- November 19, 2024
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Flagler County Engineer Faith Alkhatib saved $600,000 and netted the county and Palm Coast 12 acres of land by catching a recent change in water management regulations that allowed a more cost-effective redesign of the Matanzas Parkway and Interstate 95 interchange.
Design for the interchange was completed last year, to be ready for Florida Department of Transportation construction funds that will become available in July, according to a Flagler County news release.
But Alkhatib noted the change in St. Johns Water Management District guidelines in October, and the county’s engineering department worked on a redesign.
The redesigned project will cost $600,000 less than the original, and it will save 12 acres of land required by the previous design. Of the 12 acres, six would have come from Palm Coast and six would have come from the county.
“This turned out to be a very good savings for the Federal Department of Transportation and for both the city and the county and, ultimately, the taxpayers.” Alkhatib said in the news release. “It is always a good thing when we can cut costs and still provide a quality project.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation is funding the $10 million project, which will begin in the fall and create a diamond-shaped intersection for access to northbound and southbound I-95 lanes, according to the news release. No local money will be used for construction.
