The following is an attempt to add a route description to the article on Florida State Road 500.


Route description

State Road 500 (SR 500) begins at US 19-US 98 and hidden SR 55 in Chiefland hidden under U.S. Highway 27 Alternate (US 27 Alt.). The route begins as Northeast Eighth Avenue for one block, then curves to the southeast onto North Youngs Boulevard. The routes run southeast along the eastern edge of the city, until the eastern terminus of Florida State Road 345. East of there, US Alt 27/SR 500 runs straight east.


Bridges over the Little Waccassa River, where route curves southeast again.

Former State Road 32

Crossing under a power line right-of-way, the routes enter Bronson and are given the name "North Hathaway Avenue." Though the road remains four lanes, the divider is replaced by a continuous left-turn lane just before the signalized intersection with Florida State Road 24 (Thrasher Drive), where the street name changes from North Hathaway Avenue to East Hathaway Avenue.

Main Street, then Levy County Road 24B.

Levy County Road 337 joins the route in a diagonal one-block wrong-way concurrency with US Alternate 27 between Pennsylvania Avenue and South Court Street.


Entering Williston the road is given the name "West Noble Avenue." The route curves straight east where it is joined by U.S. Route 41 (US 41) along with hidden SR 45 and exposed SR 121. From that intersection with Southwest and Northwest Seventh Streets, US 41-Alt. 27 and SR 121 follow SR 500 along West Noble Avenue into Downtown Williston.

Across from the abandoned Atlantic Coast Line Railroad depot, US Alternate Route 27 ends at US 27. US Route 41, hidden SR 45 and SR 121 turn left onto northbound US 27 (North Main Street), while eastbound SR 500 continues straight ahead onto southbound US 27, which is now East Noble Avenue.

Florida Northern Railroad's West Coast Subdivision

US Alt. 27/SR 500 crosses the Levy-Marion County Line between the intersections of Levy CR 335 and Marion CR 316.


Blitchton

Marion County Road 326, a bi-county extension of Florida State Road 326


Fellowship


The routes officially enter the City of Ocala as Northwest Blichton Avenue just before the interchange with Interstate 75 at Exit 354. An increase in industrial development has been occurring on the northeast corner of the interchange within the past decade.

After the intersection with northwest 30th Avenue, the route curves straight west-to-east onto Northwest Tenth Street.

US 27 and SR 500 turn south onto US 301-US 441 along with hidden state roads 25 and 200. Tenth Street continues east from this intersection onto Florida State Road 492 (Bonnie Heath Boulevard).


Bridge over the CSX Wildwood Subdivision and other railroad lines.


Florida State Road 40

Florida State Road 200 branches off to the right at Southwest 10th Street, to head southwest towards Marion Oaks and Hernando.


Belleview


Across from the eastern terminus of Marion County Road 484, Florida State Road 25 branches off onto a separate road, which will soon become a county road that moves around the east coast of Lake Weir. US 301 breaks away onto southbound hidden SR 35 to head south into Wildwood, Bushnell and Dade City, while US 27 and 441 takes northbound SR 35 on a wrong way concurrency towards a separate exposed route at the intersection with Baseline Road.

Marion County Road 42, a bi-county road that spans from Pedro towards the southern edges of Ocala National Forest. South of CR 42, the route enters the ever-growing retirement community known as The Villages. Within this community, the route crosses the Marion-Sumter County Line, then bisects the northeastern corner of Sumter County before crossing the Sumter-Lake County Line.

Lady Lake, SR 25 rejoins US 27-441 and hidden SR 500 as an additional hidden route.

Fruitland Park, which is the headquarters of the LakeXpress bus service, and the entrance to Lake Griffin State Park

In Leesburg US 27 and hidden SR 25 continue straight south along 14th Street, while US 441 and SR 500 branch off to the southeast onto North Boulevard.

Florida State Road 44

US 441 shares hidden overlaps of both SRs 500 and 44 as it winds through a strip of land between Lake Griffin and Lake Harris. A former segment of SR 44 (now Lake CR 44) breaks away just before SR 500 and company pass by the western and northern edge of the Leesburg International Airport.


Tavares

Florida State Road 500A, then is joined by yet another overlap, this time with Florida State Road 19


SR 19 branches off to the north at an interchange that includes Lake CR 19A.

SR 44 branches off to the east at an intersection.

Mount Dora

Florida State Road 46. Until the late-2010's, the intersection was a diamond interchange.


As the routes cross the Lake-Orange County Line, they gain the name Orange Blossom Trail.


In Zellwood US 441/SR 500 run parallel the Florida Central Railroad on the southwest side of the road

In Apopka, a connecting road to Orange CR 437 leads to a SPUI interchange with Florida State Road 429 and Florida State Road 414 at exit 34. The interchange was built here in order to avoid the risk of encountering the Florida Central Railroad line. At the border between Apopka and Plymouth, the tracks move away from the side of the road, only to return just before the unfinished interchange with Florida State Road 451.

Florida State Road 436

For a short distance, the routes enter southwestern Seminole County, then re-enter Orange County in the suburban community of Lockhart where it encounters Florida State Road 414 again, this time at exit 9


At the intersection with Florida State Road 50 in the College Park section of Orlando, US 441-SR 500 are joined by US 17-92 (and hidden SR 600).

Florida State Road 408 at exit 9


Interstate 4 at Exit 80

Runs between Oak Ridge and Sky Lake


Florida State Road 528 at Exit 4 and Florida's Turnpike at exit 254


Florida State Road 417 at exit 11

Before reaching Downtown Kissimmee southbound US 441 and eastbound SR 500 turn left and join eastbound US 192, while southbound US 17 and westbound US 92 (not to mention hidden SR 600) turns right and joins westbound US 192 (hidden SR 530). Main Street serves as a de-facto continuation of Orange Blossom Trail.

SunRail crossing


Saint Cloud, Florida

Osceola County Road 15

In Holopaw, US 441 finally leaves SR 500 on it's way to Miami, taking hidden SR 15 down to Belle Glade.



Melbourne, Florida

Interstate 95 at exit 180


US 1.


Melbourne Causeway to Indialantic

US 192 and Florida State Road 500 finally ends at Florida State Road A1A.

References