FDOT holds meeting for its plans to repair, strengthen A1A in Flagler, Volusia
The Florida Department of Transportation held a meeting on Tuesday in Flagler Beach to get input from residents on repairing and toughening about 13 miles of storm-battered State Road A1A in Flagler and Volusia counties.
Representatives from FDOT, Flagler Beach and Flagler County attended the “listening session” at Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church in Flagler Beach. The scenic road was battered by two tropical storms last year: first Ian and then Nicole.
The road repair and strengthening project will run along A1A from Osprey Drive in Flagler County south to Roberta Road in Volusia County.
The FDOT is considering four options: a buried seawall, dune renourishment, granite revetment or a secant wall.
Granite revetment is a row of granite rocks, which are highly durable and protect the shoreline. However, the rocks also reduce the width of the beach and do not improve or promote wildlife habitat or vegetation, according to FDOT. The secant wall is a type of seawall that "has relatively low environmental impact" but is costly and complex to install, according to FDOT.
Dune renourishment widens the beach which benefits the environment but has no backstop for protection and requires compatible sediment and a long-term commitment to replenish, according to FDOT. A sheet pile wall hides the seawall from view and provides a back stop to erosion but is "prohibitive" if there is a large difference between the elevations of the road and the beach., according to FDOT.
FDOT expects to complete a plan in March along with a cost estimate, said Catalina Chacon, an engineer with the Florida Department of Transportation and the leader of the State Road A1A Resiliency Strike Team working on the project.
“We are working together with the community to get the best possible solution,” Chacon said.
Engineers could use a combination of approaches on different areas of the project.
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Chacon said once the plan is announced, the Strike Team will get more public input. Once the plan is decided, FDOT will seek funding.
Residents provided a variety of input, said Mike Trudnak, a coastal engineer with Intera in Jacksonville and a member of the Strike Team.
“Every section of the beach is different and it’s going to require a different solution,” he said.
Some residents understood the need for a seawall but don’t want to lose a recreational beach, he said. Others felt the beach in their area was fine and nothing needed changing.
FDOT contractors have placed 50,942 cubic yards of sand and 31,510 tons of rock at various locations along A1A as of Jan. 13 according to an FDOT handout. The cost so far has been $13.48 million, according to FDOT.
One of the people at the meeting was Mike Hammett, whose wife, Gail Holt, owns High Tide at Snack Jack, 2805 S. Ocean Shore Blvd., in Flagler Beach
The restaurant on the east side of A1A has been closed as workers make repairs from damage caused first by Ian and then Nicole. Hammett said they plan to reopen in two weeks.
Hammett was pleased with the meeting. He said he spoke to FDOT about a 400- to 500-yard stretch of beach around 28th Street South that needed attention. He said engineers said they would go out and take a look.
“They were very helpful,” Hammett said.
Flagler Beach City Commissioner James Sherman also attended the meeting. He said he would have liked to have had a presentation from FDOT.
“I appreciate that they came to the community and listened to the residents,” Sherman said. “But I would have preferred a little more of a presentation.”
City Manager William Whitson was present and said he was pleased with the listening session.
“It was a great turnout, a lot of energy,” Whitson said.
These links were provided by FDOT: CFLRoads.com/project/452443-1 and CFLRoads.com/project/452444-1. Join an email list at D5-A1AFlaglerVolusia@dot.state.fl.us
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: FDOT holds meeting for plans to repair, toughen hurricane-damaged A1A
