State Road 959 (Florida)
Encyclopedia
State Road 959, known locally as Red Road
and NW/SW 57th Avenue, is a 5-mile-long, north–south street connecting U.S. Route 1 at the boundary between Coral Gables
and South Miami, Florida
, and the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836
) just south of Miami International Airport
. Most of the current configuration of SR 959 is that of a two-lane undivided highway (except for north of US 41, where it becomes four-lane undivided) running through residential sections of Coral Gables, South Miami, West Miami
, Westchester
, and the Flagami section of Miami
.
. In Hialeah
, another Red Road (West Fourth Avenue) serves as a different state road, SR 823
, which enters neighboring Broward County
and stretches northward to Interstate 595
near Weston
.
(soon to be part of US 94, which would in turn be folded into US 41 in 1949) was planned to be the northern boundary.
Red Road gets its name from the color of the mark Merrick made when he drew the road on his planning map; similarly, an east–west street was drawn in with a blue pencil and was named Blue Road.
Red Road received its FDOT
SR 959 designation in 1980. Its original configuration was four miles (6 km) longer as it stretched southward to the intersection of Red Road and Southwest 111th Street (Killian Drive), where it met the eastern end of SR 990
just outside the parking lot of the original Parrot Jungle, a major tourist attraction. Between 1995 and 2001, FDOT truncated several State Roads in Miami-Dade County
, and both SR 959 and SR 990 were cut back to terminate at US 1. In 2002, Parrot Jungle closed its doors to its original home, moved to its present site on Watson Island, just off SR A1A
, and became Parrot Jungle Island.
Red Road (Miami)
Red Road, also known as West 57th Avenue, is a north-south street that runs west of downtown Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida and into Broward County. Red Road is signed as State Road 959 from U.S. 1 to the Dolphin Expressway, and State Road 823 from U.S...
and NW/SW 57th Avenue, is a 5-mile-long, north–south street connecting U.S. Route 1 at the boundary between Coral Gables
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
and South Miami, Florida
South Miami, Florida
South Miami is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,741 at the 2000 census and as of 2007, according to the U.S...
, and the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836
State Road 836 (Florida)
State Road 836, locally known as the Dolphin Expressway, is a 19-mile-long six-lane divided expressway, with the westernmost 14 miles being a tollway, currently extending from just north of the intersection of Southwest 137th Avenue and U.S...
) just south of Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
. Most of the current configuration of SR 959 is that of a two-lane undivided highway (except for north of US 41, where it becomes four-lane undivided) running through residential sections of Coral Gables, South Miami, West Miami
West Miami, Florida
West Miami is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,863 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Miami is located at ....
, Westchester
Westchester, Florida
Westchester is a census-designated place in suburban Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 29,862 at the 2010 census....
, and the Flagami section of Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
.
Route description
State Road 959 exists only south of Miami International AirportMiami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
. In Hialeah
Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 226,419. As of 2009, the population estimate by the U. S...
, another Red Road (West Fourth Avenue) serves as a different state road, SR 823
State Road 823 (Florida)
State Road 823 is a 20.30-mile state highway in southeastern Florida, United States, running from US 27 in Hialeah north to Interstate 595 and SR 84 in Davie...
, which enters neighboring Broward County
Broward County, Florida
-2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile...
and stretches northward to Interstate 595
Interstate 595 (Florida)
Interstate 595 , also known as the Port Everglades Expressway and as the unsigned State Road 862, is a Interstate highway that connects Interstate 75 and Alligator Alley in the west with Florida's Turnpike, Interstate 95, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, US 1, and SR A1A before...
near Weston
Weston, Florida
Weston is a suburb of South Florida located in Broward County, Florida, USA. Established as a city in 1996, much of the community was developed by Arvida/JMB Realty and is located near the western developmental boundary of Broward County. It is the most western city in Broward County, and its...
.
History
When George Merrick made plans for the layout of Coral Gables in the 1920s he intended Red Road to be the western boundary of his planned city. The east–west Coral Way (later to be part of SR 972), the northeast-southwest South Dixie Highway (soon to be designated US 1), and the north–south Ponce de Leon Boulevard were intended to be main throughways, and the Tamiami TrailTamiami Trail
The Tamiami Trail is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 from State Road 60 in Tampa to U.S. Route 1 in Miami. The road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90....
(soon to be part of US 94, which would in turn be folded into US 41 in 1949) was planned to be the northern boundary.
Red Road gets its name from the color of the mark Merrick made when he drew the road on his planning map; similarly, an east–west street was drawn in with a blue pencil and was named Blue Road.
Red Road received its FDOT
Florida Department of Transportation
The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...
SR 959 designation in 1980. Its original configuration was four miles (6 km) longer as it stretched southward to the intersection of Red Road and Southwest 111th Street (Killian Drive), where it met the eastern end of SR 990
State Road 990 (Florida)
A long east–west road near Kendall, State Road 990 currently extends from an interchange between the Don Shula Expressway and West 107th Avenue to South Dixie Highway...
just outside the parking lot of the original Parrot Jungle, a major tourist attraction. Between 1995 and 2001, FDOT truncated several State Roads in Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
, and both SR 959 and SR 990 were cut back to terminate at US 1. In 2002, Parrot Jungle closed its doors to its original home, moved to its present site on Watson Island, just off SR A1A
State Road A1A (Florida)
State Road A1A is a Florida State Road that runs mostly along the Atlantic Ocean, with sections from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Callahan, just south of Georgia. It is the main road through most oceanfront towns. SR A1A is designated the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Highway, a...
, and became Parrot Jungle Island.