VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – After being pushed back nearly a week due to rainy weather, work along A1A in Ormond-By-The-Sea is set to begin.
Drivers along A1A can expect lane closures as the Florida Department of Transportation begins construction on the buried sea wall in Volusia County from Marlin Drive to Sunrise Avenue to help protect A1A against beach erosion.
“Our road has been washing out,” said Lauren Ishmael, server and bartender at Oceanside Grill. “I mean, just a few days ago overnight from that bad storm, it totally washed out a part of A1A. I’m not sure if it made it entirely to the road (...) it does some damage for sure.”
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Oceanside Grill isn’t far from where the construction is set to begin on Monday.
Ishmael said when the washouts happen, it can really impact their business.
“The washouts for us is very detrimental especially to us family-owned businesses around here,” Ishmael said. “We’re located right off of A1A, a lot of tourists come through A1A, it’s a beautiful road, so a lot of our attraction is from driving by, seeing our restaurants. So, whenever they don’t have that road to drive on, it really affects our business.”
Drivers should expect rolling daytime lane closures just north of Marlin Drive to Sunrise Avenue beginning Sept. 9.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the areas selected for buried walls are where the shoulder or road have experienced the most erosion or damage.
“Just in the last few years since I’ve been working directly on A1A, seeing how much that affects everything from people’s businesses, people’s homes, our beaches, too,” Ishmael said. “I think that sea wall is going to provide protection in a lot of different ways.”
FDOT tells us the construction will begin Monday, Sept. 9, as long as the weather cooperates.
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