Atlantic Boulevard (Jacksonville)
Encyclopedia
Atlantic Boulevard is a highway in Duval County
, Florida
, that forms the easternmost portion of Florida State Road 10.
Atlantic Boulevard connects the mainland portion of the city of Jacksonville
with the beaches
on a barrier island
to the east, where the boulevard defines the boundary between Atlantic Beach
on its north side and Neptune Beach
on its south side.
who had purchased oceanfront property and envisioned a wagon
road to the beach
. Gilbert paid for land survey
s and eventually convinced the Duval County Commission to use convict labor to start building the road, but a new set of county commission
ers terminated the effort when the project was about two-thirds complete.
The road was eventually completed in 1910, after the arrival of the automobile
. It was Florida's first modern "improved" highway and is considered to have been the beginning of the state's highway system. Its dedication on July 28, 1910, was celebrated with parade
s and auto race
s.
The original road was 18 feet (5.5 m) wide, which was soon criticized as being too narrow for the large amount of traffic that the popular road carried between the mainland and the beach. Road surfacing materials used on different sections of the boulevard included shell
, concrete
, asphalt macadam
, and brick
laid over a base of sand
y soil. The brick sections rapidly became rough and wavy as heavy traffic
caused shifting of the bricks and the underlying sand. Just five years after completion of the boulevard, the brick sections were expected to require resurfacing with a more durable material such as concrete.
The road is now a six-lane divided highway
for most of its length. In 2008, traffic count
s at locations along Atlantic Boulevard ranged from 26,000 to 61,000 vehicles per day.
Duval County, Florida
Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, that forms the easternmost portion of Florida State Road 10.
Atlantic Boulevard connects the mainland portion of the city of Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
with the beaches
Jacksonville Beaches
The Jacksonville Beaches, known locally as the "Beaches" or simply the "Beach", is the collective name for the towns and communities on the northern half of an unnamed barrier island on Florida's First Coast, all of which are suburbs or parts of the city of Jacksonville. These communities are...
on a barrier island
Barrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
to the east, where the boulevard defines the boundary between Atlantic Beach
Atlantic Beach, Florida
Atlantic Beach, a city in Duval County, Florida, is the northernmost of the Jacksonville Beaches communities. When the majority of communities in Duval County consolidated with Jacksonville, Florida in 1968, Atlantic Beach, along with Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Baldwin, Florida,...
on its north side and Neptune Beach
Neptune Beach, Florida
Neptune Beach is a beachfront city in Duval County, Florida, United States, located to the east of Jacksonville. When the majority of communities in Duval County consolidated with the city of Jacksonville in 1968, Neptune Beach, along with Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, and Baldwin, remained...
on its south side.
History
Atlantic Boulevard was first planned circa 1890 by Eugene F. Gilbert, a jeweler from ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
who had purchased oceanfront property and envisioned a wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
road to the beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
. Gilbert paid for land survey
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
s and eventually convinced the Duval County Commission to use convict labor to start building the road, but a new set of county commission
County commission
A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...
ers terminated the effort when the project was about two-thirds complete.
The road was eventually completed in 1910, after the arrival of the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
. It was Florida's first modern "improved" highway and is considered to have been the beginning of the state's highway system. Its dedication on July 28, 1910, was celebrated with parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
s and auto race
Auto Race
is a Japanese version of motorcycle speedway, but combines gambling added into it and is held on an asphalt course, throughout Japan. It is regulated by the JKA Foundation.A typical Auto Race bike is 599㏄. Autorace is predominantly a gambling sport...
s.
The original road was 18 feet (5.5 m) wide, which was soon criticized as being too narrow for the large amount of traffic that the popular road carried between the mainland and the beach. Road surfacing materials used on different sections of the boulevard included shell
Seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...
, concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
, asphalt macadam
Asphalt concrete
Asphalt concrete is a composite material commonly used in construction projects such as road surfaces, airports and parking lots. It consists of asphalt and mineral aggregate mixed together, then laid down in layers and compacted...
, and brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
laid over a base of sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
y soil. The brick sections rapidly became rough and wavy as heavy traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
caused shifting of the bricks and the underlying sand. Just five years after completion of the boulevard, the brick sections were expected to require resurfacing with a more durable material such as concrete.
The road is now a six-lane divided highway
Divided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
for most of its length. In 2008, traffic count
Traffic count
A traffic count is a count of traffic along a particular road, either done electronically or by people counting by the side of the road. Traffic counts can be used by local councils to identify which routes are used most, and to either improve that road or provide an alternative if there is an...
s at locations along Atlantic Boulevard ranged from 26,000 to 61,000 vehicles per day.