ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. – Work has officially started for a buried seawall along A1A in Ormond-by-the-Sea.
It was delayed for over a week because of rain, even causing a washout in the shoulder of the road. The Florida Department of Transportation said this seawall will prevent that from happening in the future.
Crews started early Monday, working around the rain, focusing first on adding pavement to the west side of S.R. A1A so there will be room to build a wall on the east side along the beach. The wall will run about a mile-and-a-half from Marlin Drive to Sunrise Avenue.
With big construction on a two-lane road comes lane closures, though.
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“We’re expecting really slow business for the next couple of months,” said Rachel Small with Lagerheads Bar and Grill.
The restaurant sits directly along the construction zone.
“It took me 45 minutes to get to work today, instead of 20. But I think it’s going to cause a little bit more with traffic, but I think it’ll be good in the end,” said another employee Brianna Brannan.
The team has also seen what led to this project, though: A1A crumbling into the ocean during several storms and smaller washouts taking out the road shoulder and dunes.
They understand why business and traffic might be slow for a bit.
“It’s been needed for a long time,” Small said. “It needed to be done, so the question is do we want A1A to wash away or do we want this to be a spot for the next 40 years to come?”
Crews will next clear the vegetation and make room to bring in a drill.
Back in March, FDOT crews started building the first of these two walls closer to the Flagler County line. The buried wall will then be covered back up by sand and vegetation.
FDOT is aiming to finish the entire project with both walls by Summer 2025.
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