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Route History for US 1 in Florida

• In 1926,
• between the Georgia state line and St. Augustine, US 1 was called FL 4. The road was mostly paved, and followed US 1's current route except in Jacksonville. In Jacksonville, FL 4 followed what is now US 23 to Kings Road. FL 4 then followed State Street, Broad Street, Beaver Street, Main Street, Miami Road, and what is now FL 13 through the city. From FL 13, FL 4 followed Old St. Augustine Road and St. Augustine Road to US 1's current route.
• Between St. Augustine and Dupont, the road was not numbered and was still dirt.
• Between Dupont and Florida City, the route was again numbered FL 4, and was paved. No road extended beyond Florida City to the Florida Keys. FL 4 followed basically the same path as US 1 today with a few exceptions. Between Fort Pierce and Stuart, FL 4 followed what is now FL 707. Between Jupiter and West Palm Beach, and between Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale, FL 4 followed what is now FL 811.
• By 1928, the route was renumbered US 1. The road between St. Augustine and Dupont was being paved, and the road was extended from Florida City to Key Largo, although US 1 still officially ended in Miami.
• By 1948, US 1 had been extended to Key West and realigned to its current route throughout the state, except in Jacksonville. Just across the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, US 1 was realigned to Kings Avenue.
• Between 1963 and 1967, US 1 was realigned to its current route through Jacksonville, and was widened to 4 lanes from the Georgia state line to Florida City. In addition, construction had begun on Florida's Turnpike (then called the Sunshine State Parkway) and I 95, providing an alternate route to US 1.
• By 1974, I 95 and Florida's Turnpike had replaced US 1 as a major through route along Florida's east coast. By this time, US 1 had been widened to 4 lanes through the Key Largo area.

Key to Abbreviations for Route Numbers:

• US - US Highway
• I - Interstate Highway (Eisenhower Interstate System)
• FL - Florida State Highway

External websites of interest:

• Photos of historic US 1 signage in Florida can be found here on the Florida in Kodachrome website.
• Additional historical information about US 1 in Florida can be found on the Historic Roads and Highways of Florida website.
• More photos of red US 1 signs in Florida can be found here on Destination Florida.

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