FDOT to work on seawalls along A1A in Volusia and Flagler counties this fall

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation will begin work on a series of underground seawalls along A1A in Volusia and Flagler counties this fall.

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The roadway has had twenty washouts since Hurricane Ian.

Storm surge then damaged Volusia County’s dune system, leaving many sections of A1A vulnerable when Hurricane Nicole hit six weeks later.

Cindi Lane from FDOT said in recent weeks, the problems have progressed. In some cases, this causes the road to flood and the beach to lose even more sand.

Read: FDOT to release details on Moving Florida Forward transportation project in Volusia County

“We did experience some washouts this past week from some of the storms, and we are keeping a close eye on it because the tides are very high right now, and we still expect to have some stormy conditions for the next day or two,” said Lane.

Help is on the way with two permanent underground seawalls.

Both will be about 1.3 miles long. The first will start at Sunrise Avenue and extend to Marlin Drive in Ormond-By-The-Sea. The second will be just north of Highbridge and into Flagler Beach.

Read: Tropical Storm Nicole: Part of A1A collapses in Flagler Beach

Residents and local businesses are impacted during most rain events. Kelly McCrea works at Lagerheads Bar and Grill on A1A and said every time the roads close, employees and customers can’t get to the bar.

“It doesn’t have to rain hard at all, and the road is completely flooded. I’ve seen so many times they bring in more sand and more sand and more sand to a problem that seems to never really go away,” said McCrea.

Construction on the first wall should wrap up next year, and work on the second will start immediately after.

Read: Florida toll relief program saves over $300 million for drivers

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