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State Road 407 (Florida)
Encyclopedia
State Road 407, known locally as Challenger Memorial Parkway, is a spur
from SR 528 (Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway) that links to SR 405. By utilizing the SR 407 to SR 405 route, travelers from Central Florida
can access the Kennedy Space Center
and the city of Titusville
. State Road 407 was built as a two-lane freeway
(also known as a Super-2), meaning that although the highway is expressway-standard, it is merely two lanes with only a dotted or solid yellow line in the middle separating northbound and southbound traffic. Some road maps (for example, AAA) show SR 407 between SR 528 and I-95 to be a toll road. While no tolls are collected on SR 407 and it is not signed as a toll road, it is impossible to drive on this section without also connecting to or from State Road 528 and paying a toll.
Within the SR 528/SR 407/I-95 triangle is a swamp
land containing the southern unit of St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge
, a popular resting area for migrating birds (the northern unit is two miles (3 km) to the north, adjacent to I-95 and SR 50), and just to the west of the triangle is Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area, which extends from SR 50 southward to just south of SR 520
in nearby Orange County
.
The northern half of the road lost its two-lane freeway qualities when an at-grade intersection was built just south of SR 405, providing a southern exit to Florida's Spaceport Industrial Park and Space Coast Regional Airport
. The street is named after Space Shuttle Challenger
which disintegrated 73 seconds after launch in 1986.
Spur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important route . A bypass or beltway is never considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with the major road...
from SR 528 (Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway) that links to SR 405. By utilizing the SR 407 to SR 405 route, travelers from Central Florida
Central Florida
Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
can access the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
and the city of Titusville
Titusville, Florida
Titusville is a city in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is the county seat of Brevard County. Nicknamed Space City, USA, Titusville is on the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center and south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore...
. State Road 407 was built as a two-lane freeway
Two-lane freeway
A two-lane expressway is an expressway with only one lane in each direction, and usually no median barrier. It may be built that way because of constraints, or may be intended for expansion once traffic volumes rise. The term super two is often used by roadgeeks for this type of road, but traffic...
(also known as a Super-2), meaning that although the highway is expressway-standard, it is merely two lanes with only a dotted or solid yellow line in the middle separating northbound and southbound traffic. Some road maps (for example, AAA) show SR 407 between SR 528 and I-95 to be a toll road. While no tolls are collected on SR 407 and it is not signed as a toll road, it is impossible to drive on this section without also connecting to or from State Road 528 and paying a toll.
Within the SR 528/SR 407/I-95 triangle is a swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
land containing the southern unit of St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge
St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge
The St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located off SR 50 just west of Titusville. The 6,255 acre refuge was established in 1971 to protect the now extinct Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens. It is administered as...
, a popular resting area for migrating birds (the northern unit is two miles (3 km) to the north, adjacent to I-95 and SR 50), and just to the west of the triangle is Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area, which extends from SR 50 southward to just south of SR 520
State Road 520 (Florida)
Florida State Road 520 is a east–west state highway in central Florida, United States, connecting with SR 50 in the Orlando area with SR A1A in Cocoa Beach.-Route description:...
in nearby Orange County
Orange County, Florida
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956....
.
The northern half of the road lost its two-lane freeway qualities when an at-grade intersection was built just south of SR 405, providing a southern exit to Florida's Spaceport Industrial Park and Space Coast Regional Airport
Space Coast Regional Airport
Space Coast Regional Airport is located in the city of Titusville, Florida on Columbia Boulevard and Washington Avenue in Brevard County. Formerly known as Ti-Co Airport, it is the nearest commercial airport to the Kennedy Space Center.- History :In 1943, the U.S. Government constructed the...
. The street is named after Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
which disintegrated 73 seconds after launch in 1986.