Everything about Florida State Road A1a totally explained
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
National Scenic Byway. It is also called the
Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway from
Wabasso Causeway to
U.S. Route 1 in
Cocoa. In
Miami Beach, Florida it's referred to northbound as
Collins Avenue and either Collins, Harding or Abbott Avenues; or Indian Creek Drive in some southbound segments. In the town of
Surfside, the northbound is Collins Avenue, and the southbound is Harding Avenue. In
Bal Harbour it's called Bal Harbour Boulevard. In
Golden Beach it's called Ocean Boulevard.
The designation is unique: other than
SR A1A (now
SR 811,
SR 707,
SR 732, and an extension of
SR 842), only two other Florida State Roads have begun with a letter:
SR A19A (now a loop of
SR 693-
SR 699-
SR 682 near
St. Petersburg), and
SR G1A (now
SR 300) have existed.
The road was assigned the number
SR 1 in the
1945 renumbering as the easternmost major north-south road. However, just across the
Intracoastal Waterway, and in some cases on the same side, is
U.S. Route 1 (
SR 5), causing confusion. The
State Road Board changed the designation to SR A1A on
November 25,
1946, about a year and a half after the renumbering. SR A1A is signed north-south.
The twin A's are often said to stand for 'Atlantic 1 Alternate', but this argument fails when applied to the former
A19A, a loop off
US 19 near
St. Petersburg, which touched the
Gulf of Mexico rather than the
Atlantic Ocean. On the other hand, the former
SR G1A was on the Gulf.
Route description
SR A1A is heavily associated with Florida beach culture and is known for its lush
subtropical scenery and ocean vistas. In many places, the highway directly fronts the
Atlantic Ocean, and in other places, runs 1-5 blocks inland from the beachfront. For most of its length, A1A runs along Florida's East Coast Barrier Islands, separated from the mainland of the state by the
Intracoastal Waterway. Because of the road's proximity to the ocean and its susceptibility to
storm surges, sections of A1A are often closed or even minorly damaged by
hurricanes and
tropical storms. North of Atlantic Beach, however, A1A turns inland for several blocks before resuming a northward course that ends at the St. John's River. A ferry takes vehicular traffic to the northern section of A1A which continues inland toward Callahan.
Two miles of A1A were used as part of the legendary
Daytona Beach Road Course. A1A also has been a backbone of Florida
Spring Break, serving as "the strip" in both
Fort Lauderdale, a popular spring break destination in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, as well as
Daytona Beach, which became a popular destination for college spring breakers in the 80s through the present. In
Miami Beach, A1A serves as
Collins Avenue, one of the city's main North-South thoroughfares, and travels a similar route through exclusive
Palm Beach, further to the north. A1A also bridges
Sebastian Inlet near
Vero Beach, known as the Surf Capital of the East Coast, and passes just to the west of
Cape Canaveral and the
Kennedy Space Center. A1A also passes through
St. Augustine, the oldest city in the
United States.
SR A1A begins as a 2 lane, then 4 lane route along the
Straits of Florida. Running along the south shore of Key West, SR A1A is the southernmost numbered highway in the lower 48 states. The portion in
Monroe County is secretly known as US A1A. Next, it passes
East Martello Tower and
Key West International Airport. SR A1A curves to the north to end at
U.S. Route 1 (
SR 5), after intersecting with
SR 5A. SR A1A ends, but begins again at
I-395 and
US 1 in
Miami.
History
Pre-1945 alignment
Prior to the
1945 renumbering, the route that became SR 1 had the following numbers:
Initial alignment
SR 1 was defined in the
1945 renumbering as:
From the intersection of 13th St. and SR 5 in Miami East along 13th St. and across 13th St. Causeway (now called the MacArthur Causeway) to Miami Beach, then northerly along the Ocean Route via Surfside and Hallandale to a point on SR 5 in Dania.
From the intersection of East Las Olas Boulevard and SR 5 in Ft. Lauderdale, east along East Las Olas Blvd.; then across New River Sound then northerly via Deerfield Beach - Boca Raton - Lake Worth to a point on SR 5 in West Palm Beach.
Also from the intersection of Southern Blvd. and SR 5 in West Palm Beach east across Lake Worth to junction with SR 1 in Palm Beach.
From the intersection of Park Ave. and SR 5 in Lake Park, west on Park Ave. to 10th St. thence northerly via Jupiter to junction with SR 5 in Stuart.
From a point on SR 5 North of St. Lucie River in Stuart then northeasterly via Jensen and across Indian River then northwesterly to a junction with SR 5 in Ft. Pierce.
From an intersection with SR 5 in Ft. Pierce northerly to junction with SR 605 thence easterly across Indian River thence northerly via Vero Beach, Melbourne Beach, Cocoa Beach, Canaveral, Titusville Beach to a junction with SR 5 in New Smyrna Beach.
Also a leg running northwesterly from a point on SR 1 approximately two miles south of Titusville Beach to a junction with SR 402 approximately one mile west of Titusville Beach in Brevard County.
From a point approximately nine miles south of Daytona Beach northwesterly via Daytona Beach, Ormond, Flagler Beach to a junction with SR 5 in St. Augustine.
Also at the intersection of SR 5 and SR 600 east on Volusia Ave. then North on North Beach St. then east on bridge across Halifax River and on Broadway to junction with SR 1 all in Daytona Beach.
Also at the intersection Granada Ave. and SR 5, east on Granada Ave. across Halifax River to junction with SR 1 - all in Ormond.
From the intersection of May St. and SR 5 in St. Augustine northeasterly along May St. and across North River to Vilano then northerly via Ponte Vedra - Jacksonville Beach to the city limits of Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach. Then west along Atlantic Blvd. to junction with SR 5 in Jacksonville.
Alignment modifications
Since then, the following changes have been made:
The section in Key West was added.
The bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale was moved south; the old one became "Alternate SR A1A" (now SR 842).
The part from Lake Park to Jupiter became "Alternate SR A1A" (now SR 811), and two new sections were added along the shore, from Riviera Beach to north of Lake Park (formerly State Road 703) and from Juno Beach to Jupiter. The latter is now CR A1A.
The part from Jupiter to Hobe Sound became SR 707; SR A1A was extended south from Hobe Sound to meet SR 5 (U.S. Route 1). This part is now CR A1A.
The part north of Stuart (including a segment that was signed State Road 705) was extended south to incorporate the Ernest F. Lyons Bridge and give a more direct access to the Atlantic Ocean from Stuart; the old road became SR 707 and "Alternate SR A1A" (now SR 707 and SR 732). Recently the part in downtown Stuart, west of SR 714, became CR A1A.
Both bridges over the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Pierce were rebuilt and moved slightly south. The approach to the south one moved two blocks south.
When Kennedy Space Center was built around 1962, SR A1A through it was closed and rerouted from the south to go west on SR 528. A small piece of the old road may have become SR 401, but SR 401 now ends before it reaches the old road. Cape Road, which runs east of Launch complex 39, was SR A1A; it ended at former SR 402 at Playalinda Beach. The part from there to south of New Smyrna Beach was never built.
SR A1A south of New Smyrna Beach is now CR A1A; part of it in New Smyrna Beach still exists, and ends 10 miles south of New Smyrna Beach near Turtle Mound. The part connecting to Titusville Beach was never built.
The part south of Daytona Beach was routed onto a new bridge at Port Orange; the old road south of the bridge became CR A1A and is now CR 4075.
SR A1A was realigned away from the Atlantic Ocean south of St. Augustine onto what had been SR 3; the south half of the old road became CR A1A.
The two sections in St. Augustine were connected when SR 5 (U.S. Route 1 was moved west onto a bypass and old SR 5 became SR 5A (Alt US 1).
The north bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway at St. Augustine was moved north, with the east approach moving two blocks north.
A bypass was built around Ponte Vedra Beach; the old road became SR 203 (later CR 203 in St. Johns County and Duval County).
SR A1A was moved out of Jacksonville and onto what had been part of SR 101, a new alignment to the ferry across the St. Johns River, and what still is SR 105 and SR 200. The old road became an extension of SR 10.
None of the spurs to the mainland are SR A1A any more. The one at West Palm Beach became part of SR 80 on October 25, 1946; the ones at Daytona Beach (now SR 600) and Ormond Beach (now SR 40) were longer, for SR 40 didn't originally go to Ormond Beach.
Junction list
CR A1A (Atlantic Avenue) in New Smyrna Beach begin SR A1A
SR 5/SR 44 (U.S. Route 1) in New Smyrna Beach end SR A1A
SR 5/SR 421 (U.S. Route 1) in Port Orange begin SR A1A
SR 441 at Halifax Estates
SR 600 (US 92) in Daytona Beach
SR 430 in Daytona Beach
SR 40 in Ormond Beach
CR 2002 south of Flagler Beach
SR 100 in Flagler Beach
Palm Coast Parkway in Palm Coast
SR 206 at Crescent Beach
CR A1A in St. Augustine Beach
SR 312/CR A1A near St. Augustine Beach
SR 5A (Alt US 1) in St. Augustine begin SR 5A concurrency
SR 5A (Alt US 1) in St. Augustine end SR 5A concurrency
CR 210 in Ponte Vedra Beach
SR 202 in Jacksonville Beach
SR 212 (US 90) in Jacksonville Beach
3rd Street/Atlantic Boulevard in Atlantic Beach begin SR 10 concurrency
SR 10 (Atlantic Boulevard) end SR 10 concurrency
SR 101 at Jacksonville (access to Mayport Naval Air Station)
SR 116 in Jacksonville * ferry across St. Johns River at Mayport
SR 105 at Fort George begin SR 105 concurrency
SR 108 in Fernandina Beach
Fletcher Avenue/Centre Street in Fernandina Beach end SR 105 concurrency; begin SR 200 concurrency Directional signing ends .
SR 108 at Fernandina Beach
SR 107 at O'Neil
SR 5 (U.S. Highway 17) at Yulee
SR 9 (Interstate 95) at Hero
SR 15/SR 200 (U.S. Route 1/US 23/U.S. Route 301) in Callahan end SR 200 concurrencyFurther Information
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