- November 1, 2024
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Is it worth it to bypass the toll bridge, if you want to get to the beach on 16th Road, in the Hammock? That all depends on where you live.
To test it out, we picked five easy and central locations: the five elementary schools in Flagler County. We calculated the travel costs, based on a price of $3.50 per gallon, assuming that the average vehicle gets about 25 mpg. That means it costs 14 cents to drive each mile.
It costs $2 to cross the Hammock Dunes bridge at the east end of Palm Coast Parkway, but you can prepay by filling out an application at dunescdd.org under the link that says, “Bridge Division.” That reduces the cost to 50 cents per trip; the following calculations assume the discounted toll.
| Toll Bridge | Via SR 100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School | Miles | Gas and toll | Miles | Just gas |
| Belle Terre | 8.7 | $1.72 | 23.2 | $3.25 |
| Wadsworth | 8.2 | $1.65 | 19.4 | $2.72 |
| Rymfire | 11.9 | $2.12 | 19.2 | $2.67 |
| Bunnell | 15.5 | $2.67 | 17.9 | $2.51 |
| Old Kings | 11.7 | $2.14 | 13.6 | $1.90 |
The verdict? If you live close to Bunnell Elementary or Old Kings, you should take State Road A1A if you want to visit the beach at 16th Road, in the Hammock.
But, if you live near Belle Terre, Wadsworth or Rymfire elementary schools, it’s cheaper to pay the toll and save the extra gas money you’d spend by driving down to the free State Road 100 bridge at Flagler Beach. Unless, of course, you just like to drive or you want the scenic route.
