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The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has started construction on the first of two buried secant seawalls to protect State Road (S.R.) A1A in southern Flagler and northern Volusia counties.
“ This is one of the longest, continuous sections of S.R. A1A where drivers enjoy unobstructed views of the Atlantic Ocean. However, that proximity to the sand and waves also makes this segment of A1A vulnerable to storms ,” said FDOT.
Work on the first seawall is proceeding south from South Central Avenue in Flagler Beach to one-half mile north of Highbridge Road in Volusia County.
Later this summer, crews will start work on the second wall, which stretches from Sunrise Avenue to Marlin Drive in Ormond-by-the-Sea. Each wall is approximately 1.3 miles long.
FDOT said that they expedited the seawall project following the recommendations of the S.R. A1A Resiliency Strike Team, which includes representatives from FDOT, the City of Flagler Beach, Flagler County, Volusia County, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
The seawall project is being constructed using an innovative phased design-build approach that allows design, permitting, and some pre-construction coordination to occur concurrently.
Using this approach, FDOT completed the design, obtained necessary environmental permits, and started work less than a year after the interagency team’s recommendations were delivered.