Florida State Road 48

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State Road 48 is a short east-west state highway in Bushnell, Florida. It runs from Interstate 75 at Exit 314 (formerly Exit 63) to US 301.

[edit] County extensions

Previously, State Road 48 was much longer than it is today. It originally ran from US 41 in Floral City, in Citrus County. Within Floral City itself, it's called East Orange Avenue, while east of the city it's known as East Bushnell Road. After crossing the Withlacoochee River it wound through western Sumter County along part of the DeSoto Trail before reaching Bushnell.

In the early 21st Century, FDOT widened SR 48 to four lanes between east of Sumter CR 317 and Interstate 75, and made other improvements in front of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. The road remains two-lanes wide both under I-75 and into Downtown Bushnell, until in intersects Sumter CR 475 & CR 548. From there it turns south as a four-lane boulevard before intersecting with US 301.

Returning to its County Road status, the former SR 48 becomes concurrent with US 301 along East Noble Road, then with Sumter CR 476 along North Florida Street and South Florida Street, until it reaches East Seminole Avenue, and turns east before leaving Bushnell's city limits, and heads through the rest of rural Sumter County. North of the City of Webster it intersects with SR 471 as it heads towards Center Hill.

Northeast of Center Hill, State Road 48 crossed the Sumter County Line and was named Leesburg Highway. In Okahumpka, the road becomes concurrent with County Road 33, then turned right at 1st Street, taking the designation from CR 470 on its way to FL 19 in Howey-in-the-Hills.

Former sections are now designated as Citrus County Road 48, Sumter County Road 48, and Lake County Road 48.