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 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.
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 South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach.
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:
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.
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 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.
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)