State Road 684 (SR 684) is a state road located in Manatee County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States. The road runs from an intersection with SR 789 in Bradenton Beach east to

U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miam ...

(US 41) and unsigned SR 55 in South Bradenton. SR 684 is known as Cortez Road its entire length and varies from a two-lane road between Bradenton Beach and Cortez to a four- to six-lane road east of Cortez. The easternmost portion of SR 684 is concurrent with US 41 and is unsigned.

Route description

SR 684 begins at an intersection with SR 789 on the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

in Bradenton Beach, heading east on two-lane undivided Cortez Road West. The road passes resort development before crossing Sarasota Pass on a drawbridge. At this point, the state road heads into Cortez and gains a

center left-turn lane A reversible lane, also known as variable lane, dynamic lane, and tidal flow, is a managed lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, ...

, passing residential development. SR 684 curves southeast and becomes a four-lane divided highway, passing through wooded areas with some trailer parks to the south, with the median turning into a center left-turn lane. The road heads to the east again and continues through residential areas. The state road gains a median again and continues between homes and businesses to the north and fields to the south. SR 684 heads into

Bradenton Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a principal city in the Sarasota metropolitan area. Dow ...

and heads east through residential and commercial development as a four-lane divided highway. The road widens to six lanes as it continues through business areas and comes to an intersection with

US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part i ...

/ US 41 Bus./ SR 45 in South Bradenton. At this intersection, US 41 heads south on unsigned SR 45 while US 41 Bus. heads north on unsigned SR 45. It is here that SR 684 signage ends and that US 41 turns east to form a

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with the unsigned SR 684, with US 41/SR 684 continuing east on Cortez Road West. The road passes through more commercial areas, heading to the south of the DeSoto Square shopping mall. After passing the mall, US 41 curves north to follow unsigned SR 55 on 1st Street, while SR 684 briefly follows 44th Street East eastbound and 44th Street Connector westbound before ending. The road continues east as locally-maintained 44th Avenue East.

History

Present-day Cortez Road became a major route connecting the

Tamiami Trail The Tamiami Trail () is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) from State Road 60 (SR 60) in Tampa to US 1 in Miami. A portion of the road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90 (SR 90). The north� ...

with

Anna Maria Island Anna Maria Island is a barrier island on the coast of Manatee County, Florida, in the United States. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Mexico, on the south by Longboat Pass (which separates it from Longboat Key, Florida, Longboat Key), ...

in the 1920s, with the original Cortez Bridge to Anna Maria Island opening in 1922. The original bridge ran from the mainland southwest across the bay to Bridge Street on the island. When the road was added to the state highway system, it was designated as SR 18A, which also continued along Gulf Drive to the north end of Anna Maria Island. At the same time, SR 18 also ran concurrently along the western segment of Cortez Road. SR 18 ran from Longboat Key, then east along Cortez Road, and then north to Bradenton along Palma Sola Drive. Cortez Road was redesignated SR 684 after the

1945 Florida state road renumbering On June 11, 1945, Florida's state roads were renumbered. The State roads in Florida before 1945, old system numbered routes in the order they were legislated, while the Florida State Roads, new system used a grid. Notes See also

*Flor ...

. SR 684 would also continued north along Gulf Drive to the northern end of Anna Maria Island when it was first designated. SR 684 was truncated to its current western terminus in the 1950s when the current

Longboat Pass Bridge The Longboat Pass Bridge (also known as Longboat Key Bridge) is a single-leaf bascule bridge that crosses the Longboat Pass, connecting Longboat Key and Bradenton Beach, Florida. The bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineeri ...

opened, leading to Gulf Drive being redesignated as SR 789. The original Cortez Bridge was replaced with the current bridge in 1956. Part of the original bridge, located at the end of Bridge Street, is now the Bridge Street Pier.

Major intersections

References

{{reflist 684 684