Florida State Road 60

Route map:
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Clearwater Beach
Major intersections US 19 in Clearwater
I-275 in Tampa
US 41 in Tampa
I-75 in Brandon
US 17 / US 98 in Bartow
US 27 in Lake Wales
Florida's Turnpike / US 441 at Yeehaw Junction
I-95 near Fellsmere
US 1 in Vero Beach
East end SR A1A in Vero Beach
Location
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountiesPinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Osceola, Indian River
Highway system
← SR 59→ SR 61

State Road 60 (SR 60) is an east–west route transversing

State Road A1A
.

Route description

Clearwater through Tampa

Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge viewed from the southeast corner of the bridge
SR60 between the Florida State Road 616/Tampa International Airport interchange (bottom left) and Interstate 275 (upper right

SR 60 begins in

divided highway named Causeway Boulevard. This segment includes the Clearwater Bridge over the Mandalay Channel which leads to a man-made island containing only one intersection with Island Way, which leads to Pasadees Key and Big Mangrove Key, the former of which is where the Clearwater Marine Aquarium can be found. Before the man-made island ends, SR 60 rises above the Intracoastal Waterway along the Clearwater Memorial Causeway to reach mainland Clearwater. Once on the mainland, the road divides into Court Street (one-way westbound) and Chestnut Street (one-way eastbound) between Bay Avenue and Ewing Avenue. Along the way, both streets intersect the Pinellas Trail and the CSX Clearwater Subdivision at the same time along East Street. One block later, the streets are joined by US 19 Alternate at Myrtle Avenue, and are overlapped through the end of the one-way pair west of MLK Boulevard where the routes only run along Court Street. The overlap with US Alternate 19, ends as it turns south at Missouri Avenue (hidden SR 651), while SR 60 continues east until reaching the intersection of South Highland Avenue, where hidden SR 651 terminates. From there the route also joins Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard.[2]


Throughout Clearwater, Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard serves as a long, straight west-to-east commercial strip, with notable intersections at

SR 589 (Veterans Expressway) in Tampa. The road runs along a reverse J hook around Runway 19R of the Tampa International Airport[3] into the airport interchange which includes SR 616
(Spruce Street) to US 92 in Westshore, and the George L. Bean Parkway to the airport.

A Florida State Road 60 sign on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa, with an older Crosstown Expressway sign alongside.

Memorial Highway ends at the interchange with

Port Tampa Spur from the southwest to northeast corners. Beginning at "Boulevard" SR 60 enters the territory of the University of Tampa. At Snow Park, Kennedy Boulevard branches off to the northeast while Grand Central Avenue continues straight east. From there, the route passes by the Henry B. Plant Museum just before crossing the Kennedy Boulevard Drawbridge over the Hillsborough River. Originally known as the Lafayette Street Drawbridge, the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 20, 2018.[4]

Immediately after crossing the Hillsborough River, eastbound SR 60 turns south for one block along Ashley Drive, then turns back east again along Jackson Street. Merely one block later the route is joined in another overlap with southbound

US Business Route 41
at the intersection with North Tampa Avenue. Northbound US Bus. 41 can be accessed two blocks later at North Florida Avenue when it leaves Kennedy Boulevard a block north, taking hidden SR 685 with it to Lutz.

Just before leaving Downtown Tampa, SR 60/US Bus 41 runs beneath the

Lee Roy Selmon Expressway (westbound only Exit 8) and is joined by southbound Florida State Road 45
at Brush Street, while northbound SR 45 is encountered at Nebraska Avenue. The one-way pair in Tampa ends when eastbound SR 60/45/US Bus 41 turns north onto Meridian Avenue and east onto Kennedy Boulevard. Three blocks later the routes end at Channelside Drive then turn north along that street until the intersection with Adamo Drive where they turn east. From there it continues paralleling the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, and is surrounded by more industrial zoning.

Southbound US Bus 41/SR 45 leaves SR 60 at 21st Avenue, while northbound US Bus 41/SR 45 joins SR 60 at 22nd Avenue. SR 60 continues to run in close proximity to the Lee Roy Selmon. East of US BUS 41, the route runs under the southern terminus of the

CR 573
), which includes part of another interchange with Lee Roy Selmon on the southeast corner.

Brandon through Polk County

Within the vicinity of the intersection with

Brandon Town Center. Brandon Boulevard ends at Mount Carmel Road, but the route continues eastward simply as "State Road 60." Between North Valrico Road and South Miller Road, SR 60 runs along the Brandon-Valrico border, fully entering Valrico at the intersection of North and South Miller Roads. Between Saint Cloud Avenue and Skywood Drive, SR 60 has a railroad crossing with the CSX Valrico Subdivision
, although a local street to a gated community near the tracks is named "Valrico Station Road," suggesting the historic presence of a former railroad station. Just outside of the border of Valrico, is a local preserve area named the Sydney Dover Conservation Park, which includes the Dover Horse Trails.

In

Bone Valley Subdivision, and then intersects Florida State Road 37
. West Canal Street becomes East Canal Street one block later at the intersection with Northeast and Southeast First Avenue. The name Canal Street terminates at Kid Ellis Road and SR 60 resumes signage east of Mulberry.

Beyond the Mulberry City Limits, the road is scattered with various construction, chemical, and mining equipment companies. The road takes a brief northeast bend after it approaches a railroad crossing with a spur leading to some phosphate mines owned by Mosaic. Similar scattered businesses continue along the road with the addition of a TECO Substation on the south side and an FDOT building on the north side. East of these two structures, the road edges at a southeast angle where the presence of construction and chemical companies begins to diminish (though not necessarily disappear) as it approaches the second crossing of the Valrico Subdivision.

Concurrent US98/SR60 (eastbound) in Bartow approaching their split

The road gains the name West Main Street west of Bartow city limits, but then moves northeast onto North Van Fleet Drive between West Main Street runs straight east into Downtown Bartow. North Van Fleet Drive runs along a bridge over the Valrico Subdivision, then as it descends it curves straight east again where it becomes West Van Fleet Drive. The transition from West to East Van Fleet Drive occurs when SR 60 encounters the intersection with U.S. Route 98 in Florida (Broadway Avenue and hidden SRs 35 and 700). US 98 and SR 35 join SR 60 in a short overlap while SR 700 continues south along Broadway Avenue to East Main Street. Just after crossing the Fort Fraser Trail, the overlap with US 98/SR 35 ends when SR 60 moves onto a new alignment onto East Van Fleet Drive, then runs over a bridge below the US 17-98 overlap. East Van Fleet Drive continues to the Peace River Bridges. From east of Bartow the road is simply called SR 60. A few small businesses dot the road as it starts to take a few more curves to the northeast. One other site includes the TECO Peace Creek Solar Plant. An intersection that would otherwise be unimportant is Enterprise Boulevard, a small road leading to the

Polk County Road 653
and the northeast end of Polk County Road 655A, and after this the route runs southeast again.

Still not able to remove itself from its not to urban surroundings and features, the road's barren scenery is interrupted by the crossing of the CSX

Auburndale Subdivision, which is frequently used by Amtrak's Silver Star and Silver Meteor lines. Attempting to move to the northeast one last time before turning back southeast, the landscape is slightly more developed, and it encounters the road to Lake Wales Municipal Airport. However, it doesn't officially enter the City of Lake Wales itself until another railroad crossing, this time with the Lake Wales Branch of the Florida Midland Railroad. The Lake Wales city line is where the name changes to West Polk Avenue. Curving to southeast and east again, it encounters the interchange with US 27. SR 60 leaves West Polk Avenue and moves southeast onto Hesperides Road in eastern Lake Wales. The road turns straight east at South Second Street, and then runs along a pair of bridges over Scenic Road 17
but access to and from that route is only available through the aforementioned West Polk Avenue continuation from eastbound SR 60 and a half-diamond interchange with Fourth Street from westbound SR 60, which is also flanked by the Lake Wales Branch of the Florida Midlands Railroad underneath.

East of Lake Wales

Crossing the Kissimmee River at the southern edge of Lake Kissimmee, between Polk (left) and Osceola (right) Counties

The name Hesperides Road continues into

Florida National Scenic Trail[7] just before the bridge and dam over the Kissimmee River, where it crosses the Polk-Osceola County Line. From there the road curves southeast again, and the trail leaves SR 60 at an intersection with a dirt road leading to the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area.[8]
Very little exists beyond this point besides farms and scrubland.

Indian River County Road 512, a county road leading to Sebastian. Further east, it passes by a historical marker at the site of Fort Vinton in the eastbound lanes. The area becomes more developed as it approaches Interstate 95 at Exit 147 in West Vero Corridor. The street name is changed to Richard Raczkoski Memorial Highway from I-95 to 43rd Avenue,[12] though it still signed as 20th Street. It is at 43rd Street east of the bridge over the Main Canal where SR 60 officially enters the City of Vero Beach
.

Before the intersection with 20th Avenue, SR 60 divides into the last one-way pair. It becomes 19th Place (one-way eastbound) and 20th Street (one-way westbound). The two streets run parallel to each other through the railroad crossing of the

Indian River Boulevard (CR 603)
.

Even without the cosigning with SR 60, Indian River Boulevard is a four-lane divided highway. Here the route is flanked by a tree-obstructed frontage road for a boat channel-lined community on the east side, and condominiums apartments on the west side until the second crossing of the main canal, where the surroundings become more natural. The route leaves Indian River Boulevard to turn east again at the road leading to the

Orchid Island. At the first intersection with Indian River Drive East and Riverside Park Drive, the street is named Beachland Boulevard, a four-lane tree-lined often divided highway with provisions for left-turn lanes. On the first block after this intersection, SR 60 is flanked by the Beachland Elementary School along the north side to Mockingbird Drive, and the Riverside Theater along the south side. The rest of the boulevard appears to be typical land-boom era development. Florida State Road 60's eastern terminus is at Florida State Road A1A
. Beachland Boulevard continues east of SR A1A as a four-lane divided city street until Ocean Boulevard, where it becomes a loop entrance and exit to Sexton Plaza Beach.

Local street names for SR 60

The eastern terminus of Florida State Road 60 is located on State Road A1A.

From west to east:

History

Clearwater realignment

Originally, SR 60 in Clearwater traveled west of Highland Avenue along Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard and Cleveland Street to the Memorial Causeway. When construction of the new Memorial Causeway began in 2001/2002, SR 60 was realigned along Court Street and Pierce Boulevard to the Causeway, with the original alignment downloaded to the city of Clearwater. Between Pierce and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, SR 60 is split into two one-way streets—Court Street carrying westbound traffic, and Chestnut Street carrying eastbound traffic.

Prior to the realignment, Court Street east of Missouri Avenue was known as SR 651, while Court and Chestnut Streets west of Missouri was a locally maintained road signed as "Bypass 60".

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
traffic circle
0.0000.000west end of state maintenance at base of Clearwater Harbor Channel bridge
0.4470.719Island Way - Clearwater Marine Aquarium
1.195–
1.634		1.923–
2.630
Clearwater Harbor (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
)
1.9713.172South Fort Harrison Avenueformer US 19 Alt. / SR 595
2.2213.574
SR 595
)		west end of US 19 Alt. / SR 595 overlap
2.7254.385
SR 595 / SR 651
)		east end of US 19 Alt. / SR 595 overlap; west end of SR 651 overlap
3.4825.604South Highland Avenue (
Downtown Clearwater
former SR 60 west; east end of SR 651 overlap; no left turn eastbound
3.7346.009Lake Drive (
CR 385
)
4.2436.828
CR 1
(Keene Road)
4.7527.648South Hercules Avenue (
CR 425
)
5.2628.468
CR 501
(South Belcher Road)
6.0029.659Old Coachman Road (
CR 535
north)
6.26110.076
SR 55) – St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs
interchange
7.5512.15
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport
interchange
Old Tampa Bay
12.406–
13.023		19.966–
20.958		Courtney Campbell Causeway
HillsboroughTampa17.26527.785Bayport Driveinterchange
17.53928.226
 SR 589 north (Veterans Expressway) / Independence Parkway		interchange; Independence Parkway (exit 2B) only has access from SR 60 west and to SR 60 east; SR 60 westbound follows exit 2A from nascent SR 589 north
17.53928.226
CR 576
(Memorial Highway) / Eisenhower Boulevard – Air Cargo		interchange; signed as exit 3; exit is combined with SR 589 in both directions
18.39729.607 SR 616 (Spruce Street) – Raymond James Stadiuminterchange; signed eastbound as exit 1B
18.41829.641 Tampa International Airportinterchange; signed eastbound as exit 1A
19.05830.671
SR 93) – St. Petersburg
interchange; eastbound exit and westbound entrance; I-275 exit 39
19.22830.944
SR 93) to I-4 – Tampa
interchange; eastbound exit and westbound entrance; I-275 exit 39
19.40431.228

 To
Kennedy Boulevard – St. Petersburg
I-275 exit 39
19.75731.796
CR 587 (South West Shore Boulevard) to I-275
north
20.89733.630
SR 600
)
21.51134.619
 SR 685 south (Henderson Boulevard)		west end of SR 685 overlap
23.63938.043Kennedy Boulevard Bridge over Hillsborough River
23.72538.182

 To I-275 / I-4 / Ashley Street North
23.94438.534
SR 685) to I-4 / I-275
east end of SR 685 overlap; west end of US 41 Bus. overlap
24.16038.882




 To
SR 618 (Selmon Expressway) / I-4 east / I-275 north / Jefferson Street North – Brandon, St. Petersburg
24.38839.249
SR 618
east (Selmon Expressway local lanes)		west end of SR 45 overlap
24.45939.363Meridian Avenue (
SR 618A
west)		west end of SR 618A overlap (eastbound only)
24.51839.458

 To
SR 618A east) – Brandon
east end of SR 618A overlap (eastbound only)
25.70341.365
SR 618
 – Port Cargo, Ferry Terminal 7		east end of US 41 Bus. / SR 45 overlap
25.76141.45822nd Street northFormer SR 585 north.
26.96143.390

 SR 569 north (North 39th Street) to I-4
27.86244.840
SR 599) to I-4 – Temple Terrace, Gibsonton
CR 573
south)
29.98348.253
SR 618
west (Selmon Expressway)		SR 618 exit 12
SR 43) – Zephyrhills, Riverview
SR 618 (Selmon Expressway) – Naples, Ocala, Tampa
I-75 exit 257
33.69754.230

 To
Brandon Town Center
35.46757.079Lithia Pinecrest Road (
CR 640
east)
CR 39 south – Plant City, Pinecrest, Alafia River State Park
CR 676 west (Nichols Road) – Nichols
55.31789.024
 SR 37 (Church Avenue) to SR 570 (Polk Parkway) – Lakeland, Bradley Junction
CR 555
south
62.733100.959Main Streetformer
SR 60 Bus.
east
63.591102.340
Downtown Bartow, Historic District
west end of US 98 / SR 700 overlap
64.204103.326
SR 555) – Winter Haven, Fort Meade
east end of US 98 / SR 700 overlap
65.100104.768Flamingo Drive -
SR 60 Bus.
west
​68.781110.692
CR 655A
south (80 Foot Road)
​71.030114.312
CR 655
north (Rifle Range Road)
​71.538115.129
CR 655A south (Alturas Road North) – Alturas
​75.899122.148West Lake Wales Road South - West Lake Wales
SR 25) to I-4 – Haines City, Avon Park, Legoland
interchange
79.593128.093
 To
CR 60A
east)
80.45129.47
 To
CR 60A west) – Historic District
interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
81.380130.968
CR 17B
south (11th Street)		west end of CR 17B overlap
81.912131.825
CR 17B north (Buck Moore Road) – Bok Tower Gardens
east end of CR 17B overlap
Hesperides88.615142.612Boy Scout Camp Road / Walk-in-Water Road - Lake Kissimmee State Park
​90.424145.523Doherty Drive -
Lakeshore
CR 630 west – Frostproof, Lake Wales Ridge State Forest
SR 15) – Holopaw, Okeechobee
126.09202.92
Miami
Turnpike exit 193
CR 512
east
​150.47242.16
SR 9) – Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach, Fort Pierce
I-95 exit 147
​151.819244.32982nd Avenue (
CR 619
)
​153.816247.54366th Avenue (
CR 615
)
​154.839249.18958th Avenue (
CR 613
)
CR 611
(43rd Avenue)
156.852252.42927th Avenueformer
SR 607
south
157.774253.913Old
CR 605
south)
158.362254.859
SR 5) – McKee Botanical Garden
158.916255.751
 To Indian River Boulevard (
CR 603 south) / SR A1A
 – Beaches		west end of CR 603 overlap
159.892257.321Indian River Boulevard (
CR 603
north)		east end of CR 603 overlap
160.062–
160.749		257.595–
258.700
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway
)
161.336259.645 SR A1A / Beachland Boulevard – Business District
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Related routes

State Road 60A

State Road 60A marker

State Road 60A

LocationBartow

State Road 60A served as a bypass for

US 98
during its route. It is mainly known as Van Fleet Drive.

State Road 60 Business

Business plate.svg

State Road 60 Business marker

State Road 60 Business

LocationBartow

State Road 60 Business served as a business route for Bartow, Florida, until SR 60 was realigned to follow the bypass in 2006. It was briefly cosigned with SR 700 between Broadway and Holland Parkway (US 17/98). It was mainly known as Main Street and Flamingo Drive.

See also

  • Conners Highway

References

  1. ^ a b FDOT straight line diagrams Archived March 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, accessed February 2014
  2. ^ General Highway Map of Pinellas County, Florida (Florida Department of Transportation)
  3. ^ FAA Map of Tampa International Airport
  4. ^ Lafayette Street Bridge (National Register of Historic Places.gov)
  5. ^ KICCO Wildlife Management Area (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission)
  6. ^ Kicco, Florida (Ghost Towns.com)
  7. ^ Florida National Scenic Trail Map (United States Forest Service)
  8. ^ Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission)
  9. ^ Bielecki, Michael. "Stan Mayfield is remembered with State Road 60 dedication" Archived 2017-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, VeroNews.com, 12 November 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2016. Note: highway name designated by 2009 Legislature of Florida.
  10. ^ Blue Cypress Conservation Area (St. Johns River Water Management District)
  11. ^ Fort Drum Wildlife Management Area (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission)
  12. ^ Carson, Debbie. "Dep. Raczkoski Memorial Highway Dedication" Archived 2017-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, VeroNews.com, 23 September 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2016. Note: highway name designated by 2010 Legislature of Florida.
  13. ^ Bielecki, Michael. "Stan Mayfield is remembered with State Road 60 dedication" Archived 2017-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, VeroNews.com, 12 November 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2016. Note: highway name designated by 2009 Legislature of Florida.
  14. ^ Carson, Debbie. "Dep. Raczkoski Memorial Highway Dedication" Archived 2017-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, VeroNews.com, 23 September 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2016. Note: highway name designated by 2010 Legislature of Florida.
  15. ^ Google Maps distance

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Florida State Road 60.
KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/Florida State Road 60
KML is from Wikidata
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florida_State_Road_60&oldid=1186962429"