Dale Mabry Highway
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| Dale Mabry Highway |
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| Length: | 22.86 mi[1] (36.79 km) | ||||||||||||
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| Formed: | 1943 | ||||||||||||
| North end: |  US 41 near Lutz |
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| Major junctions: |
 Veterans Expy near Lutz
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| South end: | MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa | ||||||||||||
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Dale Mabry Highway is a north-south road in Tampa, Florida. The majority of its length consists of three lanes each direction plus a central turn-lane and often includes a right-turn lane. The speed limit for most the length is 45 mph (72 km/h). It begins at the MacDill Air Force Base entrance in South Tampa and ends by merging with US 41 just north of the Pasco County border. The highway carries multiple designations, carrying US 92 for an approximately five-mile stretch between Hillsborough Avenue and Gandy Boulevard. It is the longest street in Tampa.
Dale Mabry Highway has many items of interest, including the Raymond James Stadium, Legends Field, Mons Venus, Tampa International Airport, the Dale Mabry branch of the Hillsborough Community College, Plant High School, Gaither High School, shopping centers, car dealerships and many fine restaurants.
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[edit] History
Originally constructed in 1943[2] to connect MacDill Air Force Base with Drew Field, Dale Mabry Highway was named after Dale Mabry, a Florida native and World War I aviator. The highway has seen many changes throughout the years, including an extension to US 41 in Pasco County, and major widening projects.
[edit] Surfacing
Dale Mabry Highway is also one of the last roads in Hillsborough County to include concrete (driving surface) segments (Hillsborough Avenue is the other major, non-interstate, artery that has concrete segments). Originally, the concrete segment was continuous, stretching from MacDill AFB to just south of Hillsborough Ave. However, after numerous intersection modifications and widening over the years, some of the original areas have disappeared as they were replaced by asphalt surfaces. The existing concrete surfaces have since been rehabilitated, though there is a 1 mile (or less) exception between Spruce and Cypress Streets. The only reason why that noted section was not rehabilitated is because of pending reconstruction on Interstate 275.
[edit] Killed freeway plan
During the 1960s/1970s, a portion of Dale Mabry was planned as a freeway between what was then I-4 (now I-275) to the Northwest Hillsborough Expressway. The Hillsborough Avenue and Busch Boulevard interchanges were constructed as a result of this plan. However, the plan itself failed due to an increasing business presence along the highway.
[edit] Designations
Dale Mabry Highway carries a total of four designations throughout its route. The designations are listed below from South to North.
State Road 573 
State Road 685 (secret designation concurrency) - MacDill Air Force Base to Gandy Blvd.
- This is the southern portion of the highway, which runs from US 92 (SR 600)/Gandy Blvd/Dale Mabry Hwy to the Air Force base and is cosigned with secret SR 685. Originally a two-lane stretch, a widening project took place in the 1970s, increasing the road to four lanes. The project was at least partly contributed by the construction of the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway in 1974. In 2002, a roundabout was constructed just north of the main gate to MacDill as part of a security enhancement and road improvement project for the base. Until the late 1990s, a Jai Alai fronton stood on the west side of the highway just south of Gandy Blvd. The facility closed in July 1998 after 45 years of operation after the parent company of the fronton sold the 40-acre property for $8.3 million [1]. Today, a Home Depot and Sam's Club store sit on the property.
U.S. Route 92/State Road 600 State Road 685 (secret designation concurrency until turn off at Henderson Blvd) - Gandy Blvd to Hillsborough Ave.
- This stretch of Dale Mabry Hwy snakes through several south Tampa business areas and a residential district before approaching Raymond James Stadium with the SR 685 concurrency ending at Henderson Blvd. Until 2000, the section of highway between Gandy Blvd and Euclid Ave was two lanes. Additionally a 1950s era overpass stood over a CSX rail corridor just north of the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway.The overpass was torn down in the late 1990s as part of a widening project which increased that section to four lanes. The section of Dale Mabry between Euclid Ave and Kennedy Blvd remains four lanes with only moderate improvements taking place over the years, such as intersection improvements. The section of highway from Kennedy northward is six lanes with many businesses surrounding the highway.
State Road 580 - Hillsborough Ave to Busch Blvd/Gunn Hwy.
- As mentioned above, the Hillsborough Ave interchange is a remnant of a failed freeway plan along Dale Mabry. The original North Crosstown Expressway was supposed to have connected Dale Mabry at this (or the MLK) intersection, but was killed as well. Along the highway in the stadium and Northdale area are many businesses, more specifically car dealerships. The overall scene along Dale Mabry however, begins to shift from to a more suburban setting. The Busch/Gunn Interchange (mentioned above) is also a remanent of the killed freeway plan.
State Road 597 - Busch Blvd/Gunn Hwy to U.S. Route 41.
- This section of Dale Mabry continues to be four to six lanes north of Bearss Ave up to the Veterans Expressway. The line of businesses and apartment/condo developments continue along the highway until the Veterans Expressway. North of the expressway, the highway used to narrow back down to two lanes as it snaked through a rural setting to US 41. This scene has since changed, as Dale Mabry between the Veterans and US 41 was widened to four lanes in 2000.
[edit] Lane counts
The lane counts along the highway are as follows.
- Four lanes (divided) from MacDill AFB to Euclid Ave.
- Four lanes (undivded) from Euclid Ave to Kennedy Blvd (State Road 60).
- Six lanes (mostly divided, with some segments containing center turn lane) from Kennedy Blvd to Ehrlich Rd/Bearss Ave. With a brief four lane section at Hillsborough Ave.
- Mostly six lanes (mostly divided, with some segments containing center turn lane) from Ehrlich Rd/Bearss Ave to State Road 568 (Veterans Expressway).
- Four lanes (divided) from State Road 568 (Veterans Expressway) to US 41.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/statistics/pdfs/fedaidreport.pdf FDOT Federal-Aid Report
- ^ de Quesada, Alejando M.: "World War II in Tampa Bay", page 67. Arcadia Publishing, 1997.
