Friday, February 28, 2014

Army Corps: Even a category-1 storm could inundate A1A - The Palm Coast Observer

The northeast part of Florida is trying to save A1A from being overcome by the ocean, even in a small or weak hurricane event. That's a problem for many reasons since much of the road is also the only designated evacuation route. There are portions of A1A near St. Augustine that the state will not rebuild due to frequent inundation. 


How strong is our seawall at the beach again? Click title for link to article.

Those frequent storms, the Corps says, are one reason renourishment is important: Right now, storm surge from any direct hit by a hurricane, even a category 1 storm, could wash over State Road A1A. Sand acts as a buffer.
Right now, the road, the sole north-south hurricane evacuation for people living on much of the barrier island, is ailing, threatened by erosion.
Communities and the state have tried to push back the sea with revetments, sea walls and breakwaters, some of them funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, which spends about $1.5 million per year maintaining a shrinking 9,000-foot-long granite revetment between Seventh Street South and 23rd Street South in Flagler Beach, according to the Army Corps report.