connect Tampa and St. Petersburg, and 1-4, which connects Tampa with 

 Orlando. 



Lee County 



The major north-south arteries in Lee County are 1-75, US-41, and SR-31. 

 Major east-west arteries are SR-78, SR-80, and SR-82. SR-80 connects Fort 

 Myers with Clewiston and US-27 on the south side of Lake Okeechobee. SR-82 

 connects Fort Myers with Immokalee in Collier County. SR-78 is a recreational 

 route connecting Fort Myers with the Gulf of Mexico and Pine Island. 



Manatee County 



Manatee County is connected to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area by US-19 via 

 the Sunshine Skyway, US-41 and US-301. Until the Tampa bypass of 1-75 is com- 

 pleted in 1985, there will be a gap in the freeway system between Bradenton 

 and Tampa. The east-west highways in the county are lightly traveled and con- 

 sist of three two-lane roads, SR-62, SR-64, and SR-70. 



Monroe County 



Monroe County, consisting mostly of Everglades Wetlands, is served by 

 only one highway. The route, US-1, connects Key West with Miami. Because of 

 its wetland topography and geographic location, Monroe County is the most in- 

 accessible county in Southwest Florida. 



Pasco County 



The major north-south roads in Pasco County are 1-75, US-19, US-41, and 

 US-301. The two major east-west roadways are SR-52 and SR-54. These roads 

 connect US-19, which is on the heavily populated western side of the county, 

 with 1-75 to the east. 



Pinellas County 



Pinellas County, located on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of 

 Mexico, is served largely by US-19, which runs north and south and is heavily 

 congested, and the following major east-west highways: 1-275, US-92, SR-60, 

 SR-580, and SR-584. These east-west highways provide direct access to Tampa 

 and Hillsborough County highways. 



Sarasota County 



Sarasota County is served by 1-75 and US-41 for north-south travel. The 

 only significant east-west highway, SR-72, connects the City of Sarasota with 

 Arcadia in DeSoto County. 



HIGHWAY CHARACTERISTICS 



Highways usually are described by their width (travel surface), number of 

 lanes, direction, average daily traffic volume, and capacity at level of ser- 

 vice C. These data are difficult to interpret because of changes of traffic 

 along a given route caused by localized variations in travel demand and inter- 



42 



