Florida State Road A1A
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| Image:Florida A1A.svg | |||||||||
| State Road A1A | |||||||||
| Maintained by FDOT | |||||||||
| Length: | 328.92 mi[1] (529.35 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1945 renumbering (definition) | ||||||||
| South end: | Bertha Street in Key West | ||||||||
| Major junctions: | Image:I-395.svg I-395 in Miami | ||||||||
| North end: | Image:US 1.svgImage:US 23.svgImage:US 301.svg US 1//US 23/US 301 in Callahan | ||||||||
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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 is referred to as Collins Avenue.
The designation is unique: other than SR A1A Alt (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.
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.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Pre-1945 alignment
Prior to the 1945 renumbering, the route that became SR 1 had the following numbers:
- SR 182 from Miami to Miami Beach
- SR 140 from Miami Beach to Dania Beach
- SR 178 from Dania Beach to Dania
- SR 177 from downtown Fort Lauderdale east to the Atlantic Ocean
- SR 140 from the Atlantic Ocean in Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach
- SR 305 from Palm Beach to West Palm Beach
- SR 25 from Palm Beach to West Palm Beach
- SR 196 from Lake Park to south of Jupiter
- SR 176 from North Palm Beach to Jupiter
- SR 200 from south of Jupiter to Jupiter
- SR 140 from Jupiter to Stuart
- SR 140 from north of Stuart to Jensen Beach
- SR 224 from Jensen Beach east to the Atlantic Ocean
- unnumbered from the Atlantic Ocean east of Jensen Beach to the Martin/St. Lucie County line
- SR 332 from the Martin/St. Lucie County line to the Atlantic Ocean east of Fort Pierce
- SR 559 from the Martin/St. Lucie County line (?) to Fort Pierce
- SR 162 from the Atlantic Ocean east of Fort Pierce to Fort Pierce
- SR 140 north of Fort Pierce
- SR 559 from Fort Pierce to Vero Beach
- SR 140 from Vero Beach to near Canaveral Harbor
- SR 252 from Vero Beach to Wabasso Beach
- SR 273 from near Canaveral Harbor to north of Canaveral
- SR 140 from north of Canaveral to New Smyrna Beach
- SR 119 southwest of Titusville Beach
- SR 140 from Ponce Inlet to St. Augustine
- SR 21 in Daytona Beach
- SR 468 in Ormond Beach
- SR 140 from St. Augustine to Jacksonville
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Route description
[edit] Monroe County
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.
[edit] 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 concurrency
[edit] References
- ^ Florida Department of Transportation. FDOT GIS data. Retrieved on June 27, 2007.
