and

Photos and information courtesy J.P. Nasiatka, unless I tell you otherwise. For example, the US 17/92 colored shields above (click on them for an extra-large version of the photo) are in Lake Alfred and courtesy Dan Moraseski. The lone blue shield is in Plant City and is J.P.'s.


Cool shields in Tampa. These are an example of the famous colored US shields that Florida was forced to abandon due to pressure from the conformist FHWA. US 41 was the only orange route, while the rest of the routes shared colors (except 98 was black) - for example, US 90, 92, and 94 were all blue. Business and alternate routes would be reverse color, meaning some shields would end up traditional black on white if the route were white on black. Other colors were yellow, green, red, and brown. The only two routes of the same color to intersect were US 27 and 192, and that only because they did not intersect at the time colors were assigned.


Heading westbound along the old Gandy Bridge, which originally carried one lane of US 92 in each direction across Tampa Bay until the parallel span (far left in the last photo) was built to handle eastbound traffic. Still, this old bridge with its tight vertical curve and narrow shoulders remained in use until 1997, when the modern replacement (center span) was constructed. Instead of being demolished, the old bridge was refurbished into a trail, but the stripes remain.


Looking south from the oldest past the newest to the 1970's second span, still the EB lanes. The pier design is similar to that of the old bridge (at least according to Wikipedia, since I have no photos of the old bridge's piers), whereas the modern new span is built like other boring modern bridges.


Crossing back from St. Petersburg to Tampa against the old flow of traffic. In the background of the last photo you can see how the westbound lanes are straight ahead, and the access road to the trail has to curve left out of the way.


S. Wabash Ave. at George Jenkins Blvd., Lakeland, taken in 1983 by Michael Summa.


US 17 SB/US 92 WB at MA 27. Squares are the new circles, eh? This isn't even FL 27, but US 27.


FL S-54 EB ending eight miles north of Haines City in 1975, courtesy Michael Summa.


Abandoned alignment of US 17/92 in Intercession City, just south of Kissimmee. The old alignment had three narrow bridges over Reedy Creek. In the second photo, you can see straight ahead where the new alignment (left) comes back into the old one; the cross-street that heads to the right is Osceola CR 532.


The other end of that alignment, with the current US 17/92 continuing from right to straight, and the original Old Tampa Highway crossing left to right.


The Reedy Creek crossing of the old highway, obviously now closed and used for other purposes. The original crossing had three spans and two 10-foot lanes, and I suppose the highway has enough regional importance to warrant a reroute to modern standards rather than long, costly, bothersome upgrades to the old road.


WB/SB, these reverse shields on the overheads are mistakes, not remnants of colored shields. The JCT sign is erroneous - if you're on the road already, you can't junction it.


Still WB, a gaggle of one-piece overheads - most states do this via assemblies on the side of the road.


Old colored shields on a side road - and on one-piece signs!


The Lake Monroe Bridge was the first electrically operated swing bridge in Florida, and could swing 360 degrees. It was built in 1932-33, replacing a wooden toll bridge. The new Benedict Bridge (US 17/92) was completed in 1994, turning the old bridge into a fishing pier. New or old, this crossing connects DeBary and Sanford over the St. John's River.


Westbound past US 1 in Daytona Beach in 1974, courtesy Michael Summa. What, you thought you'd see those around nowadays?


End the page the way it began, with a modern blue US shield, this one on Volusia CR 415 NB in Daytona Beach and courtesy Costa Ioannidis.

Onto US 441 and the US 17/92/441 triplex
Onto FL 50 and the US 17/92/FL 50 triplex
Onto US 17 alone

Onto US 41
To I-275
Onto US 27
To I-4
To I-95
Back to Florida Roads
Back to Roads