FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Restoration work on A1A in Fort Lauderdale will escalate soon, says the Florida Department of Transportation.
Below is a news release sent by FDOT:
Recommended Videos
"The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is asking for the public's assistance during a $8.3 million project to repair the section of State Road A1A that was damaged during Hurricane Sandy in October and the Thanksgiving weekend storms in November.
Construction activity is expected to escalate next week with the pre-drilling work in preparation for the installation of sheet pile along the eastern edge of the damaged portion of A1A to stabilize the road. Pre-drilling will help reduce vibration during the sheet pile driving, which is anticipated to begin in mid-February. The contractor expects to begin work on the south end of the project and progress northward.
Huge cranes and other heavy equipment is being used for this work. Signs have been posted warning beach-goers not to enter or walk through the work area. Beach-goers should use the sidewalk on the west side of A1A and beach access points to the north and south of the construction area. It may be less convenient, but citizen safety is of utmost importance. The work is taking place between NE 14th Court and NE 18th Street on Fort Lauderdale Beach, north of Sunrise Boulevard.
Also, the metered parking spaces along the east side of A1A in this area will be closed during construction. The roadway will remain open in its current configuration throughout the project.
FDOT anticipates the work will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Johnson Brothers Corp., which is located in Lithia near Tampa, was awarded a 120-day contract on Jan. 3. Crews are currently removing sections of the concrete wall and sidewalk, both north and south of the "orange fence" area, and making other preparations for the pile driving.
Once the pile driving is completed, Broward County will begin beach restoration efforts. Dump trucks will be hauling in about 24,600 cubic yards of sand to spread on the beach.
Following the restoration work, the roadway will be restriped to include one northbound lane, one southbound lane and a center left-turn lane along with a northbound bike lane. The temporary, orange/white barrier wall will be removed. The sidewalk, bike lane and parallel parking will remain on the west side of A1A. The east side of the road will be re-opened to beach-goers and pedestrians."