U.S. Route 301 in Florida

U.S. Highway 301
U.S. Highway 301
	US 301 highlighted in red
Route information
	Auxiliary route of US 1
	Maintained by FDOT
Length	269.316 mi (433.422 km)
Existed	1949–present
Major junctions
South end	US 41 in Sarasota
	I-75 near Tampa; SR 618 near Tampa; I-4 / US 92 near Tampa; SR 52 in Dade City; Florida's Turnpike near Wildwood; SR 40 in Ocala; SR 100 in Starke; I-10 near Baldwin; US 90 in Baldwin; SR A1A / SR 200 in Callahan;
North end	US 1 / US 23 / US 301 / SR 4 / SR 15 south of Folkston, Georgia
Location
Country	United States
State	Florida
Counties	Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Sumter, Marion, Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Nassau
Highway system
	United States Numbered Highway System; List; Special; Divided; Florida State Highway System; Interstate; US; State Former; Pre‑1945; ; Toll; Scenic;

U.S. Route 301 (US 301) in

Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The road is a spur of U.S. Route 1, which it intersects in Callahan

.

US 301 carries the hidden state road designations of

SR 533 around downtown Dade City), SR 500 from Belleview to Ocala, SR 200 from Ocala to Callahan and SR 15 from Callahan to the Georgia border, south of Folkston, Georgia

.

Concurrencies include U.S. 41 between Bradenton and Palmetto, U.S. 98 between Clinton Heights (near Dade City) and Trilacoochee (formerly known as Moss Town),

US 23

north of Callahan.

Route description

Sarasota through Hillsborough County

US 301 begins its northward journey at an intersection with

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport to Interstate 75. The next major intersection is SR 70, and after this, the road curves northwest before it eventually joins US 41(Hidden SR 55) again in southern Bradenton where they briefly overlap each other as they cross the Manatee River

.

US 301 makes a sharp right turn onto

CR 672

between Balm Road and Big Bend Road.

North of the intersection with Gibsonton Drive, and over the

US BUS 41. The first major intersection north of the Selmon Expressway though is SR 60

.

At Six Mile Creek, an overpass takes US 301 over the tracks of

Vandenberg Airport. Near the northern end of Vandenberg Airport, US 301 crosses over a flood channel that runs between the Hillsborough River and Tampa Bypass Canal on the southern border of Temple Terrace

.

Between Temple Terrace and Thonotosassa, the hidden SR 43 leaves US 301 and joins

County Road 580 at Harney Road, and the new hidden road becomes SR 41. Former sections of Harney Road are on hills on the northwest and northeast corners, both of which were designed to go around a former railroad bridge for a line that no longer exists. After crossing under I-75 with no access for the last time, and the Tampa Bypass Canal again shortly afterwards, US 301 encounters the eastern terminus of SR 582

and its hidden County extension, County Road 582.

County Road 43 ends at US 301 in Thonotosassa along Harney Road, and US 301 loses more of its easterly trajection. Here, it serves as the northern terminus of Mango Road, and later Stacy Road, Sargeant Wilderness Memorial Park, and extension of Hillsborough River State Park. After passing by a field used for the Tampa Machinery Auctions, Route 301 officially runs along the eastern end of Hillsborough River State Park, which it will eventually enter. The same former railroad line that was encountered near Harney Road is visible along the east side of US 301 throughout the park and beyond. The last moderate intersection US 301 encounters before finally entering the park is the northern terminus of McIntosh Road. One residential area can be found on a minor side road off to the left, but the rest of the road is surrounded by parkland. US 301 leaves the park almost as instantly as it crosses the Pasco County line.

Pasco County

After US 301 enters Pasco County, a slight curve to the right is a clear indication that 301 is entering

County Road 535. SR 39

intersects with US 301 from the southeast. However, instead of terminating at Route 301, it becomes a hidden route north of the intersection and both roads head straight north again. This trajectory is short lived though when some local traffic is rerouted along 7th Street, and both roads intersect South Avenue before moving slightly northwest.

Downtown Zephyrhills is where US 301 serves as what would appear to be the eastern terminus of

US 98 (SR 700) on the Pasco-Polk County line. From there, US 301 runs along a series of steep hills as a four-lane divided highway with median openings that lack left-turn lanes until it reaches US 98 and the US 98-301 overlap begins. Immediately after this, the road intersects SR 52 in Clinton Heights (near Dade City

). While some of the median openings are still missing left-turn lanes, and is briefly replaced by a center left-turn lane, the road becomes much more level at this point.

In February 2007, US 98-301 was realigned to the

Dade City Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot

.

US 98 & 301 reunite with the former route, near a former citrus plant. The first intersection after this is eastern

Seaboard Coast Line and the segments that crossed Routes 98 & 301 were abandoned. US 98 leaves US 301 in Trilacoochee, veering to the northwest and taking hidden State Roads 39 and 700 with it. State Road 35 becomes the sole hidden state route as the road narrows down to two lanes before approaching State Road 575 and CR 575 in Lacoochee. It remains a two-lane road even after it crosses the border with Hernando County, Florida and over the Withlacoochee River

.

Hernando to Marion counties

In Hernando County, US 301 continues its two-lane rural surroundings until it approaches SR 50 in Ridge Manor, which while hardly urban, contains some local businesses, and a large gas station, convenience store and car wash on the northeast corner. North of the Whispering Oaks Country Club, a gated community near SR 50, US 301 passes by random intersections of dirt roads, many of which are part of local deed-restricted communities.

US 301 enters

CSX's S-Line, and intersects with County Road 675. In St. Catherine, 301 intersects with CR 673, which leads to local campgrounds before reaching I-75, and almost instantly CR 478, which leads to Webster and Center Hill

.

In Bushnell, US 301 becomes Main Street. The first main intersection there is County Road 476 (Seminole Avenue), a road that runs from northwestern Hernando County to north of Webster. CR 48 shares a hidden concurrency with US 301, that's not so hidden when it turns onto CR 476. Sumter County Road 48 runs north towards West Belt Avenue, taking the DeSoto Trail with it, while US 301 turns east on East Noble Avenue, and crosses CSX's S-Line, where it once shared a brief concurrency with CR 48 until that designation turned south onto Florida Avenue on its way to Lake County. From there, Route 301 shares an even shorter concurrency with County Road 476, until it curves back north.

US 301 passes by the ground of

Lake-Sumter Community College's Sumter Campus in Sumterville. Shortly after this, US 301 intersects County Road 470, and both roads share a concurrency. The north end of SR 471 is encountered after this, and then the concurrency with County Road 470 breaks away to head east towards Okahumpka. In Coleman US 301 intersects with an abandoned railroad right-of-way that carried the SAL/Amtrak Silver Meteor

until 1988. At this point, the road is briefly named South Commercial Street until it intersects with Warm Springs Avenue (County Road 514) and then heads east along Warm Springs Avenue. The road curves north again at the intersection of County Road 468.

Before US 301 enters

County Road 42 in Dallas, only to return to the two-lane road it was before. The stretch along the Marion-Sumter county line serves as the unofficial western boundary of The Villages

, the large Central Florida retirement community.

North of Summerfield, the road takes a slight curve to the northwest and then becomes a divided four-lane highway before curving back north again. The road remains no less than four lanes wide throughout the rest of Marion County, although just as in Pasco County, the median is missing left-turn lanes at many of the intersections.

Within

Cross Florida Greenway.^[2]

Ocala and points north

Before US 27-301-441 enters

County Road 200A

(Northwest 20th Street), which runs east and then north. This road was the former State Road 200A and decommissioned U.S. Route 301 Alternate.

Another county alternate of a state highway that the road intersects with is CR 25A (Northwest Gainesville Road), which runs northwest through towns such as

CR 329 is an interchange with U.S. Route 441 near Sparr, where the US 301-441 concurrency ends. US 441 moves northwest towards Gainesville

, while US 301 moves northeast.

CR 318

intersection in Citra

In Citra, US 301 intersects with the north end of CR 200A (Northeast Jacksonville Road), but another short former segment (Northeast 19th Terrace) appears on the opposite side before the road passes by the historic Melton-Shands House and intersects with CR 318. After US 301 crosses the Alachua County Line it runs along a four-lane causeway through marshland before entering Island Grove, where the road intersects with another former section (Southeast 201st Terrace) and CR 325, which leads to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. From there, the road makes a slight curve to the right to cross over the railroad line. Both the tracks and the road run along the east coast of Lochloosa Lake in Lochloosa. The interchange with SR 20 in Hawthorne, also includes the side road Southeast 221st Street / Johnson Street, as well as the previously mentioned railroad line in between that side road and US 301. Intersections with CR 1474 in Campville and SR 26 in Orange Heights are at-grade interchanges, and the railroad line breaks away from the road moving straight north. US 301 would head back to the northwest in Shenks, where it would otherwise take drivers straight into Lake Altho and those tracks can be found again, beneath the interchange with SR 24 in Waldo.

Since US 301 is a popular short cut between Northeastern Florida and the Gulf Coast region, a number of towns along the road have been notorious

speed traps. The speed limit drops from 65 mph to 30 mph in a matter of a few hundred feet. Many have accused the police in Waldo, Starke, Lawtey, and others of giving tickets simply to raise money.^[3]^[4] The American Automobile Association has strongly advised motorists to avoid this stretch of the road.^[5]

North of Waldo, US 301 crosses

CR 18 between Hampton and Hampton Beach. Upon entering Starke, US 301 gains the name Walnut Street; after it crosses a set of railroad tracks, it crosses over onto Temple Avenue. From there, the road intersects SR 100 (Madison Street), and a block later the unmarked SR 230 (Call Street), where it passes the Old Bradford County Courthouse, and serves as part of the boundary for the Call Street Historic District. The next major intersection in Starke is SR 16

(Brownlee Street).

A Starke Bypass was proposed for construction by the FDOT for the year 2010, and has been completed late summer of 2019^[6]^[7]^[8] The interchanges that already exist with US 441 near Sparr, SR 20 in Hawthorne, and SR 24 in Waldo could also be used if the state were to upgrade the road as a freeway.

The next town over is Lawtey, which contains intersections with the eastern terminus of County Road 225 and then crosses County Road 125.

Metropolitan Jacksonville to Georgia

US 301 cuts through the northwest corner of

Maxville, it shares a brief concurrency with SR 228. After passing through Fiftone the road encounters a large railroad yard on the east side before the partial-cloverleaf interchange with I-10, before entering Baldwin

.

In September 2020, the Florida Department of Transportation opened the Baldwin Bypass around the western edge of town.[9]

The existing US 301 turns right at an intersection on the southern end of the new bypass, and then crosses railroad tracks that serve the suspended

23. Here, SR A1A/200 continue running along East First Avenue toward Fernandina Beach, while US 301 becomes part of a three route overlap with US 1-23 between Callahan, and Folkston, Georgia

.

History

US 301 first entered Florida in 1949, terminating in Tampa. It was rerouted along the 'old US 41' route to Palmetto in 1952, bypassing Tampa, and extended in 1953 to its current southern terminus of Sarasota.

From 1956 until 1993, US 301 signs in Florida featured black numbering on a yellow shield.^[11] The "color-coding" of U.S. Routes by the Florida Department of Transportation was stopped when the state could no longer use federal funds to replace signs that were not in compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) per 23 CFR 655.603.^{[additional citation(s) needed]} Signs replaced after this time period used the MUTCD standard of black numerals on a white shield surrounded by a rectangular black background. Some yellow US 301 signs may still remain.

Around 1985, U.S. 301 was realigned in southern Manatee County between the Sarasota County line and U.S. 41 to its current alignment along a former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad corridor. U.S. 301 previously ran to the west along 15th Street and 301 Boulevard.^[12]^[13]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi^[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
SR 45 )
SR 45 )	0.722	1.162	SR 780 east (Fruitville Road) to I-75
USF Sarasota-Manatee
Manatee		8.244	13.267	SR 70 (53rd Avenue East / Oneco Road) to I-75 – Oneco, Arcadia
		10.671	17.173	SR 70 (15th Street East)
	SR 55 )	interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; north end of SR 683 overlap; south end of US 41 / SR 55 overlap
		12.596	20.271	SR 64 east (6th Avenue) to I-75 – Zolfo Springs
		12.686	20.416	Anna Maria Island, Beaches
				Hernando Desoto Bridge over the Manatee River
	SR 43 south) – Manatee Fairgrounds, St. Petersburg	interchange; north end of US 41 / SR 55 overlap; south end of SR 43 overlap
	CR 683 north)
		18.02	29.00	SR 93) – Naples, Tampa, St. Petersburg	I-75 exit 224
	Lake Manatee State Recreation Area, Arcadia
	Lake Manatee State Recreation Area, Arcadia	25.048	40.311	SR 62 east – Wauchula
		25.468	40.987	To CR 683 west)
Hillsborough		35.556	57.222	SR 674 (Sun City Center Boulevard) to I-75 – Sun City Center, Wimauma, Convention Center
		39.520	63.601	CR 672 east – Balm
		41.036	66.041	CR 672 west (Big Bend Road) to I-75
	Riverview	45.558	73.318	To I-75 / Gibsonton Drive / Boyette Road
		49.11	79.03	SR 618 west (Selmon Expressway) / SR 60 east – Ocala, Brandon, Tampa, Naples	I-75 exit 254
		50.510	81.288	Brandon Town Center
		51.04	82.14	SR 618 (Selmon Expressway) to I-75 – Ocala, Naples, Tampa, St. Petersburg	SR 618 exit 13
		52.375	84.289	SR 618 (Selmon Expressway) – Brandon, Tampa
		53.73	86.47	Overpass Road (to Broadway Avenue / CR 574 )	interchange
	East Lake-Orient Park	54.681	88.001	SR 574 (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) to I-4 west / I-75 – Mango, Tampa
		55.291	88.982	Elm Fair Boulevard – State Fairgrounds, Amphitheatre	north end of SR 43; south end of SR 41
		55.68	89.61	SR 600) to I-4 / I-75 – Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg	I-4 exit 7
		58.335	93.881	Harney Road
	Thonotosassa	60.237	96.942	SR 582 west (Fowler Avenue) to I-75 – Temple Terrace, University of South Florida, Busch Gardens
		62.395	100.415	CR 579 south (Mango Road) – Thonotosassa
Pasco				SR 56 west – Wesley Chapel	Opened July 2019
		74.799	120.377	Chancey Road – CR 535 , eastern bypass of Zephyrhills
		75.496	121.499	SR 39 south – Crystal Springs, Plant City	north end of SR 41; south end of SR 39 overlap
	Zephyrhills	76.668	123.385	SR 54 west (5th Avenue) to I-75 – Land o' Lakes
		77.472	124.679	To SR 54 west / 6th Street
		77.822	125.242	CR 41 north (Fort King Road)
		78.086	125.667	CR 54 (Eiland Boulevard) to I-75 / US 98 south
		83.074	133.695	SR 700) – Lakeland	north end of SR 39; south end of US 98 / SR 35 / SR 700 overlap
	CR 52 Alt. east (Clinton Avenue)
		85.208	137.129	7th Street ( SR 533
		85.777	138.045	CR 35 Alt. south (Old Lakeland Highway) – Richland
		86.059	138.499	Downtown
		86.810	139.707	7th Street ( SR 533 ; south end of SR 35 / SR 700 overlap
		86.999	140.011	Lock Street – CR 578 west
		92.506	148.874	SR 700) to I-75 – Brooksville, Perry	north end of US 98 / SR 700 overlap
	CR 575 west (Trilby Road) – Trilby, Lacoochee
Hernando	Ridge Manor	96.317	155.007	SR 50 (Cortez Boulevard) to I-75 / US 98 north – Brooksville, Groveland
CR 673 to I-75
		104.200	167.694	CR 478 east – Webster
	CR 476 west (Seminole Avenue) – Nobleton, Center Hill, Sumter County Fairgrounds	south end of CR 48 overlap
		107.744	173.397	CR 475 north (North Main Street) to I-75 – Floral City	north end of CR 48 overlap
		108.091	173.956	CR 476 east
	CR 470 west to I-75 – Lake Panasoffkee	south end of CR 470 overlap
		115.342	185.625	SR 471 south – Webster, Sumter County Fairgrounds
		115.575	186.000	CR 470 east – Correctional Facility	north end of CR 470 overlap
	CR 468 east
		122.57	197.26	Florida's Turnpike (SR 91) to I-75 north	Turnpike exit 304
		123.297	198.427	SR 44 to I-75 – Inverness, Leesburg
		124.089	199.702	CR 44A (Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue)
		124.627	200.568	CR 466A east
		125.873	202.573	CR 462 east	south end of CR 462 overlap
		126.132	202.990	Camp Wildwood^[15]	north end of CR 462 overlap
	CR 472 east – Lake Miona Park
	CR 466 – The Villages
CR 42 – Pedro, The Villages, Weirsdale
		135.981	218.840	Southeast 132nd Street Road	south bypass of Belleview
	SR 500 )	south end of US 27 / US 441 / SR 500 overlap
	see US 441 (mile 308.734-330.372)
		159.668	256.961	SR 25) – Gainesville	north end of US 441 / SR 25 overlap
		161.798	260.389	CR 316 – Reddick
		164.395	264.568	CR 200A south (Northeast Jacksonville Road) – Sparr, Anthony
	CR 318 – Williston, Orange Springs, Horseshoe Lake Park
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Historic Site
	CR 200A north (Southeast 221st Street)
		177.888	286.283	Downtown
		178.30	286.95	SR 20 – Gainesville, Palatka	interchange
		180.167	289.951	CR 219A north
	CR 1474
	Orange Heights	187.212	301.289	SR 26 – Gainesville, Melrose	interchange
	CR 1471 north – Earleton
	Waldo	192.798	310.278	To SR 24 / Cole Street
	Waldo	193.0	310.6	SR 24 west – Gainesville	interchange; no northbound exit
		196.087	315.571	CR 225 south
CR 221 north
	CR 18 – Brooker
		200.367	322.459	CR 221 south – Hampton
		201.032	323.530	CR 227 south – Brooker
		201.98	325.06	SR 223 north)	Southern terminus of US 301 Alt. and SR 223
	CR 100A south (Southeast 44th Avenue)	to Lincoln City
		204.136	328.525	CR 100A west (Edwards Road) – National Guard Armory
		204.518	329.140	SR 100 (Madison Street) – Lake City, Keystone Heights
		204.570	329.224	SR 230 east (Call Street)
		205.048	329.993	SR 16 (Dr. M.L. King Jr. Boulevard) – State Prison, Camp Blanding, Green Cove Springs
		208.359	335.321	SR 223 south)	Northern terminus of US 301 Alt. and SR 223
		208.366	335.333	CR 233
		209.840	337.705	CR 200A north
		210.351	338.527	CR 200B north – Lawtey Correctional Institution
	CR 225 west (Madison Street) – State Prison
		211.865	340.964	CR 200A south (Lake Street) – Camp Blanding, Lawtey Correctional Institution
		212.701	342.309	CR 125
CR 218 east – Middleburg, Penney Farms
Maxville	223.206	359.215	SR 228 east (Normandy Boulevard) – Jacksonville	south end of SR 228 overlap
	223.342	359.434	CR 228 west (Maxville Macclenny Highway) – Macclenny	north end of SR 228 overlap
		229.63	369.55	I-10 (SR 8) – Jacksonville, Lake City
				SR 201 )	Truck Route of US 301
	SR 10 )	south end of US 90 / SR 10 overlap
	SR 10 )	231.225	372.121	SR 10) – Jacksonville	north end of US 90 / SR 10 overlap
				SR 201) – Jacksonville, Starke	Truck Route of US 301
CR 119 south (Otis Road)
	CR 119 north
	SR 15) – Jacksonville SR A1A south / SR 200 east to I-95 – Yulee, Fernandina Beach	north end of SR 200 overlap; south end of US 1 / US 23 / SR 15 overlap
		251.642	404.979	Brandies Avenue ( CR 108 west)
		252.063	405.656	CR 115 north (Old Dixie Highway)
	CR 108
	CR 121 south
	CR 121 south	269.316	433.422	St. Marys River bridge)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access