Florida State Road 520 (SR 520) is a 34.52 miles (55.6 km) east–west state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 in 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....

, United States, connecting with SR 50 in the Orlando

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

 area with SR A1A

State Road A1A (Florida)

State Road A1A is a Florida State Road that runs mostly along the Atlantic Ocean, with sections from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Callahan, just south of Georgia. It is the main road through most oceanfront towns. SR A1A is designated the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Highway, a...

 in Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach, Florida

Cocoa Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 12,482 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates of 2008, the city had a population of 11,920...

.

Route description

It runs from SR 50 in 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....

 east of Bithlo

Bithlo, Florida

Bithlo is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,626 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area. For 20 years in the early 20th century, Bithlo was an incorporated...

, southeast across the Beachline Expressway (SR 528

State Road 528 (Florida)

State Road 528 , the Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway , is a long state highway in the U.S. state of Florida. It is a mostly-tolled expressway connecting Interstate 4 in southwest Orlando with Cape Canaveral...

). It intersects with County Road 532 (CR 532) before crossing the St. Johns River

St. Johns River

The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...

 into Brevard County. In that county it intersects SR 524

State Road 524 (Florida)

A part of the original alignment of the Bee Line Expressway, State Road 524 is a five-mile-long southwest-northeast street in Cocoa, Florida. It is signed east–west....

 (the original approach to the Bennett Causeway) and SR 9

State Road 9 (Florida)

State Road 9 is a state road in the U.S. state of Florida. While SR 9 is mainly used as a "hidden" state designation for Interstate 95 from the Georgia border to the Golden Glades Interchange in Miami Gardens, a 13.7-mile-long signed SR 9 extends to the southwest as I-95 continues southward with...

 (Interstate 95

Interstate 95 in Florida

Interstate 95 is the main Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States; it serves the Atlantic coast of Florida. It begins at a partial interchange with U.S. Highway 1 just south of downtown Miami, and heads north past Daytona Beach and Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the St...

, I-95), before entering Cocoa and intersecting SR 501

State Road 501 (Florida)

Locally known as Clearlake Road, State Road 501 is a three-mile long north–south highway entirely within Cocoa, Florida, in the United States. It southern terminus is an intersection with King Street ; its northern terminus is an intersection with SR 524 just south of an interchange with...

, SR 519

State Road 519 (Florida)

A commercial artery of central Brevard County, State Road 519 is a long north–south highway extending from King Street in Cocoa southward to Barnes Boulevard and an interchange with Interstate 95 in Rockledge...

 and SR 5

State Road 5 (Florida)

State Road 5 is a mostly-unsigned state highway in the state of Florida. It is mainly signed as U.S. Route 1 from its south end in Key West, Florida to Jacksonville, Florida, and U.S. Route 17 from Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the Saint Marys River. U.S...

 (U.S. Route 1, US 1). In Cocoa, SR 520 is known as King Street. It then heads onto the Merritt Island Causeway

Merritt Island Causeway

The Merritt Island Causeway, which connects Cocoa, Florida, Merritt Island, Florida and Cocoa Beach, Florida, is the second route over the Indian River Lagoon and Banana River. The causeway divides Merritt Island into eastern and western sections. The western section is the location of the...

, a series of bridges crossing the Indian River

Indian River (Florida)

The Indian River is a waterway in Florida, a part of the Indian River Lagoon system which forms the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends southward from the Ponce de Leon inlet in New Smyrna Beach, Florida [Volusia County] southward and across the "Haulover Canal" and along the western shore...

, Newfound Harbor and the Banana River

Banana River

The Banana River is a lagoon that lies between Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon system, and connects at its south end to the Indian River; it is the only part of the lagoon system not in the Intracoastal...

. Between the Indian River and Newfound Harbor, it crosses through Merritt Island

Merritt Island, Florida

Merritt Island is a census-designated place in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located on the east coast of the state on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2000 census, the population was 36,090. It is part of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, intersecting SR 3

State Road 3 (Florida)

State Road 3, also known as North Courtenay Parkway, is a north–south road serving as the southern access for the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida. The shortest of the one-digit Florida State Roads, its southern terminus is an intersection with SR 520 on Merritt Island, east...

. East of the Banana River, SR 520 runs through Cocoa Beach, and heads towards its eastern terminus at SR A1A.

"Bloody 520"

"Bloody 520" is a popular nickname for the 22 miles (35.4 km) stretch of SR 520 between its western terminus and I-95, with numerous fatalities occurring on this stretch. From 2002 to 2007, the Florida Department of Transportation

Florida Department of Transportation

The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...

 (FDOT) widened the entire stretch to four lanes.

History

SR 206 was legislated in 1931 to run from pre-1945 SR 4 (US 1) in Cocoa east across the Indian River to Merritt Island. There it would split, with one leg running south to Georgiana and the other north to Courtenay. (In 1937, both of these branches from Merritt Island became part of pre-1945 SR 219, later part of SR 3.)

A 1935 law extended SR 206 west to Orlando along the planned Cocoa–Orlando Highway, which used Lake Road in the Cocoa area. Plans made by the State Road Department would have taken it into Orlando on Curry Ford Road (also defined as part of pre-1945 SR 411 in 1939).
SR 70 was defined in 1933, running from SR 206 at Merritt Island east over the Banana River to pre-1945 SR 140 at Cocoa Beach. A branch would run north along the west side of the Banana River to connect with pre-1945 SR 219 at Orsino.
Finally, SR 418 was defined along the existing Taylor Creek Road, running from pre-1945 SR 22 at Christmas

Christmas, Florida

Christmas is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,162 at the 2000 census. Christmas is home to the world's largest alligator shaped building,...

 south to the Osceola County

Osceola County, Florida

Osceola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 172,493. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 244,045, making it the 17th fastest-growing county in the United States. Its county seat is Kissimmee.- History :Osceola County was...

 line, crossing the planned SR 206 about two-thirds of the way.
By the 1945 renumbering, only the sections of SR 206 and SR 70 east of Cocoa were completed. SR 520 was defined to use sections of SR 418, SR 206 and SR 70. It would begin at SR 50 (former SR 22) near Christmas and run southeast along the general alignment of SR 418, switching to SR 206 where its planned alignment crossed. (SR 418 south of that crossing later became SR 532.) From there it would take SR 206 to Merritt Island, and SR 70 the rest of the way to end at SR 1 (former SR 140).

The section west of Cocoa was built in the 1950s. It used very little of the existing Taylor Creek Road, instead being built further west, joining SR 50 much closer to Bithlo than Christmas. At some point, Alafaya Trail was taken over from SR 50 north past the University of Central Florida

University of Central Florida

The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...

 to downtown Oviedo

Oviedo, Florida

Oviedo is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 26,316 as of the 2000 census. As of 2009, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 32,961...

. SR 520 was extended west on SR 50 and then north on Alafaya Trail, ending at SR 419 and SR 426 in Oviedo. In the 1980s, SR 520 was truncated back to SR 50, and Alafaya became an extension of SR 434

State Road 434 (Florida)

State Road 434 is a major roadway in the Central Florida area. Starting at SR 424 just north of Orlando city limits, the road runs north as Forest City Road through Forest City before dropping the name at the Seminole County line...

.

Major junctions

Former State Road 520A

Until about 2000, a 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) spur from SR 520 to Lake Poinsett

Lake Poinsett

Lake Poinsett is a lake in Brevard County, Florida near Rockledge and Cocoa, with small portions in Orange County, and Osceola County. It is the second largest lake in Brevard County, after Lake Washington, though it is actually the smallest lake in Osceola County. It is the widest lake in Brevard...

 was designated State Road 520A by FDOT and its predecessor, the State Road Department. Known locally as Lake Poinsett Road, the former SR 520A is the sole access road to Poinsett Groves and Poinsett Shores. The northern end is an intersection with King Street just west of I-95 near Rockledge

Rockledge, Florida

Rockledge is the oldest city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 20,170 at the 2000 census. As of 2008, the estimated population according to the U.S. Census Bureau is 24,747. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical...

.