Editing Bartow, Florida (section)

==Transportation==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:MainStBartowFl.jpg|thumb|left|alt= a two lane road with 2 story buildings on the side of the road|East Main Street looking west towards the old Polk County Courthouse]] -->
The street grid of Bartow is a typical four quadrant grid with Main Street as the east–west axis and Broadway Avenue as the north–south axis. Broadway is co-signed with [[U.S. Route 98 in Florida|U.S. Route 98]] in the northern commercial district and leads southward into the center of town before heading into one of the older residential sections of town. Main Street is the old [[Florida State Road 60|State Road 60]] leading into the historic heart of downtown Bartow.<ref name="Map of Bartow, FL">{{cite web
| url = https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bartow,+Florida&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.775203,86.572266&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bartow,+Polk,+Florida&ll=27.894846,-81.840978&spn=0.021164,0.042272&t=h&z=15
| title = Map of Bartow, FL
| access-date = 2010-10-14
| publisher = Google Maps
}}</ref>

The primary numbered routes going through Bartow are State Road 60 and [[U.S. Route 17 in Florida|U.S. Route 17]] and U.S. Route 98.<ref name="Map of Bartow, FL"/> State Road 60 is a major state highway leading to both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts and is the major east–west route through town. Originally traveling along Main Street, State Road 60 now follows Van Fleet Drive bypassing the downtown area, and is commonly known as "the 60 Bypass" by locals.<ref name="Map of Bartow, FL"/><ref name="Assessment, Accountability & Evaluation">{{cite web
| url = http://www.polk-fl.net/districtinfo/departments/learning/aae/documents/DirectionsJimMilesAAEWarehouse3.pdf
| title = Assessment, Accountability & Evaluation
| access-date = 2010-10-19
| publisher = Polk County
}}</ref> Heading east on State Road 60 leads to Lake Wales and on to Vero Beach, while westbound leads to Mulberry and eventually Tampa. U.S. 17 is the main north–south route on the east side of town. It is a four lane divided highway leading north to Winter Haven and south to Fort Meade.<ref name="Map of Bartow, FL"/> U.S. 98 is cosigned with  U.S. 17 until its intersection with SR 60. Briefly cosigned with State Road 60 until its intersection with Broadway Avenue. US 98 then turns northward onto Broadway Avenue heading towards Lakeland.<ref name="Map of Bartow, FL"/> [[Florida State Road 570|State Road 570]], known as the Polk Parkway, is a toll road located (10&nbsp;km) north of city limits on U.S. 98. The Polk Parkway provides direct freeway access to Tampa and Orlando via [[Interstate 4]].<ref name="Polk Parkway">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.floridasturnpike.com/about_system.cfm#6
 |title=Polk Parkway
 |access-date=2010-10-19
 |publisher=Florida's Turnpike Authority
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922145103/http://floridasturnpike.com/about_system.cfm
 |archive-date=September 22, 2010
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

The explosive growth expected in the area in the next few decades has created a need for a reexamination of the area's transportation infrastructure. The Central Polk Parkway is a proposed limited access highway that would connect the Polk Parkway with U.S. 17 and State Road 60.<ref name="Proposed Central Polk Parkway Plans Being Sharpened">{{cite news
 |url=http://www.theledger.com/article/20100913/NEWS/9135071
 |title=Proposed Central Polk Parkway Plans Being Sharpened
 |access-date=2010-09-23
 |newspaper=The Ledger
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918020513/http://www.theledger.com/article/20100913/NEWS/9135071
 |archive-date=September 18, 2010
 |url-status=live
}}</ref> The Northern Bartow Connector, which was expected to be completed by 2015 but was shelved as of 2016, is a partial loop around the north part of town connecting U.S. 98 with State Road 60 east of town.<ref name="County OKs Road for Bartow Connector Route">{{cite news
| url = http://www.theledger.com/article/20071011/NEWS/710110515?p=1&tc=pg
| title = County OKs Road for Bartow Connector Route
| access-date = 2010-09-23
| newspaper = The Ledger
}}</ref> However, the portion connecting U.S. 98 and U.S. 17 was completed in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Editorial: Finish the Bartow Northern Connector First|url=http://www.ocala.com/opinion/20160925/editorial-finish-bartow-northern-connector-first|website=ocala.com|publisher=Ocala StarBanner|access-date=May 19, 2017}}</ref>

For aviation needs, [[Bartow Municipal Airport|Bartow Executive Airport]] is available. The airport has a VFR control tower, three 5,000&nbsp;ft runways - including two parallel runways, a restaurant with views of the airfield, and includes an [[industrial park]] and warehouse storage.<ref name="Airport diagram">{{cite web
| url = http://www.bartow-airport.com/runway.htm
| title = Airport diagram
| access-date = 2010-09-14
| publisher = Bartow Municipal Airport
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101204060402/http://www.bartow-airport.com/runway.htm
| archive-date = December 4, 2010
}}</ref>  Both [[Tampa International Airport]] (TPA) and [[Orlando International Airport]] (MCO) are within {{convert|60|mi|km}} driving distance from the center of Bartow.<ref name="Distance from Bartow to Tampa"/><ref name="Distance from Bartow to Orlando"/>

Bartow has its own bus system, the Bartow Shuttle, which runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The [[Citrus Connection]] has buses that serve the Bartow downtown area from Lakeland, and [[Winter Haven Area Transit]] serves Bartow from Winter Haven and Fort Meade.<ref name="Buses, Trains, Airports Give Residents Myriad Transportation Choices">{{cite news
| url = http://www.ledgerdata.com/guide_to_polk/article/33/buses-trains-airports-give-residents-myriad-transportation-choices/
| title = Buses, Trains, Airports Give Residents Myriad Transportation Choices
| access-date = 2010-10-01
| newspaper = The Ledger
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110713195122/http://www.ledgerdata.com/guide_to_polk/article/33/buses-trains-airports-give-residents-myriad-transportation-choices/
| archive-date = July 13, 2011
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref name="Transit Today">{{cite web
| url = http://www.polktransitauthority.com/transit-today/
| title = Transit Today
| access-date = 2010-10-01
| publisher = Polk Transit Authority
}}</ref>