Underlying U.S. 27 north from U.S. 1 in Miami to Belleview and portions of U.S. 301 and U.S. 441 north to Lake City, State Road 25 is a lengthy, generally unsigned route extending north to the Georgia state line along U.S. 41 near Jennings. A 0.36 mile long section is signed along Hames Road in the city of Belleview. The segment links U.S. 27/301/441 (Abshier Boulevard) with SR 35 (SE 58th Avenue) at CR 25 (SE 110th Street).
County Road 25 extends 7.5 miles east from SR 25 (Hames Road)/SR 35 (SE 58th Avenue) in Belleview to Ocklawaha and CR 464C (SE 135th Avenue) along Lake Weir. CR 25 (Ocala Road) arcs south to CR 42 (SE 165th Street) at Weirsdale and U.S. 27/441 and Oak Street in Lady Lake.
The 16.93 mile long route of CR 25 between Lady Lake and Belleview was historically part of U.S. 27/441. The four lane highway between the two cities to the west of Lake Weir was constructed in the late 1950s. Communication between the Florida State Road Department and the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) regarding the relocation of U.S. 27/441 started in January 1958. The state proposed that the former route around Lake Weir to the north and east be redesignated as U.S. 27 ALT/U.S. 441 ALT. AASHO disagreed with the proposal and in a letter dated February 6, 1958:
The matter of marking alternates usually is confusing and involves indirection as well as generally an obsolete type of road. It has been the policy of the Route Numbering Committee in recent years to avoid designating any additional alternate routes inasmuch as our primary policy was to mark the best and shortest route.
Nonetheless The Florida State Road Department moved forward with plans to establish Alternate routes for both U.S. 27/441 along the old route to Ocklawaha. A letter to AASHO on May 9, 1961 read:
The old location will be marked "Alternate U.S. 27 and 441" according to the provision under 'Alternate Route' in the Purpose and Policy in the Establishment and Development of the United States Numbered Highways, which provides for an alternate route if the State Highway Department has not found it practical to abandon the old section of the route; thus, omitting it from the U.S. Numbered System.
Applications for the relocation of U.S. 27/441 and creation of U.S. 27 ALT/U.S. 441 ALT were received by AASHO on May 11, 1961. The Route Numbering Committee action instead outlined relocating U.S. 27 onto the new four lane highway and retaining U.S. 441 along the old route around Lake Weir. AASHO further added
To establish both route over the new routing with alternate routes over the older road would violate the U.S. Numbered System policy.
The State of Florida disagreed with this decision, refusing the recommendation that the old route remain as U.S. 441. A letter to AASHO on July 26, 1961 explained:
Florida does not accept the recommendations of the Route Numbering Committee that US 441 markers remain on the old location. Neither can we find in the Purpose and Policy in the Establishment and Development of United States
Numbered Highways where our proposal is in violation of the policy. On the contrary we feel that we are carrying out the policies of AASHO by providing and routing traffic over shorter and better facilities, in this case the new facility is a four lane divided highway. The old facility is an old two lane highway in poor condition. To accept the recommendations of the committee we would be forcing motorists traveling US 44l to leave a four lane divided highway onto a two lane road, travel approximately five miles greater distance and return to the same four lane divided highway which they left. We can only conclude that the committee did not understand these conditions when considering our application.
It was our understanding that a formal application was not necessary to establish an alternate route on an old location when a better facility was provided for the regular number. Our letter of May 9, 1961, accompanying the application for the relocation of U.S. Routes 27 and 441 stated that the State proposed to mark the old location as US 27 - US 441 Alternate according to the provision under 'Alternate Route' in the Purpose and Policy in the Establishment and Development of the United States Numbered Highways, which provides for an alternate route if the State Highway Department has not found it practical to abandon the old section of the route, thus omitting it from the U.S. Numbered System. It also recommends that the shorter or better constructed route be given the regular number and the other section be designated the 'Alternate Route'.
Since the old location has been an established U.S. route for many years and numerous business establishments have been built along this route that are dependent on traffic for survival, the State does not feel that it can abandon this section from the U.S. System entirely. We feel that making the old location an alternate and providing a better and shorter route for those motorists wishing to by-pass this area is an excellent compromise.
AASHO responded to the Florida State Road Board on August 4, 1961:
You advice that it is impossible for the Florida Department to accept the actions of the Route Numbering Committee and the Executive Committee.
This matter will be placed on the Agenda of the Route Numbering Subcommittee for the Denver meeting in the early part of October.
Inasmuch as it is the purpose of the U. S. numbered System to designate the best and shortest route available for through travel and inasmuch as alternate routes are considered only when they are needed to properly serve
through traffic, it may be that we will have to call on you for some additional support.
There have been only five alternate routes improved in the last five years and there have been five removed.
There has been a definite step up in the program of AASHO to eliminate all forms of alternate routes, unless the additional route is needed to carry the traffic.
Following the completion of the four lane highway west of Lake Weir, the State clarified to AASHO on August 8, 1961 that the desire remained to relocate both U.S. 27/441 and designate alternate routes for both over the former route. This was counter to the permission previously granted by the Numbering Committee to only move U.S. 27 and keep U.S. 441 on the old alignment. AASHO eventually concurred on October 20, 1961, with the original application submitted on May 9, 1961 formally approved.
Despite all the effort by the State of Florida to establish Alternate routes for U.S. 27/441 around Lake Weir, both were eliminated by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) with concurrence by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on November 15, 1980. Received by AASHTO on October 7, 1980, the application cited the following reasons for the request:
Alternate US 27 and Alternate US 441 from Belleview to Lady Lake follow the original alignment of US 27 and US 441 on a circuitous route around Lake Weir. This '2-lane facility was designated as an alternate for US 27 and US 441 when the new 4-lane facility was constructed along a shorter and more direct alignment.
In the period since the construction of the new alignment, travel patterns have stabilized such that US 27 and US 441 (11,140 ADT) now provide service for substantially all of the through traffic demand, and Alternate US 27 and Alternate US 441 (2,150 ADT) now provide service for substantially local traffic only.
Alternate US 27 and Alternate US 441 from Belleview to Lady Lake no longer fulfill the AASHTO Alternate Route definitions and are thus recommended for elimination from the US Numbered Route System.
And with that action, County Road 25 was designated in place of the former bannered U.S. Highways.
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| CR 25 (Ocala Road) advances west from SE 92nd Loop (Belleview Bypass) to meet CR 25A. 11/14/16 |
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| CR 25A comprises a short connector linking CR 25 (Ocala Road) with U.S. 27/441 in south Belleview. 11/14/16 |
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| Curving west onto SE 110th Street, CR 25 expands to a three lane boulevard as it enters the Belleview city limits. 11/14/16 |
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| SE 110th Street leads CR 25 west to the junction of SR 35 (SE 58th Avenue / Baseline Road) with SR 25 (Hames Road). 11/14/16 |
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| Baseline Road branches 0.73 miles northwest from U.S. 27/441 to become SR 35 north from CR 25 (NE 110th Street) to Silver Springs. SR 25 run 0.36 miles west along Hames Road to U.S. 27/301/441. 11/14/16 |
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| SR 25 is not shielded along Hames Road southwest from SR 35 (Baseline Road) and CR 25 (SE 110th Street Road). The three lane boulevard ties into U.S. 27/441 (Abshier Boulevard) two blocks north of where they combine with U.S. 301. 10/16/22 |
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| U.S. 27/301/441 overlap northwest to Ocala. South from Belleview, U.S. 301 leads to The Villages and Wildwood while U.S. 27/441 remain paired to Lady Lake and Fruitland Park. 10/16/22 |
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| County Road 484 begins southwest from SR 25 and Abshier Boulevard. The route initially heads south before turning west at the Belleview Bypass toward Interstate 75 and the Marion Oaks community. 10/16/22 |
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| SR 25 emerges from U.S. 27/301/441 in the Belleview business district along SE Hames Road. 04/29/19 |
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| CR 25 extends east beyond SR 35 to Ocklawaha along Lake Weir and south to CR 42 at Weirsdale. 04/29/19 |
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| SR 25 (Haines Road) crosses a CSX Railroad line ahead of Baseline Road, where SR 35 begins northbound. 04/29/19 |
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| SR 35 runs 10.84 miles north from SR 25/CR 25 (SE 110th Street) in Belleview to SR 40 at Silver Springs. 04/29/19 |
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| CR 25 intersects SE 92nd Court north and Del Webb Boulevard south at the Spruce Creek Country Club development. 10/06/18 |
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| SE 100th Avenue is a minor collector leading 2.80 miles south from CR 25 to SE 147th Place beyond Little Lake Weir. 10/06/18 |
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| CR 25 (Ocala Road) east of SE 108th Terrace Road. 10/06/18 |
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| CR 25 (Ocala Road) curves east around Bowers Lake to parallel the north shore of Lake Weir to CR 464. 10/06/18 |
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| CR 464 leads 10.19 miles northwest to Candler and Silver Springs Shores, becoming SR 464 at SR 35 (Baseline Road) outside Ocala. 10/06/18 |
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| CR 25 (Ocala Road) advances east from CR 464 into the unincorporated community of Ocklawaha. 10/06/18 |
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| CR 464C stems north from CR 25 (Ocala Road) along SE 135th Avenue at Ocklawaha. 10/06/18 |
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| Angling northeast, CR 464C runs 4.56 miles to CR 314A and SE 95th Street Road at Moss Bluff. 10/06/18 |
Photo Credits:11/14/16, 10/06/18, 04/29/19, 10/16/22 by AARoads
Connect with:
U.S. 27
U.S. 301
U.S. 441
State Road 35
County Road 25A
County Road 42
Marion County Road 484
Belleview Beltway
Page Updated 10-26-2022.
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