State Road 60 East - Mulberry to Lake Wales
$24 million in road work along SR 60 in Bartow widened the overpass across the CSX Railroad and Polk Street on the west side of the city, removed "The Hump", a railroad overpass east of Wilson Avenue, and redesigned SR 60 from Wilson Avenue to the Peace River.1 Started in May 2003, the project also replaced the U.S. 17 bridge above a CSX Railroad line and the new SR 60 Bypass with a four lane span. The Hump, located along the overlap of SR 60 with U.S. 98, crossed over a CSX Railroad line that was abandoned.2 Construction wrapped up by August 6, 2005.3
Prior work on SR 60 in Bartow widened the highway from County Road 555 east to Broadway Avenue. A $9.7 million contract for the expansion was awarded in July 2002 and scheduled to begin in January 2003. Baker Avenue was realigned to tie into SR 60 across from Main Street at a new signalized intersection during the project.4
Main Street through Downtown Bartow was formerly State Road 60A. Along with Broadway Avenue south from Van Fleet Drive (SR 60), Main Street was turned over to Bartow city maintenance on November 15, 2004. The jurisdictional change allowed the city to commence with a $2.7 million redesign of Main Street that narrowed the street between Broadway Avenue and Jackson Avenue, expanded sidewalks and improved landscaping.5 The majority of work was completed by November 5, 2005, with final paving, crosswalk and wayfinding sign installation finished in early 2006.6
East
Just inside Polk County.
05/31/16
Crossing Poley Creek
05/31/16
Entering the community of Willow Oak
05/31/16
Entering the city of Mulberry
05/31/16
Approaching CR 676 (Nichols Road) and an at-grade crossing with the CSX Railroad on SR 60.
05/31/16
CR 676 leads west across the North Prong of the Alafia River to the community of Nichols.
05/31/16
SR 60 east at CR 676 west.
05/31/16
07/25/17
105 miles to Vero Beach
05/31/16
SR 60 east at Prairie Mine Road north and Diesel Road south in Mulberry.
05/31/16
Eastbound SR 60 (Canal Street) crosses a CSX Railroad line into the intersection with forthcoming SR 37 (Church Avenue).
07/25/17
SR 37 leads south from Mulberry to Bradley Junction and SR 62 at Duette.
07/25/17
North from SR 60, SR 37 extends to Lakeland.
07/25/17
Bartow lies eight miles east of SR 37 on SR 60.
07/25/17
SR 60 east at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue in Mulberry.
07/25/17
Kid Ellis Road stems north to a distribution center, fire station and municipal park.
07/25/17
Welcome to Bartow, where "Our History Comes to Life!"
07/25/17
CR 555 (Agricola Road) ties into SR 60 from Bartow Park on the west side of the city.
07/25/17
This branch of County Road 555 runs 10.95 miles south from SR 60 to Agricola and CR 630 west of Fort Meade.
07/25/17
SR 60 initially follows Main Street into Bartow.
07/25/17
SR 60 splits with Main Street for Van Fleet Drive, an arterial bypass across the north side of Bartow.
07/25/17
Leading away from Main Street, SR 60 (Van Fleet Drive) angles northeast across a CSX Railroad line and Polk Street.
07/25/17
The Van Fleet Drive bridge across the CSX Railroad line and Polk Street was constructed in 2004/05 as part of an SR 60 expansion project between CR 555 and the Peace River.
07/25/17
SR 60 (Van Fleet Drive) combines with U.S. 98 east at Broadway Avenue.
04/26/14
U.S. 98 (Broadway Avenue) leads north from Bartow to Highland City, Eaton Park and Lakeland.
07/25/17
U.S. 98 meets SR 570 (Polk Parkway) 7.6 miles north of SR 60 (Van Fleet Drive).
07/25/17
South East
U.S. 98 south and SR 60 east combine for eight tenths of a mile along Van Fleet Drive.
07/25/17
Wilson Avenue intersects U.S. 98/SR 60 at a commercialized intersection west of Fort Fraser Trail.
07/25/17
Traffic partitions with two lanes for the continuation of SR 60 (Van Fleet Drive) toward Lake Wales.
10/16/21
Three lanes proceed east for U.S. 98 south to U.S. 17 (Holland Parkway). U.S. 17 enters Bartow southwest from Winter Haven and Eagle Lake. U.S. 98 south overlaps with U.S. 17 to Fort Meade.
10/16/21
East
SR 60 (Van Fleet Drive) arcs southward below U.S. 17 (Holland Parkway). The forthcoming overpass was constructed in 2004/05.
07/25/17
Flamingo Drive (former SR 60A) connects SR 60 with E Main Street outside Downtown Bartow.
03/20/20
03/26/19
SR 60 crosses the Peace River eastbound on a pair of bridges built in 1947.
03/20/20
Lake Wales lies 15 miles east of the Peace River.
03/26/19
SR 60 trends northward from Bartow into the rural community of Connersville.
07/25/17
CR 655A (80 Foot Road) forms a 7.19 mile loop south from SR 60 around Lake Garfield.
07/25/17
SR 60 bends northward to circumvent Lake Garfield.
07/25/17
CR 655 (Rifle Range Road) ties into SR 60 from Wahneta to the north.
07/25/17
Polk County Road 655 runs 5.68 miles north to U.S. 17/SR 540 at Eloise and 6.86 miles to SR 620/SR 655 in Winter Haven.
07/25/17
Confirming marker posted eastbound between CR 655 and Paul Revere Road.
07/25/17
CR 655A returns to SR 60 along Alturas Road.
07/25/17
The rural community of Alturas lies 3.5 miles to the south along Star Lake via CR 655A and Central Avenue.
07/25/17
East of CR 655A (Alturas Road), SR 60 bee lines across ranch land and Peace Creek Drainage Canal.
07/25/17
SR 60 crosses the Peace Creek Drainage Canal again over a 1965-built bridge by a power substation.
07/25/17
West Lake Wales Road south connects SR 60 with the community of West Lake Wales ahead of this reassurance marker.
07/25/17
References:
- "Bartow Traffic Reroute Planned; the Change Will Begin This Morning as Part of the State Road 60 Project." Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL), May 22, 2004.
- "It's Been a Long Road; Despite Hurricane and Rain Delays, Bartow Project is Nearing the End; Completion Later this Month." Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL), July 4, 2005.
- "Intersection Construction Finished; It's All Over but the Striping for a $15 million Project that Missed its Deadline." Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL), July 28, 2005.
- "Road Work Might Mean Delays; the Bartow Projects Will Take about Two Years to Complete, According to the State DOT." Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL), November 25, 2002.
- "Bartow Gets Control of Two Streets from State." Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL), November 18, 2004.
- "Bartow's Main Street Project Shows Progress; Trees Replace Construction Cones and Most of the Work will be Finished by Nov. 5." Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL), October 18, 2005.
Photo Credits:
- Alex Nitzman: 05/31/16, 07/25/17, 10/16/21
- Brent Ivy: 04/26/14, 03/26/19
- ABRoads: 03/20/20
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Page Updated Monday February 28, 2022.