State Road 540 (SR 540) is a west–east route in Central Florida, serving

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

. It runs from the south side of the city of Lakeland to

U.S. Route 27 U.S. Route 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 (I-69) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. F ...

(US 27). SR 540 also runs along the entrance to

Legoland Florida Legoland Florida Resort (stylized as LEGOLAND Florida Resort) is a vacation destination in Winter Haven, Florida. The resort features the Legoland Florida theme park itself, the Legoland Water Park, three on-site accommodations and a separatel ...

. It is a major route along the south side of Winter Haven, where it is known as Cypress Gardens Boulevard, and an important link between Winter Haven and Lakeland, the

Polk Parkway State Road 570 (SR 570), also known as the Polk Parkway, is a , limited-access toll road which runs through Polk County, Florida. It is operated as part of Florida's Turnpike Enterprise system of limited-access expressways. The Polk Parkway ...

, and subsequently

Interstate 4 Interstate 4 (I-4) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning along a generally southwest–northeast axis, I-4 is entirely concurrent wi ...

(I-4) and the Tampa Bay area.

Route description

State Road 540's western terminus is

US 98 U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–west United States Highway in the Southeastern United States that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola and Apalachicola, Florida, and has sinc ...

(Bartow Road) in southeastern Lakeland. It runs as Winter Lake Road (the name deriving from the cities it connects: Winter Haven and Lakeland), north of Lake Hancock, and by the entrance of

Circle B Bar Reserve The Circle B Bar Reserve is an area of protected lands in Polk County, Florida. Comprising at 4399 Winter Lake Road (SR 540) near Lakeland, it is managed by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), which co-owns it with the Southwes ...

. The road intersects the

, then continues eastward as Winter Lake Road until it intersects with

US 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, with ...

, a few miles south of downtown Winter Haven. It briefly follows US 17 northward as 4th Street and splits off as Avenue R South. As the road continues east from downtown Winter Haven, it is more commonly known as Cypress Gardens Boulevard, a tribute to the theme park whose entrance once stood along the road and has now been replaced by Legoland Florida. SR 540 continues from the former site of Cypress Gardens to its eastern terminus at

US 27 U.S. Route 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 (I-69) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. F ...

between the cities of

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

and

Lake Wales Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida. The population was 14,225 at the 2010 census. , the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 16,759. It is part of the Lakeland– Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lake Wales is ...

. Across the intersection from SR 540 is Waverly Road, a much more minor road, which travels further east through the community of Waverly to SR 17.

Major intersections

Related roads

County Road 540

County Road 540 (CR 540) is a few miles south of State Road 540 in Highland City and runs west from US 98 to County Road 37B. CR 540 is commonly known as Clubhouse Road, and the road is generally considered the northern boundary of Highland City. A second segment of CR 540 extends east from SR 540's easternmost terminus to SR 17.

County Road 540A

There are two separate non-continuous segments known as County Road 540A. The western segment is also known as Central Barn Road and is a few miles south of CR 540 in Highland City and runs from US 98 to SR 37 (South Florida Avenue). The road is generally considered the southern boundary of Highland City. Annexations in the past decade by the city of Bartow have put the city within an eighth of a mile of County Road 540's junction with US 98. In spite of the 'A' designation, CR 540A is a longer road with heavier traffic volume than CR 540. Widening of the road from two to four lane lanes was completed in 2010, and the road is a major route connecting South Lakeland with Bartow. The eastern segment of CR 540A is a loop road with both ends terminating at State Road 540. It begins at U.S. 17 in Eloise just south of Winter Haven where it is cosigned with County Road 655 (Snively Avenue). CR 540A then turns eastward at Eagle Lake Loop Road continuing eastward a few miles before turning north for a few miles near Lake Ruby before ending at SR 540.

References

External links

FDOT Map of Polk County (Including SR 540)
{{DEFAULTSORT:540 State Roads in Polk County, Florida State highways in Florida 540