Interstate 4 Westbound - Osceola and Orange Counties

Road construction since 2006 involves in order to add a new eastbound on-ramp to Interstate 4 from Howland Boulevard west. Volusia County 4145 overtakes Howland Boulevard from Florida 472 just south of Exit 114. The east-west road joins northern Orange City with northern Deltona. Photo taken 01/01/06.

Westbound reassurance indicator installed ahead of the Volusia County 4145 (Graves Avenue East) over crossing. Volusia County 4145 heads west from Howland Boulevard and junctions U.S. 17 & 92 (Volusia Avenue) south of French Avenue West, the road to Blue Springs State Park. Photo taken 01/01/06.

Growth of Orange City along the frontage of Interstate 4 results in the installation of sound barriers along the whole freeway. In the picture we can see the road work as well as a mileage sign for Orlando and Sanford. Orange City was founded by Dr. Seth French as well as by a company in the year 1874 as 5,000 acres were purchased. The name of the city originates from the thousands of orange groves planted in the area. Orange City was incorporated in 1882.3 Photo taken 01/01/06.

Travellers can take the Exit 111B/A three-quarter cloverleaf transition with Saxon Boulevard (Volusia County 4146). Orange City to the east is linked with Deltona to the west by the Saxon Boulevard links. Deltona had been envisaged by one of the Mackle Brothers in 1962 as 17,203 acres were purchased. The engineers decided to build a master-planned retirement community with 35,143 lots. Unincorporated until a successful vote on December 31, 1995, the city now boasts over 70,000 residents.4  Photo taken 01/01/06.

Exit 11A heads for the city of DeBary via Saxon Boulevard west to U.S. 17 & 92 (Charles Beall Boulevard) south. The Orange City Park & Ride Lot lies just along the west of Interstate 4 in the proximity of the Deltona Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Photo taken 01/01/06.

Interstate 4 west from the Exit 111 collector/distributor roadway for Saxon Boulevard (Volusia County 4146) west and east. Saxon Boulevard ends just 1.75 miles west at U.S. 17 & 92 (Volusia Avenue) as well as five miles east at junction Volusia County 4162 (Doyle Road) in south Deltona. Photo taken 01/01/06.

Exit 111B starts from westbound c/d roadway for Saxon Boulevard west. Saxon Boulevard crosses the south end of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Volusia County 4156 (Enterprise Road) within one mile. Photo taken 01/01/06.

Exit 111A loops onto Saxon Boulevard eastbound for central Deltona. Saxon Boulevard crosses with Normandy Boulevard (Volusia County 4154) and Providence Boulevard (Volusia County 4155) within only three miles of Interstate 4. Photo taken 01/01/06.

Enterprise Road crosses  Interstate 4 just one mile north of the Exit 108 folded-diamond transition with Volusia County 4162 (DeBary Avenue / Dirksen Drive). Volusia County 4162 lies on both sides on the north shore of Lake Monroe from Providence Boulevard in Deltona westward to Dirksen Drive in DeBary west of Interstate 4. Photo taken 01/01/06.

The community of Enterprise is conveniently sited along the north shore of Lake Monroe one mile east of Interstate 4. Enterprise is made up of a unincorpated community with a rich history behind. During the 1800s, Enterprise became a splendid weekend destination for area residents with its mineral springs, lakeside access, and steamboat access to the breathtaking Jacksonville. Enterprise was the very first county seat for Volusia in 1854. Later the town became a railroad depot along the Jacksonville Tampa and Key West Railroad.5 Photo taken 01/01/06.

Interstate 4 westbound at the Exit 108 ramp departure to Volusia County 4162. DeBary Avenue goes east from Interstate 4 to Enterprise and Doyle Road in Deltona. Dirksen Drive carries the county highway west into DeBary, serving Gemini Springs State Park all along the drive to U.S. 17 & 92. DeBary was incorporated in 1993 in order to prevent annexation by the larger Orange City to the north. The founder of community is Frederick DeBary who had purchased a 400-acre land in 1871.6 Photo taken 01/01/06.

Interstate 4 lies on the both sides of the western shores of Lake Monroe, i.e. between Exit 109 and the Seminole County line. Wetlands associated with the lake are sited west of the freeway all along the four-mile drive to the St. Johns River crossing. Photo taken 01/01/06.

The first Seminole County transition connects U.S. 17 & 92 with Interstate 4 at Lake Monroe. U.S. 17 & 92 goes southeast from DeBary up to the significant downtown Sanford. Originally home to the U.S. Army post Fort Mellon, an installation established during the Seminole Wars of the 1830s, Sanford is a marvellous destination for the ultimate vacation. The later colonizers founded the town of Mellonville, which became a distribution point for steamboat service between Lake Monroe and Jacksonville. Mellonville became the first county seat of Orange in 1845.

In the year 1870, Henry Shelton Sanford bought a huge property west of Mellonville with the intention of constructing "the Gate City of South Florida", a transportation hub for southern Florida. In 1877, the city of Sanford incorporated and by 1883, Mellonville was annexed. The Southern Florida Railroad fuelled growth with its establishment to Sanford by 1884. Sanford grew as a vegetable shipping centre in the early 1900s, receiving the nickname "Celery City" for its most successful crop. On April 25, 1913, Seminole County separated from Orange with Sanford as its seat. Between 1942 and 1968, Sanford Naval Air Station operated on what is now Orlando-Sanford International Airport.7 Photo taken 01/01/06.

A pair of three-lane concrete bridges spans the St. Johns River at the Volusia and Seminole County line. The St. Johns River superbly streams northward to Jacksonville as well as to the Atlantic Ocean. It is actually the longest northward river in the United States. The name St. Johns comes from the Catholic mission established on Fort St. George Island in the proximity ofthe river's mouth in 1578, the San Juan del Puero. The River bears ever since the name Rio de San Juan because of that. Rio de San Juan has been translated and became St. Johns River in English, and the name has remained ever since.8 Photos taken 01/01/06.

On the Western hand side of the U.S. 17 & 92 bridge over the St. Johns River and the parallel CSX lift-bridge. In the background guests can admire the sheer beauty of Florida Power and Light plant. Exit 104 also is very helpful as it serves the Port of Sanford as well as the Central Florida Zoological Park. Photo taken 01/01/06.

West from the folded-diamond transition with U.S. 17 & 92 (Exit 104). U.S. 17 & 92 travel east along the south shores of Lake Monroe to Sanford and junction Florida 46 (West 1st Street). Once at downtown Sanford, the tandem travel south along French Avenue. Crossing with the transition from the south is Orange Boulevard and Seminole County 15 (Monroe Road). Orange Boulevard travels west to Florida 46 and Seminole County 431. Monroe Road continues south through the community of Lake Monroe to junction Florida 46 at Upsala Road. Photo taken 01/01/06.

Interstate 4 superbly enters the city of Sanford just ahead of the Exit 101C diamond transition with Florida 46. Florida 46 heads west from Sanford 20 miles up to the Lake County city of Mount Dora. At East, the state highway forms a divided-arterial four miles to the Sanford Historic District. Photo taken 01/01/06.

The on-ramp from U.S. 17 & 92 builds up the exit-only lane for Exit 101C (Florida 46). Florida 46 heads west just 1.5 miles to cross Seminole County 431 (Orange Boulevard) as well as only 4.1 miles to intersect Seminole County 46A (Longwood-Markham Road). Both roads serve the northern reaches of Heathrow. Use Florida 46 east to Towne Center Boulevard south for the Seminole Town Center Mall. Photo taken 01/01/06.

Exit 101C starts from Interstate 4 westbound, one mile north of the Exit 101B trumpet transition with Florida 417 Toll (Center Florida Greeneway). Florida 417 Toll includes the eastern beltway of the Orlando metropolitan area. The toll road heads to the Orlando-Sanford International Airport via Exit 50 and Orlando International Airport via Exit 26. Photo taken 01/01/06.

An extended collector/distributor roadway serves the movements to (Exit 101B) Florida 417 Toll (Central Florida Greeneway) south and (Exit 101A) Seminole County 46A (H.E. Thomas Parkway). Seminole County 46A follows H.E. Thomas Parkway east from Orange Boulevard to Monroe County 15 (Country Club Road) all along the Sanford and Lake Mary city lines. Photo taken 01/01/06.

Interstate 4 westbound crosses with the Exit 101B/A c/d roadway for Florida 417 Toll south and Seminole County 46A. The Central Florida Greeneway heads east with Sanford area transitions serving Rinehart Road (unsigned Seminole County 431B), Seminole County 46A (West 25th Street) as well as Airport Boulevard / U.S. 17 & 92 in the first five miles. H.E. Thomas Parkway meets Rinehart Road just east of its partial-cloverleaf transition with Interstate 4. Photo taken 01/01/06.

The Exit 101B/A roadway does have a return access to Interstate 4 west. Instead drivers partition into ramps directly onto the Central Florida Greeneway south and Seminole County 46A at Colonial Center Parkway. International Parkway stops south from H.E. Thomas Parkway parallel to Interstate 4 to Lake Mary Boulevard. Lake Mary entails all of the land south of Seminole County 46A and east of Heathrow. Incorporated on August 7, 1973, Lake Mary's origins began in January of 1923 as the Lake Mary Chamber of Commerce. The town started as small railroad villages known as Bent's Station and Belle Fountain. Now basically a bedroom community for Orlando, Lake Mary was named after the wife of a minister who settled along the lake that would become Lake Mary.9 Photo taken 01/01/06.

Drivers heading for Florida 417 Toll south to Winter Springs, Oviedo, and Orlando take the Exit 101B. The toll road comes back to I-4 in northern Osceola County west of Kissimmee (Exit 62). Heathrow meanwhile lies west of Interstate 4 via Seminole County 46A and Heathrow Boulevard. Photo taken 01/01/06.