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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A1A TICKETS
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Route description
thumb 0) at Betha Street in Key West
right 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 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 continuously-inhabited city in the mainland
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. 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
Woody Nelson operates an online Radio Station named after the roadway...
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
Initial alignment
right
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 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
County
| Location
| Mile
| Destinations
| Notes
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Southern terminus
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Monroe
| Key West
| 0
| Bertha Street
| Also South Roosevelt Boulevard
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3
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Discontinuous section in highway
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Miami-Dade
| Miami
| 168
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| Also the MacArthur Causeway
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Miami Beach
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| Also 5th Street (east/west), then Collins Avenue (north/south)
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| Also Collins Avenue (northbound) and Indian Creek Drive (southbound from SR 112 to 26th Street)
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| Also Collins Avenue (northbound) and either Indian Creek Drive (southbound in 2 separate segments) or Collins Avenue
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| 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)
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Surfside
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| Also Collins Avenue (northbound) and Harding Avenue (southbound from SR 922 to Abbott Avenue at SR 934)
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Sunny Isles Beach
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| Also Collins Avenue from SR 826 to Bal Harbour, Bal Harbour Boulevard in Bal Harbour
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| Also Collins Avenue
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Broward
| Hallandale Beach
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| Also South Ocean Drive from SR 858 to county line, Ocean Boulevard in Golden Beach
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Hollywood
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| Also South Ocean Drive from SR 820 to SR 858
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| Also North Ocean Drive from SR 822 to SR 820
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Dania Beach
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| Also North Ocean Drive (north/south) and East Dania Beach Boulevard (east/west)
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Fort Lauderdale
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Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
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Pompano Beach
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Deerfield Beach
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Palm Beach
| Boca Raton
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Delray Beach
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Boynton Beach
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Lake Worth
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Palm Beach
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West Palm Beach
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Riviera Beach
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North Palm Beach
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Martin
| Stuart
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Jensen Beach
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St. Lucie
| Fort Pierce
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Indian River
| Vero Beach
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Brevard
| Indialantic
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Melbourne
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Satellite Beach
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Cocoa Beach
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Cape Canaveral
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Indianola
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Cocoa
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Volusia
| New Smyrna Beach
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| 4
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Port Orange
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| 4
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Daytona Beach Shores
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Daytona Beach
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Ormond Beach
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Flagler Beach
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Flagler
| Palm Coast
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| Palm Coast Parkway
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St. Johns
| Crescent Beach
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St. Augustine Beach
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St. Augustine
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| Begin SR 5A concurrency.
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| End SR 5A concurrency.
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Ponte Vedra Beach
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Duval
| Jacksonville Beach
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Atlantic Beach
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| Begin SR 10 concurrency
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| End SR 10 concurrency
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Jacksonville
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| Access to Mayport Naval Station
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| End SR 5A concurrency.
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| Begin SR 105 concurrency.
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Nassau
| Fernandina Beach
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| End SR 105 concurrency; begin SR 200 concurrency. Directional signing ends.
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O'Neil
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Yulee
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Hero
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Callahan
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| 4
| End SR 200 concurrency.
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Northern terminus
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References