- September 23, 2024
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Oceanshore Boulevard lost asphalt as far as — and in some places beyond — the road's centerline. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
U.S. Rep. John Mica speaks to Florida Gov. Rick Scott during Scott's tour of Flagler Beach's storm-damaged areas. (Photo courtesy of the Governor's Press Office)
People took photos by a washed away section of A1A in Flagler Beach Monday, Oct. 10. (Photo by Jacque Estes)
Hurricane Matthew gnawed away Oceanshore Boulevard’s eastern side in Flagler Beach like a giant sea monster, sucking sand out from underneath the scenic roadway and leaving a series of bite-shaped chunks of asphalt to crumble into the ocean, where storm tides swept them out to sea.
The cost to repair the road, including design and construction, is estimated at $35 million, according to Florida Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Olson. It would come from state and potentially federal coffers. The repairs are estimated to take six to 12 months.
The damage extends along about 1.3 miles of the roadway in Flagler Beach, running from 9th Street S. to 22nd Street S., Olson said.
“Current cost estimates … are subject to change as the scope of the project is developed,” Olson wrote in an email to the Palm Coast Observer. Time estimates for the repairs are also subject to change.
For now, orange and white traffic barricades have been placed around the damaged portion of the road, with motorists routed in detours along residential streets. “FDOT is examining further options for traffic control,” Olson wrote.
The repairs, Olson said, will involve not only reconstructing the roadway, but adding a protective wall along the east side using sheet pilings — vertical, interlocking metal sheets placed in the sand to shore it up. They’re already used along parts of Oceanshore Boulevard, and those areas didn’t collapse, Olson wrote.
FDOT will work with other agencies — including the Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection — during the reconstruction process, Olson wrote, and will work with local government to assess how to handle local business access during the closure and reconstruction.
Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey, Flagler County Commissioner Barbra Revels, Flagler County Engineer Faith Alkhatib and Flagler Beach Mayor Provencher will meet with FDOT District 5 Secretary Noranne Downs and FDOT Representative Ron Meade at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Flagler Beach City Hall Commission Chamber at 105 S. Second Street to discuss plans to repair Oceanshore Boulevard.
