There are multiples branches of Polk County Road 542 assigned from Lakeland east to Dundee. The route originates along Allen K. Breed Highway from County Line Road between Plant City and Hillsborough. CR 542 parallels a CSX Railroad line and U.S. 92 (New Tampa Highway) to the south. East of SR 570 (Polk Parkway), CR 542 is Old Tampa Highway leading to Wabash Avenue in the city of Lakeland. The route is unmarked east from there along Olive Street, Central Avenue and Main Street into Downtown. CR 542 emerges from Lakeland along E Main Street, again paralleling U.S. 92 (Memorial Boulevard) to the south.
County Road 542 become K-Ville Avenue at Old Dixie Highway and Carter's Corner. Angling southeast across Polk Parkway, CR 542 connects Kossuthville with Jones Corner. The route ties into SR 655 (Recker Highway), where it dog legs south to Avenue G NW to Inwood and Winter Haven.
CR 542 encircles Lake Howard along N Lake Howard Drive east to Pope Avenue, which joins the route with U.S. 17 (6th Street NW) outside Downtown Winter Haven. Two blocks south of Pope Avenue from U.S. 17, an unmarked branch of CR 542 stems 0.38 miles east along Central Avenue to the intersection with SR 549 (1st Street N), where SR 542 takes over.
SR 542 travels 5.96 miles east from Winter Haven to U.S. 27 in the town of Dundee. CR 542 resumes along Dundee Road from SR 542 east 0.84 miles to SR 17 at Main and Center Streets in Downtown Dundee. The eastern leg of CR 542 separates from SR 17, 1.25 miles northward at Lake Hamilton. Following Lake Hatchineha Road, CR 542 spurs 10.35 miles to Perch Street at the Port Hatchineha community.
|
| CR 542 stems east from County Line Road through an S-curve. Development in 2018/29 added a pair of distribution centers along the south side of the succeeding stretch. 07/02/19 |
|
| A half diamond interchange joins CR 542 (Old Tampa Highway) with the tolled Polk Parkway eastbound. 07/02/19 |
|
| SR 570 (Polk Parkway) encircles the city of Lakeland southward to U.S. 98 at Eaton Park before turning north back to I-4 via Auburndale. 07/02/19 |
|
| Clark Road extends from the westbound off-ramp of SR 570 to U.S. 92 and Swindell Road north of I-4. 07/02/19 |
|
| Reassurance shield posted east of SR 570 (Polk Parkway). 07/02/19 |
|
| CR 542 (Old Tampa Highway) proceeds east into Lakeland across a tributary of Winston Creek. 07/02/19 |
|
| Airport Road is unmarked as SR 572 along CR 542. The state road heads south to Polk Parkway and Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL) and north to U.S. 92 at N Galloway Road (CR 542A). 07/02/19 |
|
| The reassurance marker for CR 542 posted after SR 572 (Airport Road) was removed by 2019. 09/11/17 |
|
| CR 542 (Old Tampa Highway) branches northeast from Highland Street east of Wilkinson Road. The turn is not signed. 07/02/19 |
|
| Unsigned CR 542 follows Olive Street east to Central Avenue north at this stop sign. 09/10/19 |
|
| CR 542 makes a sharp turn from Central Avenue onto W Main Street adjacent to the CSX Railroad. 09/10/19 |
|
| Replaced with a roundabout in 2024, W Main Street intersected Sloan Avenue north and Lake Beulah Drive at this traffic light. Sloan Avenue links W Main Street with parallel SR 548 (George Jenkins Boulevard). 09/10/19 |
|
| Sloan Avenue south at the previous signalized intersection with W Main Street and Lake Beaulah Drive. 09/07/16 |
|
| Main Street between Sloan Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue (former SR 33) in Downtown Lakeland is a part of unsigned CR 600. Pictured here is the intersection with S Ohio Avenue. 09/10/19 |
|
| A loop ramp connects SR 563 southbound with Dakota Avenue north from Lemon Street to W Main Street at this I-4 trailblazer. 05/31/15 |
|
| W Main Street passes over the short expressway portion of SR 563 (Sikes Boulevard) between Dakota Avenue and Virginia Avenue. 09/10/19 |
|
| Main Street east of New York Avenue. 09/07/16 |
|
| Entering Downtown Lakeland, Main Street intersects Missouri Avenue at the first in a series of traffic lights. 09/10/19 |
|
| Florida Avenue is a part of SR 37 leading south from Downtown Lakeland to Mulberry. 09/10/19 |
|
| E Main Street at Tennessee Avenue and Munn Park. 09/10/19 |
|
| E Main Street at Kentucky Avenue. 09/10/19 |
|
| E Main Street dog legs north along Massachusetts Avenue (old SR 33) north one block to circumvent Lake Mirror. 09/10/19 |
|
| Reassurance marker for CR 542 posted at the eastbound beginning of Lake Hatchineha Road. 05/31/16 |
|
| Lake Hatchineha Road runs due east by a number of orange groves to the northeast of Dundee. 05/31/16 |
|
| Eastbound CR 542 lowers from 194 feet at Alford Road to 109 feet above sea level at H.L. Smith Road. 05/31/16 |
|
| Leading to Jennings Road on CR 542 east. 05/31/16 |
|
| Jim Edwards Road north to W Lake Marion Road was formerly a part of CR 544. CR 544 lines Marion Road west from Grenelefe, 3.3 miles north of CR 542. 05/31/16 |
|
| CR 542 (Lake Hatchineha Road) shifts southward en route to outer reaches of the Poinciana community. 05/31/16 |
|
| Turning back to the east, CR 542 advances to Marigold Avenue, the main route through the unincorporated Poinciana area. 05/31/16 |
|
| Marigold Avenue was formerly named Poinciana Parkway. Poinciana Parkway further north is a toll road (SR 538) joining Poinciana with U.S. 17/92. 05/31/16 |
|
| Sloan Avenue connects W Main Street (unsigned CR 600) with George Jenkins Boulevard to the north of the adjacent CSX Railroad. CR 542 continues along W Main Street to Central Avenue. This intersection was replaced with a roundabout in 2024. 05/31/15 |
|
| SR 548 follows George Jenkins Boulevard (old U.S. 92) west to U.S. 92 at Wabash Avenue. Wabash Avenue to Memorial Boulevard (SR 546) leads west to Interstate 4. 05/31/15 |
|
| W Main Street curves south onto Central Avenue, three blocks from the turn of CR 542 onto Olive Street. 05/31/15 |
|
| Central Avenue south at Olive Street. 05/31/15 |
|
| Unsigned CR 542 proceeds one mile west along Olive Street to Wabash Avenue. 05/31/15 |
|
| Wabash Avenue extends south from U.S. 92 and SR 548 (George Jenkins Boulevard) as a through road to Ariana Street. 05/31/15 |
|
| The first reassurance marker for CR 542 posted along the westernmost branch stands along Old Tampa HIghway at Wabash Avenue. 05/31/15 |
|
| CR 542 (Old Tampa Highway) shifts south from the adjacent CSX Railroad toward Highland Street. 05/31/15 |
|
| Continuing west, CR 542 and Old Tampa Highway overtake Highland Street. 05/31/15 |
|
| Turning south through an S-curve at Gay Road, CR 542 crosses a pair of CSX Railroad lines. 05/31/15 |
|
| Resuming a westward heading, Old Tampa Highway enters the unmarked intersection with SR 572 at Airport Road. 05/31/15 |
|
| CR 542 advances west from SR 572 by a pair of mobile home parks and a distribution center toward the Lakeland city line. 03/17/21 |
|
| CR 542 meets SR 570 (Polk Parkway) at Clark Road and a half diamond interchange. 05/31/15 |
|
| An entrance entrance ramp connects with SR 570 to Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL) and U.S. 98 east to Bartow. 05/31/15 |
|
| Less than a mile of CR 542 remains west from Polk Parkway along Allen K. Breed Highway. 05/31/15 |
|
| CR 542 (Allen K. Breed Highway) ends at County Line Road, which straddles the Hillsborough / Polk line north to I-4 and Swindell Road and south to SR 60. 05/31/15 |
Photo Credits:05/31/15, 05/31/16, 09/07/16, 09/11/17, 07/02/19, 09/10/19, 03/17/21 by AARoads
Connect with:
U.S. 17
U.S. 27
U.S. 98
State Road 542
State Road 549 - 1st Street N / E Lake Silver Drive
State Road 563 - Harden Boulevard / Sikes Boulevard
State Road 570 - Polk Parkway
State Road 572
State Road 655
State Road 659
Page Updated 03-18-2021.
East - Allen K. Breed Highway
