State Road 31

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Florida State Road 31 provides a 36 mile link between the DeSoto County seat of Arcadia with the east Fort Myers area in Lee County. The rural state road extends south from SR 70 in east Arcadia through DeSoto and Charlotte counties, ending at SR 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard) near Fort Myers Shores south of the Caloosahatchee River. The 17,000-acre Babcock Ranch master-planned community is under development along the previously rural stretch north from Lee County Road 78 into southern Charlotte County.

Florida State Road 31 North
SR 31 leads north from SR 78 and Lee Civic Center 1.25 miles to CR 78 east. 04/15/16
Arcadia lies 37 miles to the north of SR 78 via SR 31 and SR 70 west. 04/15/16
Forthcoming CR 78 (North River Road) parallels the Caloosahatchee River east five miles to Telegraph Creek Preserve and the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam Campground. 04/15/16
CR 78 forms part of a 10.73 mile loop east from SR 31 to SR 80 south of Alva. 04/15/16
The main branch of CR 78 remains north of the Caloosahatchee River 24.4 miles from SR 31 to SR 29 at LaBelle. 04/15/16
Advancing north from CR 78 and Old Bayshore Road, SR 31 travels 2.1 miles to the Babcock Ranch master planned community. 04/15/16
SR 31 enters Charlotte County 4.68 miles north of SR 80 and Fort Myers Shores. 04/15/16
The 17,000 acre Babcock Ranch community spreads to the east of State Road 31 in southern Charlotte County. 04/15/16
The FPL Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center lies east of SR 31 at Tuckers Corner. 04/15/16
Beyond the master planned community, SR 31 runs between Fred C. Babcock / Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area and the Babcock Ranch Preserve. 04/15/16
County Road 74, a linear route traveling 42.38 miles across Charlotte and Glades Counties, meets State Road 31 at the rural crossroads of Bermont. 04/15/16
CR 74 bee lines west to U.S. 17 near Punta Gorda and east to SR 29 between Hall City and U.S. 27 near Palmdale. 04/15/16
SR 31 (Hog Bay Avenue) approaches SR 70 north of SE Brown Road and Arcadia Municipal Airport (X06). 01/02/07
State Road 70 is a cross peninsula route joining Southwest Florida with Okeechobee and the Treasure Coast at Fort Pierce. 01/02/07
SR 31 ends at SR 70, 1.75 miles east of Downtown Arcadia. 01/02/07
SR 70 constitutes a commercial arterial from downtown to SR 31 and rural agricultural lands on the remaining 31 mile drive to U.S. 27 near Lake Placid. 01/02/07
Florida State Road 31 South
SR 31 commences its 36 mile course southward to SR 80 and Fort Myers Shores from SR 70 in Arcadia. 01/02/07
DeSoto County Road 760 traverses several citrus groves on its 6.3 mile course east from SR 31 to SR 70. 01/02/07
Approaching CR 760A west along SR 31 south. CR 760A ends at U.S. 17, 0.65 miles south of the community of Nocatee. 01/02/07
CR 760A passes between citrus groves on its five mile course to U.S. 17. 01/02/07
Confirming marker posted for SR 31 south beyond DeSoto County Road 760A. 01/02/07
G. Pierce Woods Memorial Hospital is the only major facility located along SR 31 in DeSoto County. The facility sits on land that was originally a part of Carlstrom Field, a pilot training facility utilized in both world wars. 01/02/07
This reassurance marker appears two miles ahead of CR 763 in southern DeSoto County. 01/02/07
CR 763 ties into SR 31 from the west near Prairie Creek. The county road provides a link to CR 760A. 01/02/07
DeSoto County Road 763 travels nearly 8.3 miles west and north back to CR 760A southeast of Arcadia. 01/02/07
SR 31 continues southeast from DeSoto County Road 763 toward Prairie Creek and Charlotte County. 01/02/07
Rural SR 31 enters Charlotte County Road 2.4 miles southeast of CR 763. The state road crosses CR 74 next in 6.3 miles. 01/02/07
One mile into Charlotte County, SR 31 turns due south. 01/02/07
SR 31 and CR 74 meet at the rural crossroads of Bermont. CR 74 constitutes a 42 mile route linking U.S. 17 near Punta Gorda with SR 29 near U.S. 27 in Palmdale. 01/02/07
Flashers operate at CR 74, with SR 31 representing the through movement. U.S. 17 lies 14.8 miles west of this intersection while SR 29 lies 27.5 miles to the east. 01/02/07
SR 31 enters the Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area south of Charlotte County Road 74. The area encompasses 79,013 acres of pristine wildlife and is also among the last undeveloped expanses of wet pine flatwoods in Southwest Florida. SR 31 forms the eastern boundary of the wildlife area but provides no direct access to any facilities. 01/02/07
Advancing south through Charlotte County, SR 31 reaches the vicinity of Babcock Ranch. The development straddles the Charlotte-Lee County border on 17,000 acres. The town will feature four villages and five hamlets, as well as commercial, educational and industrial parcels.1 The first residents moved into the master-planned community in 2018. 01/02/07
SR 31 south enters Lee County two miles ahead of County Road 78 east. 01/02/07
Lee County Road 78 stems east from SR 31 on a stair-stepped course to Alva and neighboring Hendry County. W.P. Franklin Campground, site of the Franklin locks along the Caloosahatchee River, is located to the south of CR 78 between SR 31 and Alva. 01/02/07
CR 78 travels 10.5 miles east from SR 31 to the community of Alva. Alva was founded by Captain Peter Nelson and was one of the first settlements established in Southwest Florida. The community was named after the profusion of small white flowers that grew along the bank of the river that bared the same name.
In 1903 the first bridge crossing the Caloosahatchee River was constructed in Alva. Old Bayshore Road continues west from CR 78 and SR 31. 01/02/07
SR 78, the counterpart to CR 78, branches west from SR 31 to North Fort Myers and Cape Coral in 1.3 miles. 01/02/07
SR 31 south converges with SR 78 west (Bayshore Road) near the Lee County Civic Center next. Existing in three separate segments between Okeechobee and Cape Coral, this western segment of SR 78 joins SR 31 with I-75 and North Fort Myers. 01/02/07
Opened in 1978, Lee Civic Center is home to the Southwest Florida and Lee County Fair, typically held at the end of February. The civic center also holds various events throughout the year. 01/02/07
SR 78 west serves North Fort Myers and Cape Coral on its 19 mile course to Matlacha and Pine Island. The state road follows Bayshore Road into North Fort Myers and Pine Island Road into Cape Coral. SR 78 concludes at CR 765 (Burnt Store Road) and CR 884 (Veterans Parkway) opposite CR 78. A traffic light was added at this intersection after 2007. 01/02/07
SR 31 continues south from SR 78 toward the Caloosahatchee River. Reached via SR 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard) west, Downtown Fort Myers is a 10 mile drive. 11/26/16
SR 31 crosses the Caloosahatchee River by way of the Wilson Pigott Bridge. Constructed in 1960, the bascule span replaced a former crossing located three miles to the east connecting with Olga. 11/26/16
The Pigott Bridge is only one of three remaining drawbridges left in Lee County, with the others located in Alva along Broadway Street (CR 78A) and at Matlacha along Pine Island Road (CR 78). 11/26/16
SR 31 concludes at SR 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard) near Fort Myers Shores in a quarter mile. 11/26/16
SR 80 spans the peninsula 132 miles from Downtown Fort Myers to Palm Beach on the Atlantic coast, passing through La Belle, Clewiston, South Bay, Belle Glade, Wellington and West Palm Beach. 11/26/16
The city of Fort Myers lies nine miles to the west along SR 80 while La Belle, the Hendry County seat, is located 20 miles to the east. Adjoining Hendry County was carved out of Lee County in 1923. 11/26/16
SR 31 comes to an end at a traffic signal with SR 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard) across from the Shops at Verandah and Verandah Golf Club. 11/26/16

Sources:
  1. Babcock Ranch Florida, wikipedia.org


Photo Credits:

01/02/07, 04/15/16, 11/26/16 by AARoads

Connect with:
State Road 70
State Road 78
State Road 80

Page Updated 11-26-2019.

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