Florida State Road A1A
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State Road A1A
Maintained by FDOT
Length: 328.92 mi[1] (529.35 km)
Formed: 1945 renumbering (definition)
South end: Bertha Street in Key West
Major
junctions:
I-395 in Miami
North end: US 1//US 23/US 301 in Callahan
Florida State and County Roads
< US 1 SR 2 >

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 Key West it is also called South Roosevelt Boulevard. In Miami it is also called the MacArthur Causeway. In Miami Beach it is also the MacArthur Causeway and 5th Street on its east-west segment, and 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 is called Bal Harbour Boulevard. In Golden Beach it is 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.

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Route description

State Road A1A crossing the Hillsboro Inlet between Pompano Beach and Hillsboro Beach
State Road A1A crossing the Hillsboro Inlet between Pompano Beach and Hillsboro Beach

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.

Scenic stretch of A1A in Flagler Beach.
Scenic stretch of A1A in Flagler Beach.

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

State Road A1A as it runs over the 17th Street Causeway in Ft. Lauderdale.
State Road A1A as it runs over the 17th Street Causeway in Ft. Lauderdale.
State Road A1A as it runs over the South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach.
State Road A1A as it runs over the South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach.
State Road A1A as it runs over the Halifax River in Port Orange.
State Road A1A as it runs over the Halifax River in Port Orange.

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:

Alignment modifications

Since then, the following changes have been made:

Junction list

County Location Mile Destinations Notes
Southern terminus
Monroe Key West 0 Bertha Street Also South Roosevelt Boulevard
3 US 1
Discontinuous section in highway
Miami-Dade Miami I-395 / US 1 Also the MacArthur Causeway
Miami Beach SR 907 Also 5th Street (east/west), then Collins Avenue (north/south)
SR 112 Also Collins Avenue (northbound) and Indian Creek Drive (southbound from SR 112 to 26th Street)
SR 907 Also Collins Avenue (northbound) and either Indian Creek Drive (southbound in 2 separate segments) or Collins Avenue
SR 934 Also Collins Avenue (northbound) and Abbott Avenue (southbound from SR 934 to Indian Creek Drive) and Indian Creek Drive (southbound from Abbott Avenue to SR 907)
Surfside SR 922 Also Collins Avenue (northbound) and Harding Avenue (southbound from SR 922 to Abbott Avenue at SR 934)
Sunny Isles Beach SR 826 Also Collins Avenue from SR 826 to Bal Harbour, Bal Harbour Boulevard in Bal Harbour
SR 856 Also Collins Avenue
Broward Hallandale Beach SR 858 Also South Ocean Drive from SR 858 to county line, Ocean Boulevard in Golden Beach
Hollywood SR 820 Also South Ocean Drive from SR 820 to SR 858
SR 822 Also North Ocean Drive from SR 822 to SR 820
Dania Beach US 1 Also North Ocean Drive (north/south) and East Dania Beach Boulevard (east/west)
Fort Lauderdale US 1
SR 842
SR 838
SR 816
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea SR 870
Pompano Beach SR 814
SR 844
Deerfield Beach SR 810
Palm Beach Boca Raton SR 800
Delray Beach SR 806
Boynton Beach SR 804
Lake Worth SR 802
Palm Beach US 98 / SR 80
SR 704
West Palm Beach US 1
Riviera Beach US 1 / SR 708
North Palm Beach US 1 / SR 786
Martin Stuart SR 714
Jensen Beach SR 732
St. Lucie Fort Pierce US 1
US 1
Indian River Vero Beach SR 656
SR 60
Brevard Indialantic US 192
Melbourne SR 518
Satellite Beach SR 404
Cocoa Beach SR 520
Cape Canaveral SR 401 / SR 528
Indianola SR 3
Cocoa US 1 / SR 528
Volusia New Smyrna Beach CR A1A
US 1 / SR 5 / SR 44
Port Orange US 1 / SR 5 / SR 421
SR 441
Daytona Beach Shores CR 4075
Daytona Beach US 92 / SR 600
SR 430
Ormond Beach SR 40

References

  1. ^ Florida Department of Transportation. "FDOT GIS data". Retrieved on June 27, 2007.

External links

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