Skip to main content

2017 Southeast Trip Part 12; Turnpiked

After traveling east through the Everglades on US 41/Tamiami Trail I continued to Florida's Turnpike Extension and turned south towards Florida City.


Back when I was living in Florida the Turnpike Extension was still being widened and improved.  Considering the improvement project began circa 2013-2014 when I was working between Orlando and Key West it was a little odd to see that work was still ongoing.


I don't recall the exact exit I used but I bailed off the Turnpike Extension before the terminus in Florida City.  I was heading towards Biscayne National Park and I ended up on SW 137th Avenue in front of Homestead Miami Speedway.  The Speedway opened in 1995 and for the past two decades has been the location of the last NASCAR race of the season.  Originally the track was configured like a 1.5 mile version of Indianapolis Motor Speedway but since has been converted to high banks.







Florida City has all sorts of signage oddities.  FL 997 was created out of FL 27 in 1983 to avoid two routes with the same number touching.  In the case of FL 27 the northern terminus was at US 27 northwest of Miami.  FL 997 is entirely on Krome Avenue and is currently undergoing upgrades to a divided highway.





Florida's Turnpike was in the process of getting new shields when I was passing through Florida City.  I like how the map of Florida shows the Turnpike but would still like the Keys to make an appearance again.





FL 9336 is an infamous numbering of a 9 mile road from US 1 west to Everglades National Park was also formerly part of FL 27.  I'm not sure why the designation was given such an odd number when FL 999 was available.  FL 9336 was part of the Ingraham Highway which was a road built through the Everglades to Flamingo at Cape Sable.  There are some abandoned alignments of the original Ingraham Highway in Everlades National Park which can be seen on Google Maps west from the Royal Palm Visitor Center.


FL 27 can be seen on the 1956 and 1964 State Highway Map of Florida along with the original alignment of the Ingraham Highway to Cape Sable.

1956 Florida State Highway Map

1964 Florida State Highway Map 

Palm Drive and Canal Drive were apparently part of FL 906 which went to Biscayne National Park but was decommissioned in the 1980s.  I'm not sure where FL 906 turned north to connect from Palm Drive to Canal Drive but I believe it was SW 137th Avenue.  Irregardless I took the projected route of FL 906 east to Biscayne National Park.






Not much had changed at Biscayne National Park since 2012 (which is the time frame the previous Florida Friday stub had been written).  I took the boardwalks out as far as I could but really I was just hoping for a distance photo of downtown Miami.  Unfortunately the sky wasn't all that clear and I really couldn't see the sky scrapers to the north.  After looking through the visitor center I traveled back west to Florida City to my hotel to prepare for the next day along the Overseas Highway.












Comments

Popular posts from this blog

North Carolina Continues to Move Forward with Rail

2023 and the first half of 2024 have seen continued growth in North Carolina's passenger rail system.  From increased daily trains from Raleigh to Charlotte, federal funds for studying additional corridors, and receiving a historic grant to begin the construction of high-speed rail between Raleigh and Richmond, the last 18 months have been a flurry of activity at NCDOT's Rail Division.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg. As ridership and routes increase - the engine of North Carolina passenger rail trains will become a more common sight. (Adam Prince) Increased Passenger Train Service: On July 10, 2023, a fourth Piedmont round-trip rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte commenced.  The four Piedmont trains plus the daily Carolinian (to Washington, DC, and New York) bring the total of trains serving the two cities daily to five. The current daily Piedmont and Carolinian schedule between Charlotte and Raleigh (NCDOT) The result was over 641,000 passengers utilized pa

The Midway Palm and Pine of US Route 99

Along modern day California State Route 99 south of Avenue 11 just outside the City limits of Madera one can find the Midway Palm and Pine in the center median of the freeway.  The Midway Palm and Pine denotes the halfway point between the Mexican Border and Oregon State Line on what was US Route 99.  The Midway Palm is intended to represent Southern California whereas the Midway Pine is intended to represent Northern California.  Pictured above the Midway Palm and Pine can be seen from the northbound lanes of the California State Route 99 Freeway.   This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The history of the Midway Palm and Pine The true timeframe for when the Midway Palm and Pine (originally a Deadora Cedar Tree) were planted is unknown.  In fact, the origin of the Midway Palm and Pine w

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County.  The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s.  US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935.  US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68.  As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934.  US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County .   The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County.  D