State Road 865 ( SR 865 ) and County Road 865 ( CR 865 ) are a series of roads serving Lee County , Florida . Originally a continuous state road extending from Bonita Springs to Tice by way of Fort Myers Beach and Fort Myers , SR 865 now consists of two segments connected by a part of CR 865, which also extends to the north and south of the state segments. Both the state and county controlled segments of the route combined stretch a distance of over 40 miles (64.37 km), making it the longest designation in Lee County.
34-479: Lakes Regional Park (often called Lakes Park ) is a 279-acre public park located along Gladiolus Drive ( CR 865 ) just south of Fort Myers , Florida . It opened on April 21, 1984, and is operated by the Lee County Department of Parks and Recreation. The park was named after its main feature: 158 acres of man-made freshwater lakes. The lakes were formed by a rock mine that operated on the property in
68-530: A city street, though the city of Cape Coral maintains the CR 867A designation. It intersects Diplomat Parkway and the Kismet Parkway, before intersecting with US 41 ( Tamiami Trail ) at the northern Cape Coral city limits. The extension into North Fort Myers was built in the 1990s. From US 41, Del Prado Boulevard continues east as a rural county road along the northern edge of North Fort Myers. Just past
102-601: A large field for recreational activities, as well as a fragrance garden with herb, butterfly, and cactus gardens. One notable feature at Lakes Park is the Lakes Park & Gulf Railroad, a 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 190.5 mm ) gauge miniature railway , which takes riders on a 15-minute ride through the north end of the park. The railroad departs from the Railroad Museum of South Florida's Train Village in
136-873: A major route when the Cape Coral Bridge opened in 1964. The southern terminus of what was SR 867A is at an interchange with McGregor Boulevard (SR 867) in McGregor . From the southern terminus, it travels west and crosses the Caloosahatchee River via the Cape Coral Bridge into Cape Coral, Florida . At the west side of the Cape Coral Bridge , SR 867A ran along Cape Coral Parkway for only 0.7 miles (1.1 km) until an intersection with Del Prado Boulevard. From here, it turned north and followed Del Prado Boulevard northward to its terminus at SR 78 (Pine Island Road) Del Prado Boulevard
170-472: A process in which these designated sections would be converted to county control. This was part of a series of transformations that particularly affected Southwest Florida. The historic southern terminus of SR 865 is an interchange between Interstate 75 (I-75 or SR 93 ) and Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs , though the current county designation actually begins 2.2 miles (3.54 km) east of
204-475: Is a grade-separated single-point urban interchange , with Summerlin Road crossing above on an overpass . This interchange also provides access to Sanibel Island . The southern section of SR 865 continues northward its northern terminus, an intersection with McGregor Boulevard, which is SR 867 to the northeast of the intersection, and CR 867 to the southwest, a more direct route connecting downtown Fort Myers to
238-601: Is known as Estero Boulevard and passes through the island town of Fort Myers Beach before connecting to San Carlos Boulevard on the north end of the island. State maintenance begins the intersection of Estero and San Carlos boulevards just east of Bodwitch Point Park. After crossing the Matanzas Pass Bridge and San Carlos Island onto the mainland, SR 865 forms the western boundary of Estero Bay Preserve State Park adjacent to Hurricane Bay. San Carlos Boulevard then intersects with Summerlin Road (CR 869), which
272-727: Is located in Punta Rassa at the foot of the Sanibel Causeway , and it is the only access to Punta Rassa and Sanibel Island . From here, CR 867 is a four-lane divided highway as it travels east from the coast through Mangrove -rich mudflats of San Carlos Bay to Truckland. After the intersection with CR 869 (Summerlin Road) in Truckland, CR 867 continues northeast to the community of Iona . In Iona, it intersects with SR 865/CR 865 (San Carlos Boulevard/Gladiolus Drive), which
306-557: Is still signed as a north–south route to be consistent with the adjacent county-controlled segments. Beyond the northern section's terminus at SR 739, historic SR 865 continues along Six Mile Cypress Parkway and turns north passing the Lee County Sports Complex, which contains Hammond Stadium , the spring training home of the Minnesota Twins major league baseball team. As it turns north, it parallels
340-604: Is where the CR 867 designation ends. SR 867 signage begins where CR 867 left off at the SR 865/CR 865 intersection in Iona. It continues in a northeast trajectory to just west of Cypress Lake where it turns to a north–south trajectory. Just north of Cypress Lake is the intersection the southern terminus of CR 867A , which crosses the Caloosahatchee River into Cape Coral on the Cape Coral Bridge . The route continues in
374-458: The 1945 Florida state Road renumbering , with the portion east of US 41 to Palm Beach becoming SR 80 . In the early 1980s, McGregor Boulevard south of SR 865 was relinquished to county control, becoming CR 867. By then, plans were underway for Summerlin Road (CR 869), which would be an alternative to McGregor Boulevard for reaching Punta Rassa . The construction of Summerlin Road also included widening McGregor Boulevard from Summerlin Road to
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#1732773340841408-478: The Edison and Ford Winter Estates as it enters downtown Fort Myers, before terminating at US 41 (Cleveland Avenue) at the historic Five Points intersection (the former terminus of SR 867, which is also the terminus of SR 80 and SR 82 , making a five-way intersection). McGregor Boulevard, originally known as Riverside Avenue, was used historically by cattlemen to run cattle from Fort Myers to Punta Rassa, which
442-516: The Sanibel Causeway , which was complete by 1983. Around the same time, McGregor Boulevard was also widened from Summerlin Road to SR 865. This widening project also included realignment of its intersection with SR 865 south 0.2 mile swith the northernmost 0.2 miles of SR 865 becoming part of McGregor Boulevard (SR 867). McGregor Boulevard's original alignment would become Old McGregor Boulevard. The state widened McGregor Boulevard from College Parkway to Cypress Lake Drive ( CR 876 ) to four lanes in
476-598: The 1960s. The park is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail as well as Lee County's Tour de Parks bicycle route along with the John Yarbrough Linear Park and other locations. A variety of wildlife can be spotted throughout Lakes Park, especially birds. The park includes about 2.5 miles of walking and biking trails running along the lakes. A scenic boardwalk carries the trails over the lakes. Other features include playgrounds,
510-522: The 1983 (Old McGregor Boulevard is the original alignment). In 1994, Gladiolus Drive was realigned onto a new four-lane road west of Pine Ridge Road to intersect with San Carlos Boulevard at the realigned McGregor Boulevard. The original alignment of Gladiolus Drive is now Paul Schultz Way. Further improvements were made to Gladiolus Drive in 1996, when it was widened to six lanes from US 41 ( Tamiami Trail ) to Summerlin Road (CR 869), and to four lanes from there to Winkler Road. The rest of Gladiolus Drive
544-571: The Six Mile Cypress Slough. At Colonial Boulevard ( SR 884 ), historic SR 865 becomes Ortiz Avenue and parallels Interstate 75 to its northern terminus, an intersection with Palm Beach Boulevard ( SR 80 ) in Tice . Parts of Ortiz Avenue were originally signed State Road 80B before being connected to the rest of SR 865. The entire route of SR 865 came into existence incrementally over the span of many decades. San Carlos Boulevard
578-567: The Train Village and boardwalk from the 1920s until 1952. A portion of these tracks were later used by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to service the rock mine that created the lakes in the park. County Road 865 (Florida) Until the 1980s, State Road 865 signs were posted along a much longer highway. In the mid 1970s, FDOT designated three large sections of then-SR 865 as secondary routes, which started
612-507: The center of the park. Besides the railway and the museum itself, the Train Village area also includes a children's playground and a full size historic locomotive and caboose on display. The miniature railway has carried over 300,000 passengers since it opened in 1994. The Train Village pays homage to the Seaboard Air Line Railroad ’s former branch to Punta Rassa , which ran through the Lakes Park property just south of
646-512: The gladiolus capital of the world. A notable operator of the gladiolus fields was the A&;W Bulb Company, which is today the namesake of A&W Bulb Road (a side street that connects Gladiolus Drive to McGregor Boulevard). Estero Boulevard, San Carlos Boulevard and Gladiolus Drive were first designated State Road 278 in 1935. State Road 278 would become State Road 865 during the 1945 Florida State Road renumbering . Estero Boulevard reached
680-630: The interchange near Logan Boulevard. From there CR 865 follows Bonita Beach Road westward through Bonita Springs to Hickory Boulevard on Bonita Beach (Little Hickory Island), near the Gulf of Mexico shore. Motorists traveling north then cross the Bonita Beach Causeway , which passes over Big Hickory Island, Long Key and Black Key, which provides access to the Lovers Key / Carl E. Johnson State Park . Once on Estero Island, CR 865
714-488: The late 1980s, and from Cypress Lake Drive to SR 865 in the late 1990s. In the mid-2000s, SR 867 north of CR 884 was relinquished to the city of Fort Myers. The entire route is in Lee County . County Road 867A is the primary north–south arterial road for Cape Coral, Florida . Formerly State Road 867A (SR 867A), it essentially parallels SR 867 on the opposite side of the Caloosahatchee River. SR 867A became
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#1732773340841748-495: The north at the intersection with US 41 (Old Gladiolus is the original alignment). The SR 865 designation then continued along Six Mile Cypress, which ran east along a former railroad spur, then turned north along the Six Mile Cypress Slough to connect with Ortiz Avenue (which existed previously as State Road 80B). This brought SR 865 to its historic northern terminus. Six Mile Cypress was widened to four lanes from Daniels Parkway (CR 876) to US 41 in 1991. In 2000, Six Mile Cypress
782-447: The northern section of SR 865 is locally known as the Ben C. Pratt Six Mile Cypress Parkway . It begins at Tamiami Trail ( US 41 ) and terminates at an intersection with Metro and Michael G. Rippe Parkways ( SR 739 ). This portion of the parkway historically served as the first mile of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad 's Punta Rassa Branch . Though this section runs in east–west route, it
816-564: The opposite direction as College Parkway. SR 867 continues north and passes through the communities of McGregor and Whiskey Creek before entering Fort Myers' city limits. Once in Fort Myers, it terminates at CR 884 (Colonial Boulevard), Lee County's main east–west thoroughfare. SR 867 currently terminates at CR 884, but McGregor Boulevard continues north as a city street. It passes the Fort Myers Country Club and
850-533: The popular Sanibel and Captiva islands. At this point, SR 865 ends and CR 865 resumes, proceeding east along Gladiolus Drive . East of here, CR 865 intersects Summerlin Road (CR 869) again, this time at an at-grade intersection with two left-turning flyover ramps . It passes by Lakes Park before intersecting with U.S. Route 41 (US 41), where the route transitions yet again to SR 865. Extending only 1.1 miles (1.8 km) in South Fort Myers,
884-400: The road paved. They offered financial assistance to the county on the condition that it would be named McGregor Boulevard. Tootie McGregor died before the paving began, and Dr. Terry saw the paving to completion. McGregor Boulevard was officially completed in 1915. In honor of Tootie, Dr. Terry had a fountain installed at the north end of McGregor Boulevard at Cleveland Avenue. The fountain
918-401: The southern tip of Fort Myers Beach by 1950. Upon the completion of the Bonita Beach Causeway in 1965, the SR 865 designation was extended south from Fort Myers Beach through Bonita Springs along Hickory Boulevard and Bonita Beach Road to US 41 (at present-day Old 41 Road). Bonita Beach Road was developed in the 1950s as Bonita Springs main east–west thoroughfare. The SR 865 designation
952-399: Was a significant cattle shipping town at the time. McGregor Boulevard is named after former Standard Oil executive Ambrose McGregor who, along with his wife Tootie, lived next door to Thomas Edison's estate in Fort Myers. After McGregor's death in 1900, Tootie and her second husband Dr. Marshall Orlando Terry (another local figure who donated land for Terry Park Ballfield ) sought to have
986-400: Was built in 1927 to serve as a more direct route from McGregor Boulevard (SR 867) to Fort Myers Beach via the original Matanzas Pass Bridge . It replaced an earlier route to the bridge that traversed present-day Bunche Beach. Gladiolus Drive originally existed as an access road to serve fields for gladiolus flowers in Iona and Biggar in the 1930s and 1940s. Lee County was once known as
1020-399: Was extended east along Bonita Beach Road (which was known as Carroll Road east of Bonita Springs at the time) to its historic southern terminus at Interstate 75 when that segment of the freeway opened in 1981. The construction of Six Mile Cypress Parkway was the final link in the entire route, which opened in 1983. With the completion of Six Mile Cypress, Gladiolus Drive was realigned to
1054-413: Was known as Harney Point Road prior to 1965. Since being turned over to the county in the early 1980s, Del Prado Boulevard has been extended north beyond Pine Island Road into North Fort Myers . North of Pine Island Road, addresses on Del Prado Boulevard have the attached "North" suffix to the name of the road; south of Pine Island Road uses "South." From Pine Island Road, Del Prado Boulevard continues as
Lakes Regional Park - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-475: Was removed in the early 1960s to accommodate the construction of the Caloosahatchee Bridge and overpass over the intersection. The fountain was then relocated to Fort Myers Country Club, where it stands today. In 1931, McGregor Boulevard was added to the state highway system as was designated part of SR 25, which extended from Punta Rassa to Palm Beach . It was redesignated as SR 867 during
1122-474: Was renamed Ben C. Pratt Six Mile Cypress Parkway in honor of former Lee County public works director Ben Pratt. The entire route from Bonita Springs to Tice would only be designated SR 865 for a short time before the state relinquished portions to the county. The northernmost 0.2 miles (0.32 km) of San Carlos Boulevard (in Iona ) was annexed to SR 867 when McGregor Boulevard was realigned slightly south in
1156-472: Was widened to a multi-lane road in 2009. The entire route is in Lee County . State Road 867 (Florida) State Road 867 ( SR 867 ) and County Road 867 ( CR 867 ) together create a 14.6-mile (23.5 km) long road known as McGregor Boulevard in Lee County, Florida , paralleling the Caloosahatchee River between Punta Rassa and Fort Myers . The entire road was formerly state-maintained. The southern terminus of Historic SR 867 (now CR 867)
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