Skip to main content

Florida State Road 408/East-West Expressway (Florida's Turnpike east to FL 527)

By
One of the final major roadways I took on my recent Florida trip was Florida State Road 408/East-West Expressway from Florida's Turnpike east to FL 527 at Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando.


FL 408 is an approximately 22.1 mile limited access toll road facility entirely located in Orange County.  FL 408 begins at Florida's Turnpike in Ocoee and heads eastward ending at the University of Central Florida just north of FL 50.   FL 408 essentially serves as a limited access alternate to FL 50 on Colonial Drive and is by far the most common toll road I used when I lived in the Orlando Area circa 2014-2016.  All but the westernmost mile of FL 408 is owned by the Central Florida Expressway Authority.  Said final mile of FL 408 is owned by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise.

The initial segment of FL 408 was completed in 1973 which essentially was a loop to/from FL 50 near FL 435/Kirkman Road eastward past FL 551/Goldenrod Road.  The eastern segment of FL 408 to UCF was completed in 1989 while the western connection to Florida's Turnpike was complete by 1990.  Potential future plans for FL 408 may take it the junction of FL 50/FL 520 or even as far east as I-95.

My approach to FL 408 eastbound was from Florida's Turnpike southbound.  FL 408 east begins by crossing over Florida's Turnpike and under it's westbound ramp to the Turnpike southbound.



From Florida's Turnpike the route of FL 408 has Orlando signed 10 miles to the east.


FL 408 east Exit 2 accesses Good Homes Road (which I think is an awful name).


E-Pass and SunPass are accepted on FL 408 for pre-paid tolls.  Given I was in a rental car out of Tampa I wasn't sure if my coverage area covered Orlando (my SunPass died years ago).  That being case I pulled over the pull-out toll booths and paid the $1 dollar cash toll. 





FL 408 east Exit 4 accesses Hiawassee Road. 


FL 408 east Exit 5 accesses FL 435/Kirkman Road.


East of FL 435 there is a $1.25 at the next toll gantry on FL 408.







FL 423/John Young Parkway is accessible from FL 408 Exit 8A while Tampa Avenue is accessible from Exit 8B.



FL 408 east Exit 9 accesses US 17/92/441 on Orange Blossom Trail.


FL 408 east Exits 10A & B access I-4 in downtown Orlando.  Approaching I-4 the new Stack Interchange can be seen under construction which is part of the current I-4 Ultimate Project.





FL 527/Orange Avenue is accessed from FL 408 Exit 10C.  FL 408 east crosses below the new Stack Interchange before the exit onto Orange Avenue.





Interestingly Exit 10C descending to Orange Avenue is one of the few places that FL 527 is still visibly signed.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I-40 rockslide uncovers old debates on highway

By
The Asheville Citizen-Times continues to do a great job covering all the angles of the Interstate 40 Haywood County rock slide. An article in Sunday's edition provides a strong historical perspective on how the Pigeon River routing of Interstate 40 came about. And perhaps most strikingly, in an article that ran just prior to the highway's opening in the fall of 1968, how engineers from both Tennessee and North Carolina warned "...that slides would probably be a major problem along the route for many years." On February 12, 1969, not long after the Interstate opened, the first rock slide that would close I-40 occurred. Like many other Interstates within North Carolina, Interstate 40 through the mountains has a history prior to formation of the Interstate Highway System and was also a heated political battle between local communities. The discussion for a road that would eventually become Interstate 40 dates back to the 1940's as the idea for interregional high
2 comments
Read more

Interstate 210 the Foothill Freeway

By
The combined Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor of the Foothill Freeway is approximately 85.31-miles.  The Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor begins at Interstate 5 at the northern outskirts of Los Angeles and travels east to Interstate 10 in Redlands of San Bernardino County.  Interstate 210 is presently signed on the 44.9-mile segment of the Foothill Freeway between Interstate 5 and California State Route 57.  California State Route 210 makes up the remaining 40.41 miles of the Foothill Freeway east to Interstate 10.  Interstate 210 is still classified by the Federal Highway Administration as existing on what is now signed as California State Route 57 from San Dimas south to Interstate 10.  The focus of this blog will mostly be on the history of Interstate 210 segment of the Foothill Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Interstate 210 and California State Route 210 Interstate 210 (I-210) was approved as a chargeable Interstate during September of
Post a Comment
Read more

Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station

By
When California State Route 41 was commissioned during August 1934 it was aligned along the then existing Fresno-Yosemite Road north of the San Joaquin River.  Within the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, the original highway alignment ran past Bates Station via what is now Madera County Road 209, part of eastern Road 406 and Road 207.   Bates Station was a stage station plotted during the early 1880s at what was the intersection of the Coarsegold Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road.   The modern alignment bypassing Bates Station to the east would be reopened to traffic during late 1939.   Part 1; the history of California State Route 41 past Bates Station Bates Station was featured as one of the many 1875-1899 Madera County era towns in the May 21, 1968, Madera Tribune .  Post Office Service at Bates Station is noted to have been established on November 23, 1883 and ran continuously until October 31, 1903.  The postal name was sourced from Bates Station owner/operator George Ba
Post a Comment
Read more