Second sidewalk part of 2027-29 project on waterlogged stretch of A1A south of Vero Beach
One day I’m sitting in an Indian River County transportation meeting, listening to officials say they don’t have enough money to put a dent in a newly made priority list of 34 sidewalk connections.
Less than two weeks later, I’m watching a Vero Beach City Council meeting, hearing state transportation officials announce plans for a second sidewalk along State Road A1A, from the St. Lucie County line to Jasmine Lane.
The scenarios highlight the ongoing disconnect between local needs and Florida Department of Transportation planning, enough to warrant inquiry from Vero Beach residents who represent us: Sen. Erin Grall and Rep. Robbie Brackett.
Having lived on south Orchid Island in 1990 when Moorings resident Kim Holcomb helped launch a county sidewalk project on the west side of State Road A1A, I offer the following perspective:
Back then, county commissioners initially assessed residents in the area $145 to build the 2.5-mile sidewalk from the south county line to just south of Vero Beach.
Indian River County mainland short on sidewalks
The project that never ends: What's really going on at east end of Alma Lee Loy Bridge in Vero Beach? When will it end?
Another sidewalk and more: FDOT overkill on A1A waste of money? Where are Vero Beach environment watchdogs?
Not enough money? Happy with Vero Beach City Council for not replacing Humiston Beach boardwalk?
It’s well used.
When I moved to the south county mainland in 1994, I found virtually no sidewalks. Over the years ― despite limited or no sidewalks on 43rd and 27th avenues ― I finally was able to walk safely from Vero Beach to Oslo Road.
But if you live in the rapidly growing area south of Oslo Road, or south of Fifth Street Southwest on 27th Avenue, you’re taking your life in your hands.
In many places, there are NO sidewalks (only recently did FDOT install one on U.S. 1 near Eighth Street) and, in some cases, no safe shoulders. The county’s new sidewalk priority list cites similar issues in Gifford, Sebastian and Fellsmere.
So much for the Target Zero (as in zero traffic fatalities) initiative the county and state are supposed to be teaming up on. Such a goal is impossible, though I’m thankful the county and state do their best to make things safe.
Will yet more pavement help drainage or ... ?
They’re handcuffed by financial realities. They face barriers associated with communication and collaboration — perhaps because of bureaucracy and doing things the way they've always been done.
The latest case in point is FDOT’s project to “resurface, restore and rehabilitate” 5.46 miles of A1A north from the St. Lucie line, expected to last from spring 2027 to summer 2029.
Yup, two years, including a year overlapping the ongoing project on the Alma Lee Loy Bridge and the 17th Street Causeway.
As someone who has traveled that south beach area regularly since 1986, the thought of yet another project there reminds me of that old Ronald Reagan line: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help."
Could $1.25 million for eastern sidewalk be used elsewhere?
For years, a decent rain would flood portions of A1A and entrances to neighborhoods. After a 2011 state repaving project, problems persisted and, over the years, efforts helped mitigate drainage woes, largely on the eastern side of the road. One neighborhood, the Shorelands, waited until late 2023 to have their front-entrance problems resolved.
And four years later, FDOT is going to return and add pavement?
It’s going to spend $10.8 million, officials said. About $1.25 million is included for the eastern sidewalk. It would be on the side that still has water challenges. FDOT also plans more impervious surface by widening the bike lanes from 4 feet to 7 feet, a safety improvement.
(There are many areas in the county that have no real bike lanes, or lanes where grass encroaches, making them dangerous. The county has a new list of 37 priority bike lanes it cannot fund anytime soon.)
Petition? Letter addresses north A1A
Meantime, in its presentation to the council, FDOT included a picture of a person walking in the east side bike lane. When I asked, FDOT said it found the image on Google Maps' street view at Jasmine Lane looking south.
I’ve seen people occasionally walking on the east side bike lane. The vast majority, like me, leave homes on the east side and patiently wait to cross A1A to use the sidewalk.
When I asked FDOT why it included the sidewalk, I was told there was a "petition." The petition FDOT sent me was a letter written in 2018 by Hugh Aaron, then president of Bike Walk Indian River County, a wonderful local safety organization.
In the letter, Aaron, who now lives in Tallahassee, wrote FDOT, seeking 7-foot bike lanes and an eastern sidewalk on the northern section of A1A, south of Sebastian Inlet. He referred to folks there objecting to having an eastern sidewalk because they didn’t want to move their plants.
Aaron said the sidewalk would “allow them to walk (or take their wheelchairs) to restaurants, shops, the post office and the Indian River Shores town hall.”
Sounds like FDOT got their locations crossed. There are no commercial or municipal amenities on the east side of A1A between the 7-Eleven in Vero Beach and Round Island Beach Park (which has a traffic signal), virtually the entire length of this project.
In-between, St. Edward’s School has a traffic signal. Would a pedestrian crossing be worthwhile at 7-Eleven? Maybe.
Vero Beach Mayor John Cotugno asked about possible crossings. Council member Tracey Zudans asked if FDOT planned to make it easier for cars to get into the road when A1A is backed up so far south from 17th Street. There are no plans to do either.
Some things that trouble me:
If not done properly, adding a sidewalk won’t help a drainage problem that has taken decades to come close to fixing.
The sidewalk would destroy some of the greenery on the east side of the road, just like the 2011 FDOT project did. The 2011 project spent about $100,000 on landscaping and trees as part of 100 such FDOT landscaping projects planned over five years at costs of $10,000 to several million dollars each.
In some sections of A1A, we reported in 2011, trees were planted too close to each other, virtually underneath existing trees.
Limit scope of 2027 project
In 2022, several island residents and I questioned FDOT’s work on A1A from 17th Street to Beachland Boulevard. I still see few residents using either sidewalk there, particularly the new one on the east side, between 17th Street and Holy Cross Church.
Meanwhile, all sorts of greenery was trashed to make room for the sidewalk. And the medians, containing landscaping and dirty bricks, remain poorly maintained.
In its 2027 project, FDOT should improve the drainage and repave the road.
And if it has $1 million left over for sidewalks, give it to the county. Us mainlanders sure could use it
This column reflects the opinion of Laurence Reisman. Contact him via email at larry.reisman@tcpalm.com, phone at 772-978-2223, Facebook.com/larryreisman or Twitter @LaurenceReisman.
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: St. Lucie to Vero Beach A1A work 2027-2029 to be improvement?
