County Road 559A - C. Fred Jones Boulevard

1.54 miles in length, State Road 559A is a four lane arterial linking CR 655 (Berkeley Road) and separate inventoried branches of SR 559 on the north side of Auburndale. Providing part of a truck route between U.S. 92 and I-4, C. Fred Jones Boulevard fully opened to traffic by February 15, 2017.¹ The eastern realignment replaced a L-shaped segment along William Van Fleet Road taking CR 559A south to the Lake Julian Estates gated community and east to SR 559. Both alignments were taken over by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in a jurisdictional transfer with Polk County that truncated SR 559 southward to SR 655 (Recker Highway),² and realigned SR 559 over CR 559A to Berkley Road (CR 655) south to U.S. 92. FDOT inventoried Straight Line Diagrams for SR 559A in February 2020.

Development along the rural stretch of road includes a one millions square foot distribution center. Approved by the Auburndale City Commission on May 21, 2018, the facility constructed on a 104 acre site along the north side of C. Fred Jones Boulevard accommodates parking for 1,125 cars and 332 trailer spaces. Revisions were made to site design after opposition from area residents.³ Work along CR 559A in May 2020 added traffic lights at the east entrance to the facility.

The City Commission approved a resolution renaming CR 559A from Auburndale Road to C. Fred Jones Boulevard on October 19, 2015. The new name preceded completion of the realignment of CR 559A east to SR 559. Jones (1930-2015), an Auburndale native, service in various political office, including city mayor from 1962 to 1964 and 22 years in the Florida House of Representatives. An associated resolution approved on October 6, 2015 renamed the old alignment to honor William R. Van Fleet.⁴

East

Heading east from CR 655 (Berkley Road) along C. Fred Jones Boulevard. CR 559A (Auburndale Cutoff Road) here was formerly a part of SR 559 before it was realigned northward over what was Florida Secondary 557 into Polk City.

05/22/20

C. Fred Jones Boulevard east at the previous turn of CR 559A southward along what is now William Van Fleet Road.

05/31/15

CR 559A curved northward to connect with SR 559 north to Polk City.

11/03/18

C. Fred Jones Boulevard intersects SR 559 a third of mile south of Interstate 4 across from Baylake Resort Road east to Love's Travel Stop and Bay Lake Motorcoach Resort.

05/22/20

The Downtown Auburndale truck route to Interstate 4 joins SR 559 north to complete the 8.5 mile course from U.S. 92.

05/22/20

West

Confirming marker for County Road 559A previously posted along C. Fred Jones Boulevard just west of SR 559.

05/22/20

CR 559A concluded at CR 655 (Berkley Road) south of Polk City.

05/22/20

The truck route into Auburndale continues south along Berkley Road to U.S. 92. The realignment of SR 559 replaced CR 655 south from C. Fred Jones Boulevard.

05/22/20

County Road 655 extends 2.17 miles north from C. Fred Jones Boulevard to SR 33 in Polk City. SR 655 runs southeast from U.S. 92 to SR 620 near Lake Shipp in Winter Haven.

05/22/20

Old - William Van Fleet Road

SR 559 was unmarked at the east end of CR 559A along Auburndale Cutoff Road. Instead an I-4 trailblazer directed motorists north 0.8 miles to the freeway.

05/31/15

Former reassurance marker for Polk County Road 559A along Auburndale Cutoff Road by the intersection with SR 559.

05/31/15

References:

1. C. Fred Jones Boulevard is now open for traffic for easy access to Berkley Road. This intersection is not far from the Love's Truck Stop near Interstate 4. Please share this post on your page. [Facebook update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/auburndalegov/posts/652843421564685.
2. "FDOT Public Hearing for the Proposed Jurisdictional Transfer of State Road (SR) 559 in Polk County." Capital Soup, December 17, 2018.
3. "On Monday night, the Auburndale City Commission approved an industrial planned-unit-development proposal for the distribution center in north Auburndale." The Ledger (Lakeland, FL), May 21, 2018.
4. "Auburndale Road renamed to honor late C. Fred Jones." The Ledger (Lakeland, FL), October 15, 2015.

Connect with:

State Road 559 / County Road 559

County Road 655

Page Updated Sunday May 24, 2020.