End of US highway 192

Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical road atlases, much of the info below is based on the research of Robert Droz; click here to view his site. Photo credits: Robert Droz; Dan Moraseski; J.P. Nasiatka; Alex Nitzman, Michael Summa; me

US 192 was an original 1926 highway, but it went west only as far west as US 17/US 92 in downtown Kissimmee FL. US 192 used to be routed along Neptune Road (now county road 525), which becomes Drury Avenue downtown. The US 192 designation ended where that intersects Broadway, which was US 17/92 at the time:

Moraseski

Sometime later US 192 was changed to its present route on Vine Street, ending at Main Street north of downtown. The photo below was taken at that spot:

Summa, 1976

That was taken only a few years after the 192 designation had been extended further west. Note the colors of the shields: these signs have been replaced now, but the photo probably represents what one would've seen back when US 192 ended here. That's because Florida used to further differentiate their highways with color, and there are still a few remnants around (to learn more about this, please visit Robert Droz' Florida in Kodachrome page). Below is a photo from the opposite direction:

Summa, 1974

That was overhead advance signage, and the photo below shows the assembly that was posted at the actual intersection (eastbound Vine, at the historic west beginning of US 192):

Droz

Below is a modern perspective from the same direction:

Moraseski

Here also we're looking east on Vine, which today is US 192. However, it used to be that the west beginning of US 192 was straight ahead.

In this next photo, we're looking north on Main at Vine:

Moraseski

Straight ahead on Main (or Orange Blossom Trail) is not only US 441 (which was extended south from Orlando through Kissimmee in 1951), but also US 17 and US 92 (presumably those shields were on a different sign). US 192 used to go only east (right) from here.

In 1972 the west end of US 192 was extended to its current terminus at its junction with US 27, just outside Walt Disney World:

Moraseski

There was no "End" sign, but your only option past the overpass is to veer left to an on-ramp for southbound US 27. The photo below is from northbound US 27; this first one is at the exit to the west beginning of US 192:

Nitzman, May 2005

Personally, I would've preferred to see "Kissimmee" (rather than a theme park) used as a control city. And, as a matter of fact, that's been added now...

Nitzman, Oct. 2008

...but unfortunately on this newer sign a two-digit shield was used for the three-digit route number. Anyway, if you take that exit, you'll soon see the first eastbound marker:

Nitzman, May 2005

In 1926 the east end of US 192 was in Melbourne FL, on New Haven Avenue at US 1 (Harbor City Boulevard). I was there in, but by then US 192 traffic had been routed one block to the north of its original route - now it runs along Strawbridge Avenue for maybe 11 blocks through downtown, hooking up with older alignments on either end. I didn't see any signs or anything distinctive to photograph on New Haven, but this first shot is looking north from New Haven on US 1 approaching US 192:

me, Oct. 2003

The old terminus was just behind the camera, and the photo below was taken when that was the case:

Summa, 1973

That was only about a year after the US 192 designation had been extended to the east (right). Below we're looking westbound on Strawbridge (192) approaching US 1:

me, Oct. 2003

As I've said, westbound US 192 used to begin one block to the left, but the sign assembly above is probably similar to what would've been posted there. In the distance you can see the first reassurance marker west of US 1; it's shown close-up below:

me, Oct. 2003

At some point US 192 was extended east from US 1 about 2 miles, across the Indian River/Intracoastal Waterway to its current terminus at FL hwy. A1A in Indialantic (the bridge was already there, but it used to be FL 516). The photo below is looking east on New Haven at the end of US 192:

Nitzman, Aug. 2007

Miramar Avenue is the cross street. Below we're looking north on US 1, approaching the east beginning of US 192...

me, Oct. 2003

...and below is a view from southbound US 1:

me, Oct. 2003

If you take that turn, you'll soon see the first westbound reassurance marker:

me, Oct. 2003