Fazoli's and the Wawa (nothing says NJ more than a Wawa inside of jughandle  ). Taking Hooks St you will see signage for FL 50 traffic to make a left at Sandhill View Blvd, where you then meet FL 50 at a traffic signal. Alternately, you can take Hooks St farther east to Oakley Seaver Dr, Citrus Tower Blvd or Hancock Rd to connect to FL 50, and avoid ALL THE SUBURBAN TRAFFIC that has popped up on FL 50 between US 27 and the Turnpike over the last 15-20 years. I miss traveling down FL 50 east of US 27 and having nothing but rolling hills and maybe a few orange groves on the 6 mile drive to the Turnpike

If you need to get somewhere on the near side of 50, however, you could also do this:

Probably one of few times that maneuver is useful lmao 🤣

[Great Lakes Roads]

The interchange at NW 170 Street on the Florida's Turnpike (Homestead Extension) is now open!

[skatcher]

The interchange at NW 170 Street on the Florida's Turnpike (Homestead Extension) is now open!

There's no way anybody is going to get NW 170th St and NW 107th Ave (which has access from and to the northbound lanes of the Turnpike at that exit) mixed up at all!!!

[formulanone]

The interchange at NW 170 Street on the Florida's Turnpike (Homestead Extension) is now open!

There's no way anybody is going to get NW 170th St and NW 107th Ave (which has access from and to the northbound lanes of the Turnpike at that exit) mixed up at all!!!

Looks like that's mainly just for warehouses, logistics, and a rock quarry; though there's a number of homes a few miles east of the intersection, past I-75 (which does not have an exit for 170th).

Wow, there's a lot of truck parking out there by US 27.

[skatcher]

The interchange at NW 170 Street on the Florida's Turnpike (Homestead Extension) is now open!

There's no way anybody is going to get NW 170th St and NW 107th Ave (which has access from and to the northbound lanes of the Turnpike at that exit) mixed up at all!!!

Looks like that's mainly just for warehouses, logistics, and a rock quarry; though there's a number of homes a few miles east of the intersection, past I-75 (which does not have an exit for 170th).

Wow, there's a lot of truck parking out there by US 27.

It makes sense, as the majority of freight going between the US and the Caribbean goes through the Port of Miami, with another good chunk going through Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale. This area is away from most residential growth in the metro, and is roughly equidistant to the two ports, connected by (mostly tolled) freeways.

[D-Dey65]

I think you've had to turn right on Hooks since they built the cloverleaf.

Looking on GSV the "exit ramp" from US 27 north to FL 50 east is at Grand Hwy, which acts as a jughandle only connecting to Hooks St eastbound, taking you around the back of the Fazoli's and the Wawa (nothing says NJ more than a Wawa inside of jughandle  ). Taking Hooks St you will see signage for FL 50 traffic to make a left at Sandhill View Blvd, where you then meet FL 50 at a traffic signal. Alternately, you can take Hooks St farther east to Oakley Seaver Dr, Citrus Tower Blvd or Hancock Rd to connect to FL 50, and avoid ALL THE SUBURBAN TRAFFIC that has popped up on FL 50 between US 27 and the Turnpike over the last 15-20 years. I miss traveling down FL 50 east of US 27 and having nothing but rolling hills and maybe a few orange groves on the 6 mile drive to the Turnpike

If you need to get somewhere on the near side of 50, however, you could also do this:

Probably one of few times that maneuver is useful lmao 🤣

It would've made more sense to turn Hooks Street into a bridge with no access to US 27 besides the northbound off-ramp to Grand Boulevard.

[Mergingtraffic]

I'll be in Miami then Ft Myers to Tampa. Any road geek things to see? Sign wise or other? Button copy old shields etc

[Max Rockatansky]

About the best things you're going to get are the Tamiami Trail (US 41) in the Everglades or the Everglades Loop Road.  Most of the older signs and bridges are long gone.   

[skatcher]

I'll be in Miami then Ft Myers to Tampa. Any road geek things to see? Sign wise or other? Button copy old shields etc

If you're driving along I-75 in the Tampa area, a few years ago FDOT converted a folded diamond interchange at Exit 246 (CR 672/Big Bend Rd) into a weird hybrid interchange that combine elements of partial cloverleaf (with a distributor ramp along I-75 south), a high-speed ramp from Big Bend Rd west to I-75 north and a continuous flow-style intersection for the Big Bend Rd east to I-75 north movement, which curves into and merges with the high speed ramp from westbound. It is definitely something I have seen nowhere else, but traffic flows so much better through here compared to the previous design, although construction east of here on Big Bend heading towards US 301 will back traffic up through the interchange during rush hour.

The new Gateway Expressway (FL 686A/FL 690) is an interesting addition to the Tampa Bay area freeway network, connecting both the Bayside Bridge & the US 19 freeway through Clearwater directly to I-275; prior to that these high-speed corridors did not connect via freeway to the rest of the freeway system in the Tampa Bay area. This Expressway was built almost entirely elevated (most of it over established arterials), with two branches splitting off about a mile or so west of I-275. One leg (FL 686A) provides direct access to St Pete/Clearwater Intl Airport and the Bayside Bridge, and the other leg (FL 690) provides a direct connection to US 19 north and from US 19 south. The Gateway Expressway is a toll road (like almost every other non-Interstate freeway in the state) but the toll roads down here do accept EZ Pass now!

In downtown Sarasota there is an interesting roundabout at US 41 and the John Ringling Causeway. It is a large roundabout where people often get confused because they cannot understand the signs or lane markings telling them which lane goes where through the roundabout. Also, if you travel about 2 miles east of I-75 along Fruitville Rd you will encounter a jughandle.

If you end up travelling along the I-4 corridor between Tampa & Orlando, there is another jughandle, this time along FL 559 about a mile south of the interstate. This one is a little more unusual, as it is a U-Turn designed for commercial vehicles due to trucks not allowed south of this point. There is no light to control the left turn movement from the junghandle.

If you're out that way, stop over in downtown Lakeland. One the western edge of downtown is a 50s style freeway bypass of downtown along FL 563. It runs for about a half mile below grade with a partial interchange connecting to the downtown street grid, plus underpasses along W Main St and the adjacent CSX railroad.

I unfortunately don't have any information on unusual or old signage; I've lived here too long to pay attention to road signs. I do have one bit of road geek infrastructure nostalgia; along I-275 just north of Tampa is an overpass over the freeway for Livingston Ave. There is original etching in the first concrete barrier of the bridge in both directions "INTERSTATE ROUTE 75." When the freeway opened in 1962 it was originally I-75, and was supposed to end in downtown Tampa. The current alignment of I-75 around Tampa was approved in 1973 and opened in segments in the 1980s.

[Plutonic Panda]

Groundbreaking held for the I-95/US-1 interchange project:

https://www.fdot.gov/info/co/news/2026/04302026

[NE2]

Groundbreaking held for the I-95/US-1 interchange project:

https://www.fdot.gov/info/co/news/2026/04302026

The one near Ormond Beach. As opposed to the one in South Jacksonville, which was rebuilt recently. Or the one in northern Jacksonville, which is currently under construction. Or the one north of Palm Coast, which is still rural. Or the two in Miami, which have not been touched since construction.

one of the oldest interchanges on the state highway system

I have my doubts. It's obviously in the older half, and probably the oldest 25%, but that's still a lot of interchanges. The bridges dated to 1964 before I-95 was six-laned, by which time large portions of Interstates were already built, including:
I-10 near Pensacola
I-275 between Tampa and St. Pete
I-4 was almost complete
I-75 north of Lake City
I-10 east of I-75
I-95 between I-195 and Golden Glades
I-195
I-95 through Jacksonville

As well as many non-Interstate interchanges, such as on the Jacksonville freeways, Appalachee Parkway in Tallahassee, and SR 528 east of US 1.

Typical Desantis puffery.

[formulanone]

I'll be in Miami then Ft Myers to Tampa. Any road geek things to see? Sign wise or other? Button copy old shields etc

I do have one bit of road geek infrastructure nostalgia; along I-275 just north of Tampa is an overpass over the freeway for Livingston Ave. There is original etching in the first concrete barrier of the bridge in both directions "INTERSTATE ROUTE 75." When the freeway opened in 1962 it was originally I-75, and was supposed to end in downtown Tampa. The current alignment of I-75 around Tampa was approved in 1973 and opened in segments in the 1980s.

Back in 2021, the southbound side still sported a small faded button copy sign, which appears to still be there as of December 2025 (GSV):



Gonna need to break out the zoom lens for that one...

There are still several button copy signs on or ramps for I-95 in the Boca Raton / Delray Beach / Boynton Beach area, which date from the early 1990s. I think you've seen those before. I can't report any colored US shield finds; haven't personally run into any "new" ones in about 10 years, and the few I've saved to see in-person later are all gone, except for the 17/92 combo in Davenport.

[Alex]

I unfortunately don't have any information on unusual or old signage; I've lived here too long to pay attention to road signs. I do have one bit of road geek infrastructure nostalgia; along I-275 just north of Tampa is an overpass over the freeway for Livingston Ave. There is original etching in the first concrete barrier of the bridge in both directions "INTERSTATE ROUTE 75." When the freeway opened in 1962 it was originally I-75, and was supposed to end in downtown Tampa. The current alignment of I-75 around Tampa was approved in 1973 and opened in segments in the 1980s.

I routinely drive over the Livingston Avenue bridge across Interstate 275. One day decided to stop and take some photos of the old bridge stamping. Also found a State Road Department benchmark referencing the bridge as part of I-75. Photos from 10/25/24:







I-275 north from Bearss Avenue (SR 678) to SR 52 in Pasco County opened to traffic on November 2, 1965.

I'll be in Miami then Ft Myers to Tampa. Any road geek things to see? Sign wise or other? Button copy old shields etc

There is still a button copy sign for "Frontage Road" on Cypress Street west at SR 60 (Memorial Highway). I've parked and photographed it, but never posted the photo. So here it is on GSV from November 2025.

Also on Anna Maria Island, this a Keys shield assembly for SR 64/789 (sans the left arrow):

Located on Gulf Drive south at the west end of SR 64 by Manatee Beach Park.

[Mergingtraffic]

[quote author=Mergingtraffic.

There are still several button copy signs on or ramps for I-95 in the Boca Raton / Delray Beach / Boynton Beach area, which date from the early 1990s. I think you've seen those before. I can't report any colored US shield finds; haven't personally run into any "new" ones in about 10 years, and the few I've saved to see in-person later are all gone, except for the 17/92 combo in Davenport.

Looking at GSV it seems the 17/92 combo is gone sadly. Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I appreciate it

[formulanone]

[quote author=Mergingtraffic.

There are still several button copy signs on or ramps for I-95 in the Boca Raton / Delray Beach / Boynton Beach area, which date from the early 1990s. I think you've seen those before. I can't report any colored US shield finds; haven't personally run into any "new" ones in about 10 years, and the few I've saved to see in-person later are all gone, except for the 17/92 combo in Davenport.

Looking at GSV it seems the 17/92 combo is gone sadly. Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I appreciate it

Glad I got a few more photos of it two years ago...

[jmacswimmer]

I'll be in Miami then Ft Myers to Tampa. Any road geek things to see? Sign wise or other? Button copy old shields etc

If you're into construction, in Miami the massive project at the east end of FL 836 + the length of I-395 is worth a look - the gigantic concrete arches that will eventually carry I-395 over US 1 downtown are something to see. Here's some pics I took of it last fall:

[D-Dey65]

Back in April, I took another day trip to DeLand Amtrak/SunRail station so I could take a train to Lynx Central Station and capture more images of the pedestrian bridge over US 17-92-FL 50 at the railroad crossing for the SunRail Main Line (CFRC). While I was there, I decided to get some images of Lynx Central Station itself including those on the I-4 eastbound service road.

Do you know what I found (among other issues)? This signpost along the Lymmo Lane at the Kiss-n-Fly used to have signs on it. Now it has nothing. There should be some small overhead signs mounted on the thing.