State Road 326 / County Road 326

  

Forming a bypass north of Ocala, State Road 326 connects I-75 with U.S. 301/441 and SR 40 east of Silver Springs. The 11.27 mile long state road constitutes a well traveled four lane link between I-75 (Exit 358) and the U.S. 301 corridor leading northeast toward Jacksonville. East of U.S. 301/441, SR 326 reduces to two lanes across the rural outskirts of Ocala to Indian Lake State Forest and Silver Springs Forest Conservation Area. SR 326 ties into SR 40 (Fort Brooks Road) at Silver Springs State Park.

County Road 326 extends 15 miles west from the parclo interchange joining SR 326 with I-75 to Emathla, U.S. 27 at Blitchton and Morriston in Levy County. Within Morriston, CR 326 dog legs north along SE 200th Avenue from SE 35th Street to SE 32nd Place (CR 323). An implied overlap leads CR 326 north along U.S. 41 to SE 30th Street, which leads the route 18.1 miles west to U.S. 19/98 at Gulf Hammock. West of U.S. 19/98, CR 326 spurs 3.9 miles to Waccasassa Park and boat ramp along the Waccasassa River.

An $8.4 million contract was awarded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) on February 17, 1997 for the widening of State Road 326 east from Interstate 75 to U.S. 441. Work also made improvements to the interchange joining SR 326 with I-75. This included realigning the route south off NW 77th Street to the intersection joining U.S. 441 with then County Road 326 east.¹

East

Reassurance marker posted along SR 326 east beyond the truck stops adjacent to Interstate 75.
12/30/13

SR 326 crosses the Florida Northern Railroad at-grade ahead of CR 25A (Gainesville Road) at Zuber.
12/30/13

CR 25A (Gainesville Road) was the alignment for U.S. 441 south into Ocala and north to Reddick until 1965.
09/17/19

12/30/13

NW 77th Street provides a popular cutoff east from SR 326 to U.S. 301/441 north in lieu of SR 326. Removed after 2014, this reassurance marker was posted after the left turn.
12/30/13

12/30/13

SR 326 shifts south from NW 77th Street to a signalized intersection with U.S. 301/441 by the Ocala Highlands Estates neighborhood.
12/30/13

U.S. 301/441 overlap southward into Ocala, where they join U.S. 27 to Belleview.
12/30/13

SR 326 reduces to two lanes east of U.S. 301/441 en route to SR 40 by Silver Springs State Park.
12/30/13

U.S. 301/441 part ways 5.5 miles north of SR 326. U.S. 441 angles northwest to McIntosh and Gainesville while U.S. 301 comprises a regional highway northeast to Hawthorne, Starke and Jacksonville.
12/30/13

West

SR 326 angles northwest from SR 40 along Silver Springs Forest Conservation Area.
10/16/22

CR 35 (NE 58th Avenue) extends 1.85 miles north to SR 326 from the end of SR 35 at SR 40 in Silver Springs.
10/16/22

CR 35 spurs 3.10 miles north from SR 326 to NE 97th Street Road west / NE 90th Street Road east.
10/16/22

Construction in 2013 expanded the intersection joining SR 326/CR 35 (NE 58th Avenue) with turn lanes. Traffic signals were added during the project.
10/16/22

Northwest from CR 35, SR 326 passes through Indian Lake State Forest.
04/17/19

SR 326 curves west after the intersection with NE 40th Avenue Road.
04/17/19

04/17/19

CR 200A (Jacksonville Road) crosses SR 326 north from Ocala to Anthony.
04/17/19

14.14 miles in length, CR 200A between Ocala and Citra was the route of U.S. 301 until 1965.
04/17/19

04/17/19

04/17/19

SR 326 continues west from Anthony Road by the Ocala Highlands Estates subdivision to U.S. 301/441.
04/17/19

U.S. 301/441 overlap south to Downtown Ocala and Belleview. The two split 5.5 miles to the north beyond CR 329.
04/17/19

U.S. 441 travels northwest to Gainesville while U.S. 301 shifts eastward to Starke and Jacksonville.
04/17/19

01/05/19

NW 77th Street provides a shorter route west toward Interstate 75 from U.S. 301/441 south. NW 77th Street ties into SR 326 ahead of this reassurance marker.
01/05/19

SR 326 intersects CR 25A (Gainesville Road) just west of NW 77th Street at Zuber.
01/05/19

CR 25A (Gainesville Road) loops 13.39 miles west from U.S. 441 in Ocala and U.S. 441 north of Reddick.
01/05/19

01/05/19

A parclo interchange (Exit 358) links SR 326 with Interstate 75 west beyond a pair of truck stops.
01/05/19

Interstate 75 parallels U.S. 441 northwest to Gainesville, Alachua and Lake City.
01/05/19

01/05/19

The original diamond interchange was modified with a loop ramp added to handle the heavy truck volume from SR 326 west to Interstate 75 south.
01/05/19

SR 326 transitions to CR 326 just west of the exchange with Interstate 75 ahead of NW 49th Avenue Road.
01/05/19

01/05/19

West

Colored shields for U.S. 19/98 preceded Gulf Hammock along CR 326 westbound. These were removed in 2008, leaving no indication of U.S. 19/98 on County Road 326.
09/12/06