State Route 17, 18, 19 and 21 in Florida

Florida State Route 17

According to ablogtophone, State Route 17 or State Road 17 (SR-17) is a state route in the U.S. state of Florida. The road forms a north-south route through the center of the peninsula, from Sebring to Haines City, and is briefly interrupted. The road leads over the Lake Wales Ridge and is one of the few roads in Florida with vistas. The road is 76 kilometers long.

Travel directions

The scenic highway of State Road 17.

State Road 17 begins in Sebring on US 27 and then heads north, generally parallel to US 27 for a fairly short distance. The southern section leads through Sebring and past Lake Jackson to Avon Park. The second part starts a little further on the US 27 and leads through a slightly hilly area with sometimes views over the lakes. Because US 27 is the parallel through route, State Road 17 is largely a two-lane road. The road leads through Lake Wales and ends in Haines City on US 92.

History

The route was created in 1945 when the state roads in Florida were renumbered. At the time, it was primarily an administrative number for the US 27 Alternate, which also ran from Sebring to Haines City. The US 27 Alternate was scrapped in 1979, since then the road has been known only as State Road 17. Because the US 27 parallel forms a better developed route, the State Road 17 has only been slightly upgraded and has largely remained a two-lane road.

Lake Wales Ridge

State Road 17 leads over Lake Wales Ridge, a natural elevation in the landscape of Florida’s otherwise very flat peninsula. The Lake Wales Ridge is oriented north-south and lies a maximum of 95 meters above sea level. On the ridge there are many lakes, which the traffic sometimes has a view of.

Traffic intensities

Every day 9,000 vehicles drive through Sebring and 7,000 vehicles as far as Avon Park. After that, around 3,000 vehicles drive outside the towns on the northern part and peak at around 7,000 vehicles per day in the towns.

State Route 18 in Florida

According to beautyphoon, State Route 18 or State Road 18 (SR-18) is a short state route in the U.S. state of Florida. The road links State Road 121 in Worthington Springs and State Road 235 in Brooker, a rural area north of the city of Gainesville. The road is only 11 kilometers long and leads through wooded areas.

Florida State Route 19

State Route 19 or State Road 19 (SR-19) is a state route in the U.S. state of Florida. The road forms a north-south route in the northeast of the state, from Groveland via Eustis to Palatka, passing west of the Orlando region. State Road 17 is 143 kilometers long.

Travel directions

The Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway.

State Road 19 begins in the town of Groveland at State Road 50 and heads north. This route passes northwest of the Orlando area and connects to Florida’s Turnpike. The area is somewhat exurban in character, but the road here is mostly two-lane except for a more urban section north and south of US 441 around Tavares and Eustis, where State Road has 19 2×2 lanes.

North of Umatilla the road is a single carriageway and then leads through one of the most sparsely populated regions of the peninsula, following an 80 km stretch through thick forests and swamps west of the St. Johns River, where there are almost no pitches. The road eventually ends in Palatka, a little way south of the Jacksonville region. State Road 19 intersects with State Road 20 and ends at US 17.

History

State Road 19 was created during the renumbering in 1945. The northernmost part near Palatka was unpaved until the 1960s. But few sections of the road have been upgraded. First, the section between US 441 and Eustis was widened to 2×2 lanes in the 1970s, later in the 1970s the double-lane section was extended from Eustis to Umatilla. In the 1990s, the road in Tavares was widened to 2×2 lanes. Elsewhere, State Road 19 has remained single-lane.

The northern part is a Florida Scenic Highway, namely the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway. This route leads through the Ocala National Forest.

Traffic intensities

10,000 vehicles drive daily between Groveland and Tavares, rising to 41,000 vehicles in Tavares itself. 20,000 vehicles per day run between US 441 and Eustis, dropping to 17,000 vehicles as far as Umatilla. Further north, State Road 19 is considerably lighter with approximately 2,000 vehicles per day to Palatka.

Florida State Route 21

State Route 21 or State Road 21 (SR-21) is a state route in the U.S. state of Florida. The road forms the southwest approach road to Jacksonville and is 93 kilometers long.

Travel directions

State Road 21 begins at the hamlet of McMeekin on State Road 20. This point is closer to Ocala than Jacksonville. The road runs in a northerly or northeasterly direction and leads through a predominantly wooded area. There are a number of villages on the route but the road here is two lanes. Only in the urban area of ​​the Jacksonville region does the road have 2×2 lanes and is known here as Blanding Boulevard. The road here is an important urban arterial and partly also has 2×3 lanes. On the south side of Jacksonville there is a connection with Interstate 295, after which the road continues as a city highway until US 17 southwest of downtown.

History

State Road 21 was created with the 1945 renumbering. Later in the 1960s, the road was extended a little further southeast to Orange Springs, but this section was subsequently downgraded to a county road. In the Jacksonville area, State Road 21 is a major city highway, the road’s importance for through traffic into Jacksonville is relatively limited, but the road does collect much of the traffic in the southwest of the city. This part was largely widened in the 1970s, following the growth of the city.

Traffic intensities

Between 4,000 and 10,000 vehicles drive daily on the southern part of the route, with the highest intensities near the villages. The Jacksonville area is significantly busier, with 41,000 vehicles per day at State Road 23 and up to 86,500 vehicles per day connecting to I-295, one of Florida’s busiest city roads. Deeper into the city, the road is less busy with 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles per day.