Flagler County, FL (November 10, 2022) It’s been six years since State Road A1A experienced critical infrastructure failure but with the arrival of Tropical Storm Nicole on Wednesday, the battering of the Atlantic Ocean was too much for the already weakened coastline to sustain and portions of A1A caved to the onslaught.
Not only in Flagler Beach, but sections of A1A along the coastal corridor as far north as South Ponte Vedra ruptured, requiring rapid response by officials in Flagler and St. Johns counties, as well as action by the Florida Department of Transportation’s District Two and Five, to close damaged and flooded sections of the state road.
“In general Flagler County, with the exception of our barrier island has fared very well, and conditions are quickly improving” said Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord.
“While we have seen the worst of the storm, it is not yet over. We expect that the next 2 high tide cycles along the Atlantic coast will continue to damage our coastline, including portions of A1A.”
“We have lifted the evacuation order, but we encourage everyone to avoid traveling to the barrier island as the damages continue and we assess our public safety and infrastructure needs,” he said.
St. Johns County Director of Public Works Greg Caldwell provided an update on an impassable six to seven mile stretch between South Ponte Vedra and Vilano Beach as well as the coastal breach near Marineland, during a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
“Right now the Florida Department of Transportation is on site with crews to repair the damaged road along A1A. There are some short sections that have been compromised. We feel like that will be complete tonight but then further improvements need to be repaired for full access throughout this area,” said Caldwell.
