State Road 24 (SR 24) is an east–west
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...
that runs between
Cedar Key
Cedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 687, down from 702 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of ...
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 ...
and
Waldo, Florida
Waldo is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2020 census, the population was 846, down from 1,015 at the 2010 census.
History
William Sparkman, the "father ...
, at
US 301. State Road 24 runs along a former branch of the
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...
. This branch was originally owned by the
Florida Railway and Navigation Company, and used to lead to ferries to both
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
and
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. It also passes through
Rosewood
Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...
, site of the infamous
1923 massacre.
Route description
Levy County

Starting as D Street in Cedar Key, State Road 24 skips over Jackson Island and Sunset Island before making its way across the mainland of northwestern Florida. Once on the mainland, the road runs between the
Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge
The Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located near Cedar Key, at the western end of SR 24
Route 24, or Highway 24, can refer to:
International
* European route E24
Australia
...
and
Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park just before a fork in the road with
Levy County Road 347. Along the way intersects
CR 345 in Rosewood. In the City of
Otter Creek, the road intersects
US 19
U.S. Route 19 or U.S. Highway 19 (US 19) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mex ...
-
98, at a blinker light, which hardly looks like a city at all.
Between US 19-98 and Alternate US 27 in
Bronson, the road runs through a wooded area north of
Goethe State Forest, which includes preserves such as the Devil's Hammock Wildlife Management Area.
Names for State Road 24 in Levy County include D-Street, 2nd Avenue, West Thrasher Drive, East Thrasher Drive and SR 24.
Alachua County
Shortly after crossing the Levy-Alachua County Line, SR 24 becomes Archer Road and enters
Archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern ...
itself, intersecting with
US 27
U.S. Route 27 or U.S. Highway 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Southern and Midwestern U.S. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 (I ...
-
41. After the interchange with
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
in
Gainesville, State Road 24 crosses
SR 121, where it runs along the south side of the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
then become concurrent with
US 441
U.S. Route 441 (US 441) is a auxiliary route of U.S. Route 41. It extends from US 41 in Miami, Florida to US 25W in Rocky Top, Tennessee. Between its termini, US 441 travels through the states of Florida, Georgia, North ...
(West 13th Street), later with
SR 20/
26 (University Avenue), until the intersection with
SR 331 (Williston Road) in the east part of town. Here, SR 24 breaks off as Waldo Road, which is also overlapped with
US Truck Route 441 and
State Truck Route 121 until the intersection with
SR 222. The northeast corner of SR 24 and SR 222 (North 39th Avenue) is the site of the
Gainesville Regional Airport
Gainesville Regional Airport is a public airport three miles northeast of Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville, in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is owned by Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority. The National Plan of In ...
, while the rest of the road runs through the University of Florida Austin Carey Forest before finally terminating at an interchange with
US 301 in
Waldo
Waldo may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Waldo (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Waldo (surname), a list of people
* Waldo (footballer), Brazilian footballer Waldo Machado da Silva (1934–20 ...
.
Names for State Road 24 in Alachua County include SR 24, Archer Road, 13th Street, University Avenue, Waldo Road, and Kennard Street (westbound lanes in Waldo).
Major intersections
Related routes
State Road 24A
State Road 24A (SR 24A) is an alternate route within
Gainesville. It is overlapped by State Road 226 (Southwest 16th Avenue and Southeast 16th Avenue), and then
State Road 331 from SR 226 to SR 20/26, where it terminates at SR 24 again.
The west end of SRs 24A/226 is only accessible eastbound from SR 24 and westbound to SR 24. Motorists who want to travel in the opposite direction must use nearby Shealy Drive. At
US 441
U.S. Route 441 (US 441) is a auxiliary route of U.S. Route 41. It extends from US 41 in Miami, Florida to US 25W in Rocky Top, Tennessee. Between its termini, US 441 travels through the states of Florida, Georgia, North ...
the road transforms from a four-lane divided highway to a four-lane undivided highway with a continuous left-turn lane. The divider returns again east of Southwest 10th Avenue, but ends east of Southwest 6th Street. SR 24A-226 runs along Southwest 16th Avenue, and becomes Southeast 16th Avenue, when it crosses
SR 329 and narrows down to two lanes.
The road curves down to a southbound direction and has frequent pedestrian crosswalks across it before curving back east. SR 226 ends at
SR 331, however SR 24A continues north along SR 331 until it reaches the intersection of SR 20-24-26.
County Road 24
County Road 24 is a short
county road
A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can ...
spur of SR 24 in
Bronson. It travels west of SR 24 to
U.S. Highway 27 Alternate and is known locally as Picnic Street.
State Road 24 Truck
Florida State Truck Route 24 in
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...
was established in order to divert trucks form the congested downtown areas of Gainesville.
FDOT Public Notice (Gainesville Sun; Gainesville Sun -- May 14, 1986)
/ref> The route begins at the Interstate 75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
at Exit 384, and follows that route south, having also joined Truck Route 26 which ran southbound along I-75 since Exit 387. Both routes follow the interstate until leaving at Exit 382 to make an easterly turn onto a new overlap with State Road 121. One block after the interstate, the two truck routes encounter the southern terminus of Florida State Road 331
State Road 331 (SR 331) is a short state highway running south and east of Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville, although it once stretched as far south as Williston, Florida, Williston. It also serves as a truck route for State Roads 24, 26, an ...
, and SR 121 makes a sharp left turn, while Truck Routes 24 and 26 join SR 331 in an overlap are joined by Florida State Truck Route 121. At the intersection with U.S. Route 441, the routes are joined by a truck route of that route as well. The four truck routes run northeast along SR 331 past the eastern terminus of Florida State Road 226, and are also joined by another overlap, this time with Florida State Road 24A. This makes a total of five overlapping routes with SR 331, which curves from northeast to the north. Florida State Truck Route 24/SR 24A/Truck Route 26/SR 331 terminates at the east end of the overlap of SRs 20, 24, and 26. However US 441 Truck and Florida Truck Route 121 continue to the northeast along SR 24 until reaching their respected parent routes.
References
External links
{{Commons category multi , Florida State Road 24, Florida State Road 24A
Florida Route Log (SRs 24 and 24A)
State highways in Florida, 024
024
024
024
1945 establishments in Florida