State Road 116 is a state highway

State Roads in Florida

Roads maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation or a toll authority are referred to officially as State Roads, abbreviated SR. State Roads are always numbered; in general, the numbers follow a grid. Odd numbered roads run north-south, and even numbered roads run east-west...

 in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, which runs almost due east–west entirely within Jacksonville's city limits. At its west terminus, SR 116 is signed as Merrill Road beginning at the intersection with SR 9A (Future Interstate 295

Interstate 295 (Florida)

Interstate 295 , an auxiliary route of Interstate 95, is a bypass route around central Jacksonville, Florida, which is currently signed on the western half for...

) and SR 113 (Southside Connector)

Florida State Road 113

State Road 113 is a Florida State Road, which runs almost due north–south entirely in the city limits of Jacksonville. It runs from an intersection with SR 9A/SR 116 /Merrill Road on the east shore of the St...

 near the St. Johns River

St. Johns River

The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...

. At its east terminus, it is signed as Wonderwood Drive, ending at the intersection with SR 101 (Mayport Road) just south of Naval Station Mayport

Naval Station Mayport

Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a military airfield with one asphalt paved runway measuring 8,001 x 200 ft. ....

. Here, the Wonderwood Drive designation continues to Hanna Park

Hanna Park

Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park is a public beachfront and city park in Atlantic Beach, Florida. It is located at Mayport in the Jacksonville Beaches area...

.

Since the central purpose of SR 116 was to build a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway

Intracoastal Waterway

The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals...

 connecting Wonderwood Drive to the rest of Jacksonville, locals often unofficially refer to SR 116 as "Wonderwood Connector" or simply "Wonderwood". Officially, the stretch is signed as a number of existing local roads that were utilized as the route for SR 116. These sections are known as Merrill Road, Ft. Caroline Road, McCormick Road, Mt. Pleasant Road and Wonderwood Drive.

History

Due to rapid growth in the East Arlington area and near SR 105 (Zoo Parkway/Heckscher Drive), a connection from the I-295

Interstate 295 (Florida)

Interstate 295 , an auxiliary route of Interstate 95, is a bypass route around central Jacksonville, Florida, which is currently signed on the western half for...

/SR 9A corridor to Naval Station Mayport was seen as a great need.

Over the years, traffic problems at the Atlantic Boulevard flyover ramp

Overpass

An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...

 escalated, at it was the only direct route to the base. The back-ups often took hours to clear, and with the rapid growth in the area, combined with the need for another hurricane evacuation route, a new road was a necessity. The base needed a more direct route from the corridor since it was easy for new people to the area to get lost on previous directions from exits on SR 9A, such as SR 10/Atlantic Boulevard and Monument Road.

The improvements to – and subsequent de facto replacement of – Merrill Road, Ft. Caroline Road, and McCormick Road occurred in stages. However, these roads are still in use today and are designated by signage still displayed on them.

Major intersections

The entire route is located in Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

, Duval County

Duval County, Florida

Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...

.

Mile	Destinations	Notes
	, Savannah GA Savannah, Georgia Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important... – Jacksonville Zoo, Regency Square Mall Regency Square Mall (Jacksonville, Florida) Regency Square Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Opened in 1967, the mall features more than 100 stores, including four anchor stores and a food court...
	Fort Caroline Road	West intersection
	Fort Caroline Road	East intersection
	Monument Road
	Kernan Boulevard
	Mt. Pleasant Road
	Girvin Road
	, Naval Station Mayport Naval Station Mayport Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a military airfield with one asphalt paved runway measuring 8,001 x 200 ft. ....	Wonderwood Drive continues to Hanna Park.