Current and historic US highway endpoints in St. Petersburg, FL

Photo credits: James Allen; Andy Field; Karin and Martin Karner; Alex Nitzman

Highway Approx. time period
US 19 1930-1954
US 92 1953-present

During the first four years of the US highway system, the south end of US 19 was continually being moved. 1930 was the year of its first real endpoint, in St. Petersburg. There were no other US routes in town that would've served as a logical endpoint for US 19, but it appears the designation was extended east on 5th Avenue North all the way to 4th Street:

FDoT, 1941

In 1953 the US 92 designation was extended over Tampa Bay to St. Petersburg. It came in on 4th Street North, so the two routes briefly shared a common terminus. But the next year US 19 was extended south to its current endpoint in the Bradenton area.

In the photo below, we're looking south on 4th Street North, or US 92/FL 687:

Karners, Dec. 2009

That's the last westbound US 92 sign, just after 22nd Avenue North. About a mile ahead, we come to the sign shown below:

Karners, Dec. 2009

The cross street is 5th Avenue North, which today is FL 595 (running westbound only). But back in the 1930s, 5th Av N ran both ways, and the south beginning of US 19 was to the right. Today there is no "End" sign, but it appears that US 92 ends here, because the next trailblazer ahead (on the far side of 5th, shown below) indicates that we're on FL 687 only:

Allen, 2000

Alex reports that sign was still the same in 2006. This next shot was taken from the opposite direction (northbound on FL 687, or 3rd St N):

Field, Dec. 2000

That was approaching 5th Ave N, where FL 687 is directed to the west (left). The two routes shown above are also signposted for those turn lanes (the blue US 92 sign has since been replaced with a more standard black/white sign). If you go that way, you'll see the overhead signage shown below as you approach the next block (4th St N)...

Field/Nitzman, Jan. 2005

...well, actually you'll only see the sign on the left - the US 92 sign on the right is gone now, replaced with surface signage to the same effect:

Karners, Dec. 2009

Those references to Alt US 19 are interesting, because mainline US 19 once began straight ahead. (After it was rerouted to cross the Sunshine Skyway, this became the terminus of Alt US 19, but now that designation doesn't start until the US 19 junction at 34th Street.) Since 1953, US 92 has begun to the right. The assembly on the gore in the distance repeats this information, and also indicates that FL 595 is ahead (if one continues that direction, they find themselves on I-375, heading for an interchange with I-275) and FL 687 is to the left (unmarked here, though, is the fact that northbound FL 687 is to the right, along with US 92). If you turn that direction, the first US 92 comfirming assembly is just north of there:

Allen, 2000

Note the blue color of those signs: that's because Florida used to further differentiate their highways with color (to learn more about this, please visit Robert Droz' Florida in Kodachrome page). There are still a few remnants around, but they're disappearing fast - that assembly was replaced shortly after that photo was taken...

Field, Dec. 2000

...and now that one has been replaced, as well: it's basically the same, but the 687 sign is more of a 3-digit width.