State Road A1A washed out in Flagler Beach; FDOT quick to repair
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. - After storms moved through Central Florida Thursday, a portion of a major state road washed out.
S.R. A1A in Flagler Beach along the Volusia county line washed away as a result of torrential rain, according to Flagler Beach Police.
Ken Jeffery, who frequents the area for vacation, says he saw the whole thing play out in front of him.
"It seemed like water was running from under the road like a stream down to the ocean," he said.
The washout temporarily closed down the road while FDOT crews made repairs.
"Sand undermined the road and just washed it out. In the interest of public safety, we shut down A1A for about two hours," said Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney.
He also says he is thankful to FDOT for getting the road repaired quickly.
While the roadway was quickly cleaned up this time and reopened for drivers, A1A is prone to washouts.
"This has happened every time we’ve had torrential downpours. If this doesn’t reinforce the need for a seawall, I don’t know what does," Doughney said.
Some notable issues on A1A in Flagler Beach to date:
2016 - Hurricane Matthew (Oct. 8) caused road to washout
2017 - Hurricane Irma (Sep. 12) brought severe flooding
2022 - Back-to-back Hurricanes Ian (Sep. 28) and Nicole (Nov. 10) caused road to washout
2023 - Heavy rains from a string of storms (July 16) caused a washout
"I’m devastated every time a major hurricane comes through and I see what goes on here," Jeffery said.
To try and fix the ongoing problem, FDOT is constructing a buried seawall as part of the "State Road A1A Resiliency Project," that has a $24 million price tag.
It also includes seawall construction in Volusia County. FDOT recently started working on it.
"I hope once they get the seawall in hopefully that will take care of the problem," said Elaine Torma, a ten-year resident.
The seawall project is expected to be complete by the fall of 2025, and in addition to reinforcing the road, crews will also renourish Flagler Beach.