A1A Restoration Meeting December 10 – Impact on Bayview Drive?

According to Mayor Seiler, "erosion from Hurricane Sandy, coupled with extreme seasonal high tides, strong winds, and ocean swells, have impacted a small, four-block portion of State Road A1A on Fort Lauderdale Beach." As a result, "this area of A1A has been restricted to one lane in each direction since November 23, when the two former northbound lanes had to be closed due erosion of the beach caused by extreme high tides." On December 10, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation, Broward County and the City of Fort Lauderdale will hold a Public Meeting on A1A Restoration at the Beach Community Center located at 3351 NE 33 Avenue to provide information and updates about the status of the beach and the roadway. A question for residents of Coral Ridge is what impact, if any, will restoration have on traffic counts on Bayview Drive. According to a Sun-Sentinel article, at least one government official, Jennifer Jurado, director of Broward County's Natural Resources Planning and Management Division, has suggested that A1A might have to be made a two lane road, and other officials say this once four lane section of A1A will be two lanes for months, if not for good.

If this section of A1A, from the 1400 block to the 1700 block, is not restored to four lanes, will Bayview Drive see a permanent increase in regular and emergency vehicle traffic as a shortcut and permanent detour around this new chokepoint?  Or, is it more important to rebuild this section of A1A as two lanes with a more permanent barrier against future erosion?

Monday you can hear directly from your state, county, and local officials regarding their thoughts about solving this problem.  Most importantly, you can let your representatives know your thoughts and concerns.  For more information regarding A1A updates, visit the City of Fort Lauderdale website here.

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