Traffic being detoured onto Clubhouse Drive

A washout on State Road A1A in Flagler Beach is causing traffic to be diverted. (Flagler Beach Police Department)

FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. – Traffic is being diverted away from State Road A1A in Flagler Beach on Sunday due to a washout, according to law enforcement.

Flagler Beach Police posted on Twitter that the washout near the water tower on A1A has traffic detoured onto Clubhouse Drive, “around the problem area.”

Police said that officials from the Florida Department of Transportation are on the way to assess the washout.

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⚠️ Traffic Alert ⚠️ - Due to a washout on A1A near the water tower, traffic is being diverted onto Clubhouse Drive; around the problem area. FDOT from District 5 as a team on the way. pic.twitter.com/IXHbi8mpUu

— Flagler Beach Police (@FBPD) July 16, 2023

During a meeting days after the start of the 2023 hurricane season, Flagler County officials heard a presentation about several projects from the FDOT to help protect A1A from the effects of future storms.

“The spotlight is A1A, and that’s the one everyone’s most concerned about,” Director of Transportation Development Jack Adkins said at the meeting that took place in early June.

Hurricane Ian caused Flagler Beach to lose large amount of sand from its dunes in October and and several agencies were coordinating ways to shore up the beach and the roads.

Flagler County government worked with the city, Florida Department of Transportation, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers to survey the dune loss along the beach and to protect State Road A1A.

In November, a portion of A1A collapsed collapsed from waves caused by Hurricane Nicole, forcing the closure of the roadway from 7th Street to 16th Street.

Later in June, officials announced that the state is giving Flagler County an additional $18 million for dune restoration. That’s on top of the $17 million the county was given in December as part of the governor’s state recovery plan after hurricanes Ian and Nicole.

County Engineer, Faith Alkhatib, said they will put that additional funding towards a major dredging project to bring sand in and hopefully reinforce much of the county’s dunes.

State Road A1A in Flagler Beach was also damaged in 2106 when Hurricane Matthew left stuck, leaving an an estimated $73 million in Flagler County alone. Nearly one mile of the beachside road collapsed after the hurricane.

Former U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), who chaired the Oversight Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets, toured the damaged road in 2016 with FDOT officials.

“This is probably the most significant damage the state has occurred in our transportation system,” Mica said at the time.

The latest washout comes as FDOT officials said plans are still in motion for a federal beach renourishment project, although a timetable hasn’t been set.

Officials said the goal of the new projects is to provide permanent protection to vulnerable sections of A1A, but with construction still months away, uncertainty remains for the current hurricane season.

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About the Authors:

Jacob joined ClickOrlando.com in 2022. He spent 19 years at the Orlando Sentinel, mostly as a photojournalist and video journalist, before joining Spectrum News 13 as a web editor and digital journalist in 2021.

Mark Lehman became a News 6 reporter in July 2014, but he's been a Central Florida journalist and part of the News 6 team for much longer. While most people are fast asleep in their bed, Mark starts his day overnight by searching for news on the streets of Central Florida.