Dale Mabry Highway
Encyclopedia
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. 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 Raymond James Stadium
, George M. Steinbrenner 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 restaurants.
The lane counts along the highway are as follows.
The speed limit for most the length is 45 mph (72 km/h).
fronton stood on the west side of the highway just south of Gandy Boulevard. The facility closed in July 1998 after 45 years of operation after the parent company of the fronton sold the 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) property for $8.3 million. Today, a Home Depot and Sam's Club
store sit on the property.
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 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.
(State Road 600). Much of this portion is also cosigned with unsigned SR 685. This stretch of Dale Mabry Highway snakes through several south Tampa business areas and a residential district before approaching Raymond James Stadium
with the SR 685 concurrency ending at Henderson Boulevard. The section of Dale Mabry between Gandy Boulevard and Kennedy Boulevard (SR 60) remains four lanes with 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.
Until 2000, the section of highway between Gandy Boulevard 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.
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 1996.
to include concrete (driving surface) segments (Hillsborough Avenue
and Bayshore Boulevard are the other major, non-interstate, arteries that have 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
.
with Drew Field, Dale Mabry Highway was named after Dale Mabry
, a Florida native and World War I
aviator. Dale Mabry runs along what was originally called Vera Ave. according to land plots from the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser. The highway has seen many changes throughout the years, including an extension to US 41 in Pasco County
, and major widening projects.
During the 1960s/1970s, a portion of Dale Mabry Highway was planned as a freeway between what was then I-4 (now I-275) to the Northwest Hillsborough Expressway
(now Veterans Expressway's
eastern terminus).
Dale Mabry Highway is typical of a roadway in a suburban sprawl setting. The road is a minimum four lanes wide along its entirety and in many places has wide medians, no sidewalks, and open drainage. At most intersections the traffic signals are hung across the road on wires rather than on mast arm technology, creating unsightly views. It is also home to many strip clubs, including Mons Venus
. New Urbanist Jim Colleran nominated the street as one of the "Worst Streets in North America" due to its infamous sprawl.
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. The majority of its length consists of three lanes each direction plus a central turn-lane and often includes a right-turn lane. It begins at the MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida...
entrance in South Tampa
South Tampa
South Tampa comprises the city of Tampa communities of Beach Park, Ballast Point, Bayshore Beautiful Bayshore Gardens, Bayside West, Belmar Shore, Davis Islands, Port Tampa, Fair Oaks-Manhattan Manor, Golfview, Hyde Park, New Suburb Beautiful, Virginia Park, Palma Ceia, Rattlesnake Gandy-Sun Bay...
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 Raymond James Stadium
Raymond James Stadium
Raymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events...
, George M. Steinbrenner Field, Mons Venus
Mons Venus
Mons Venus is a nude lap dancing strip club in Tampa, Florida.The club and its owner, Joe Redner, have frequently been engaged in legal battles with the Tampa City Council, which has tried to place restrictions on the industry for 25 years. Redner's advocacy group Voice of Freedom was originally...
, Tampa International Airport
Tampa International Airport
Tampa International Airport is a major public airport located six nautical miles west of the central business district of Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority...
, the Dale Mabry branch of the Hillsborough Community College
Hillsborough Community College
Hillsborough Community College is a two-year community college, located in Hillsborough County, Florida. The college has six campuses located throughout the county. Locations include: Brandon, Dale Mabry, Plant City, Ybor City, MacDill AFB, and South Shore...
, Plant High School
Henry B. Plant High School
H.B. Plant High School was opened in 1927 on South Himes Avenue in Tampa, Florida, United States. The school is named in honor of railroad and hotel tycoon Henry B. Plant. The school mascot is the Panther. The school motto is "Strength Through Unity." Plant High School currently has enrolled more...
, Gaither High School, shopping centers, car dealerships and restaurants.
Route description
Dale Mabry Highway carries several designations throughout its route.The lane counts along the highway are as follows.
- Four lanes (divided) from MacDill AFB to Euclid Ave.
- Four lanes (undivided) from Euclid Ave to Kennedy Boulevard (State Road 60State Road 60 (Florida)State Road 60 is an east–west route transversing Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The western terminus of SR 60 is at the Sunsets at Pier 60 in Clearwater...
). - Six lanes (mostly divided, with some segments containing center turn lane) from Kennedy Boulevard to Van Dyke Rd. 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.
The speed limit for most the length is 45 mph (72 km/h).
MacDill Air Force Base to Gandy Boulevard (SR 573)
The southern portion of Dale Mabry Highway between MacDill AFB and Gandy Boulevard (US 92 ,SR 600) is designated as State Road 573's entire length. This portion is also cosigned with unsigned SR 685. This section is four lanes wide, divided. Until the late 1990s, a Jai AlaiJai alai
Jai alai is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space. It is a variety of Basque Pelota. The term, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton where the sport is played...
fronton stood on the west side of the highway just south of Gandy Boulevard. The facility closed in July 1998 after 45 years of operation after the parent company of the fronton sold the 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) property for $8.3 million. Today, a Home Depot and Sam's Club
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. , the Sam's Club chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members...
store sit on the property.
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 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.
Gandy Boulevard to Hillsborough Avenue (US 92)
The section of Dale Mabry Highway between Gandy Boulevard and Hillsborough Avenue is signed as U.S. Route 92U.S. Route 92
U.S. Route 92 is a 177 mile intrastate U.S. Route in the U.S. state of Florida. The western terminus is at Alt US 19, SR 595, and SR 687 in downtown St. Petersburg. The eastern terminus is at SR A1A in Daytona Beach. Most of US 92 is designated unsigned State Road 600.-Route description:US 92...
(State Road 600). Much of this portion is also cosigned with unsigned SR 685. This stretch of Dale Mabry Highway snakes through several south Tampa business areas and a residential district before approaching Raymond James Stadium
Raymond James Stadium
Raymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events...
with the SR 685 concurrency ending at Henderson Boulevard. The section of Dale Mabry between Gandy Boulevard and Kennedy Boulevard (SR 60) remains four lanes with 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.
Until 2000, the section of highway between Gandy Boulevard 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
Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway
The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, originally known as the Southern Crosstown Expressway is a all-electronic, limited access toll road in Hillsborough County, Florida, It connects the South Tampa neighborhood near MacDill Air Force Base with Downtown Tampa and the bedroom community of Brandon...
. The overpass was torn down in the late 1990s as part of a widening project which increased that section to four lanes.
Hillsborough Avenue to Busch Boulevard/Gunn Highway (SR 580)
The section of Dale Marby Highway between Hillsborough Avenue and Busch Boulevard/Gunn Highway is signed as a portion of State Road 580. The Hillsborough Avenue interchange is a remnant of a failed freeway plan along Dale Mabry Highway. 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 at the end of this stretch is also a remanent of the canceled expressway.Busch Boulevard/Gunn Highway to U.S. Route 41 (SR 597)
The northern portion of Dale Mabry Highway between Busch Boulevard/Gunn Highway and U.S. Route 41 is designated as State Road 597's entire length. This section of Dale Mabry Highway 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 changes to a more rural setting towards the terminus of US 41.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 1996.
Surfacing
Dale Mabry Highway is also one of the last roads in Hillsborough CountyHillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
to include concrete (driving surface) segments (Hillsborough Avenue
Hillsborough Avenue
Hillsborough Avenue is a major east–west arterial road in Hillsborough County, Florida, also designated as State Road 580, U.S. Highway 41 or U.S. Highway 92 in various places.-Route description:...
and Bayshore Boulevard are the other major, non-interstate, arteries that have 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
Interstate 275 (Florida)
Interstate 275 in Florida serves the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, measuring 60.696 miles in length. The southern terminus is I-75 near Palmetto, just five miles east of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a toll bridge crossing Tampa Bay. The highway passes through St...
.
History
Originally constructed in 1943 to connect MacDill Air Force BaseMacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida...
with Drew Field, Dale Mabry Highway was named after Dale Mabry
Dale Mabry
Dale Mabry was an American World War I aviator.Mabry, a native of Florida, was the son of former Florida Supreme Court Justice Milton H. Mabry and Ella Dale Bramlett. He went on to become an airship pilot and captain in the United States Army...
, a Florida native and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
aviator. Dale Mabry runs along what was originally called Vera Ave. according to land plots from the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser. The highway has seen many changes throughout the years, including an extension to US 41 in Pasco County
Pasco County, Florida
Pasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 344,765. The July 1, 2007 census estimate according to the U.S. Census Bureau for the county is 462,715. Its county seat is Dade City, Florida which is in the northeast part of the county - somewhat...
, and major widening projects.
During the 1960s/1970s, a portion of Dale Mabry Highway was planned as a freeway between what was then I-4 (now I-275) to the Northwest Hillsborough Expressway
Northwest Hillsborough Expressway
The Northwest Hillsborough Expressway and its present-day counterpart, the East-West Road, in Tampa, Florida, have been the subject of heavy controversy since their beginnings in the 1980s...
(now Veterans Expressway's
Florida State Road 568
Florida State Road 568 is a short stub of the Veterans Expressway in Cheval, Florida north of Tampa. The road was built in 1994, but was reassigned as SR 568 in 2001 when SR 589 moved to the new Suncoast Parkway. It connects the aforementioned SR 589 to SR 597...
eastern terminus).
Dale Mabry Highway is typical of a roadway in a suburban sprawl setting. The road is a minimum four lanes wide along its entirety and in many places has wide medians, no sidewalks, and open drainage. At most intersections the traffic signals are hung across the road on wires rather than on mast arm technology, creating unsightly views. It is also home to many strip clubs, including Mons Venus
Mons Venus
Mons Venus is a nude lap dancing strip club in Tampa, Florida.The club and its owner, Joe Redner, have frequently been engaged in legal battles with the Tampa City Council, which has tried to place restrictions on the industry for 25 years. Redner's advocacy group Voice of Freedom was originally...
. New Urbanist Jim Colleran nominated the street as one of the "Worst Streets in North America" due to its infamous sprawl.