U.S. Route 192 - History

History

Florida's State Road system was defined by law in 1923. Included in that system was State Road 24, running along the existing Kissimmee-Melbourne Highway from State Road 2 in Kissimmee to State Road 4 in Melbourne. This road had been built in 1918 through the land of George W. Hopkins. In the mid-1920s, SR 24 became part of the Dixie Highway, connecting the western route in Kissimmee with the eastern route in Melbourne.

The United States Numbered Highways were assigned in late 1926, including U.S. Route 192, running from U.S. Route 92 in Kissimmee east to U.S. Route 1 in Melbourne. In the 1930s, several sections in Osceola County were realigned.

In 1931, another State Road - State Road 257 - was defined. This route would begin in Kissimmee, heading northwest on the Kissimmee-Vineland Road and west on the Kissimmee-Lake Wilson Road, and then make its way generally north to Clermont and Howey-in-the-Hills. (This follows the existing US 192 from Kissimmee to the curve just west of Walt Disney World; the road was never built beyond the west end of Oak Island Road.)

SR 24 was extended east in 1933 to State Road 140 (now State Road A1A) at the Atlantic Ocean, but US 192 did not join it. In 1935, SR 24 was extended the other way, from Kissimmee northwest along the Kissimmee-Vineland Road and beyond, ending in Mount Plymouth. (This overlapped with the beginning of SR 257, and only coincided with present US 192 there.)

In the 1945 renumbering, three State Roads were assigned to what is now US 192. From Kissimmee to Melbourne, still the only part of US 192 at the time, SR 24 became part of State Road 500. The 1933 extension of SR 24 to the Atlantic Ocean became the short State Road 516. Finally, State Road 530 was assigned along former SR 24 and SR 257 from Kissimmee west to the end of Oak Island Road, turning south there along Goodman Road and Old Lake Wilson Road to Loughman, continuing east on Loughman Road to end at State Road 600 (U.S. Highway 17/92).

On July 13, 1950, a newly-constructed road, running west from the south end of State Road 545 to U.S. Route 27 (State Road 25), was assigned the number State Road 545A. This soon became part of SR 530, which was rerouted to its present alignment.

In the late 1960s, US 192 was extended east along SR 516 (renumbered at some point to an extension of SR 500) to end at State Road A1A In 1972 it was extended west along SR 530 to U.S. Route 27 (State Road 25), crossing Interstate 4 and the recently-opened Walt Disney World Resort along the way.

US 192 underwent extensive reconstruction in the 1990s, which continues to the present date. The widening of the portion from SR 535 to Interstate 4 to six lanes went several years behind schedule because of unanticipated drainage complications. Construction to widen US 192 to four lanes from east of St. Cloud to I-95, eliminating the remaining 2-lane section, was completed in 2008. The rebuilt intersection with I-4 was fully opened in July 2007.

In 2010, the 15-traffic lights in the 5 miles between I-95 and Babcock Street in the Melbourne area, resulted in congestion, sometimes bringing traffic to a standstill near the Melbourne Square Mall connected to traffic management and controlled by computer or manually by an operator.