- December 28, 2024
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A handful of the projects planned for coming years. Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation
COVID-19 has reduced Florida’s funding for transportation projects: With people driving fewer miles, they’re spending less on gas and thereby paying less in gas taxes. Cars are also getting more efficient, further reducing gas consumption.
Those factors have affected the state’s plans for local road work as Florida faces a state shortfall of $1.4 billion and a district-level shortfall of $100 million.
“We had to determine what it was that was important and what we needed to do to try to balance the needs against those limited resources,” Florida Department of Transportation Program Administrator Katherine Alexander told Flagler County commissioners at a Feb. 1 commission meeting. “We wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to affect any of our existing contracts, and we wanted to make sure that we were keeping true to our debt service payments.”
Still, the Florida Department of Transportation expects to spend more than $13.4 million in Flagler County in the 2021-2022 fiscal year, with projects spanning the county from western Bunnell to Oceanshore Boulevard.
Alexander presented FDOT’s 5-year work program before the commission at the Feb. 1 meeting.
The work plan lays out design and construction plans through 2026; FDOT’s fiscal year runs June 30-July 1. For next fiscal year, one planned project — construction on Perkins Highway at County Road 304 — has been deferred, and will be pushed back to fiscal year 2024.
Although revenue is down, the latest numbers from the state have indicated that it hasn’t dropped as much as state officials had feared it might.
Commissioner David Sullivan asked Alexander about the impact of a recent report showing a more promising outlook than predicted.
“We have not taken that into consideration,” she said. “Our tentative work program was built before this latest information, so it’s a possibility that we’ll have to go back and look and see if there’s any adjustments that will be made because of that.”
The proposed road work includes:
Water Oak Road from County Road 2006 to Mahogany Boulevard
Reconstruction
Construction in fiscal year 2021-2022
Total funding: $2,989,859
Armand Beach Drive
Roadway improvement
Design in fiscal year 2021-2022
Total funding: $100,000
Seascape Drive from Central Avenue to its terminus
Reconstruction
Design in fiscal year 2021-2022 and construction in fiscal year 2024-2025
Total funding: $450,000
East Daytona North improvements
Reconstruction
Fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023
Total funding: $280,000
Old Haw Creek Road from County Road 304 to State Road 11
Reconstruction
Construction in fiscal year 2022-2023
Total funding: $4,360,000
Westmeyer Place from the end of the road to State Road A1A
Resurfacing
Design in fiscal year 2023-2024
Total funding: $50,000
Hargrove Grade from Otis Stone Hunter Road to east of the railroad crossings
Reconstruction
Construction in fiscal year 2023-2024
Total funding: $3,550,000
Walnut Avenue from Water Oak Road to Forest Park Street design
Widening/resurfacing for existing lanes
Design in fiscal year 2023-2024
Total funding: $250,000
County Road 205 from State Road 100 to private dirt road
Widening/resurfacing of existing lanes
Construction in fiscal year 2024-2025
Total funding: $2,000,000
Forest Park Street at County Road 305
Flexible pavement reconstruction (existing dirt road)
Design in fiscal year 2024/2025
Total funding: $442,750
Jungle Hut Road from North Oceanshore Boulevard to beach access
Reconstruction
Design in fiscal year 2024-2025
Total funding: $120,000
County Road 304 from County Road 305 to State Road 11
Resurfacing
Construction programmed for fiscal year 2025-2026
Total funding: $2,848,000
