U.S. 301 Alternate - Starke Truck Route
Opened to traffic fully on September 13, 2019, the Starke Truck Route provides congestion relief for U.S. 301 travelers through the Bradford County seat. Ground broke on the $90 million project in August 2016.1 Garnering the most public support of options considered to improve traffic, origins of the project dated back to the 1990s. The bypass runs from CR 227 to CR 233 and interchanges connect the four lane highway with SR 100 and SR 16.2 Designated as U.S. 301 Alternate, the 7.3 mile long freeway was previously expected to open by late Spring 2019.
The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO) formally approved the establishment of U.S. 301 Alternate at Starke at the Spring 2021 Meeting. The approved route covers 6.426 miles.
North
Separate contractors constructed the south and northern half of the Starke Truck Route. Begin and end shields are posted for U.S. 301 Alternate to the south.
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The Starke Truck Route allows travelers to maintain 65 miles per hour as they continue north toward Interstate 10 at Baldwin.
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Arcing northwest from U.S. 301 (Walnut Street), the Starke Truck Route crosses Alligator Creek, which feeds into Lake Rowell.
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The first of two exits along U.S. 301 Alternate northbound is with SR 100 (Madison Street).
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SR 100 joins Starke with the Union County seat of Lake Butler to the northwest. The state road travels overall between the Georgia state line north of Jasper and Flagler Beach along the Atlantic Coast.
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Entering the diamond interchange with SR 100 (Madison Street) on U.S. 301 Alternate north. SR 100 heads east to Downtown Starke and northwest to Lake City.
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U.S. 301 Alternate curves eastward from SR 100 across CR 229 over the succeeding stretch.
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State Road 16 runs across the north side of Starke, meeting U.S. 301 ALT at a diamond interchange in one mile.
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SR 16 is signed for the Starke Downtown Historic District from U.S. 301 ALT northbound. SR 100 is referenced for the district southbound.
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SR 16 runs northwest out of Starke to the Florida State Prison complex along the Union County line and SR 121 outside the town of Raiford.
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U.S. 301 Alternate north at State Road 16. SR 16 travels 63 miles overall, extending east from Starke to Penney Farms, Green Cove Springs and St. Augustine.
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U.S. 301 Alternate converges with U.S. 301 northeast of Water Oak Creek. The city of Lawtey follows.
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U.S. 301 was realigned to intersect the north end of the Starke Truck Route at a right angle. The former alignment nearby was subsequently abandoned.
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U.S. 301 overtakes the ending of U.S. 301 Alternate toward the Jacksonville metropolitan area.
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South
U.S. 301 Alternate heads southwest from the split with U.S. 301 across timberland and Water Oak Creek to SR 16.
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A weigh station facility lies between the U.S. 301 Alternate roadways beyond the north end.
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State Road 16 (Raiford Road) crosses paths with the Starke Truck Route at a diamond interchange in one mile.
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SR 16 stems east from SR 121 and Raiford in Union County to cross the New River into Bradford County. The highway angles southeast from there to Starke.
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Traffic departs U.S. 301 Alternate southbound for SR 16 (Raiford Road). SR 16 measures 11.78 miles from SR 121 to U.S. 301 (Temple Avenue) at Brownlee Street north of Downtown Starke.
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U.S. 301 Alternate (Starke Truck Route) arcs southwest across County Road 229 to the exchange with SR 100 (Madison Street) west of the Starke Downtown Historic District.
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State Road 100 follows a rural course from Starke northwest to Lake Butler and Lake City. Madison Street leads the route through Downtown, one block south of SR 230 (Call Street).
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U.S. 301 ALT south at SR 100. SR 100 continues from Starke to Keystone Heights, Putnam Hall and Palatka.
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Signs for SR 100 along the Starke Truck Route off-ramps erroneously refer to the state road eastbound as a Business Route.
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Continuing south from SR 100, U.S. 301 ALT to U.S. 301 leads motorists ten miles to Waldo, where SR 24 branches southwest to Gainesville.
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A long S-curve leads the Starke Truck Route across both CR 100A and Alligator Creek.
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U.S. 301 is a rural, divided highway south from U.S. 301 ALT to Hampton and Waldo, and a commercial boulevard northward back into Starke.
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U.S. 301 Alternate concludes as U.S. 301 continues south to Alachua County. Like the north end, U.S. 301 was realigned to meet the bypass at a right angle.
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References:
- "Starke Truck Route scheduled to open this week." WJXT TV-4 (Jacksonville, FL), September 11, 2019.
- "Faster path to the coast: Starke bypass project begins." Gainesville Sun (FL), July 22, 2017.
Photo Credits:
- Alex Nitzman: 09/17/19
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Page Updated Tuesday August 10, 2021.