ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Transportation is looking to replace a decades-old seawall in St. Augustine to provide a safer option and more protection against storm season, where significant amounts of flooding impact the area.
FDOT learned during an inspection in 2022 that the aging seawall located in downtown St. Augustine along A1A near the Bridge of Lions has sustained extensive deterioration.
“It’s from the 1960s,” Jacob Pickering with the FDOT said. “We’ve done some studies, and we’ve determined it’s nearing the end of its service life.”
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Construction wouldn’t begin until 2026, but FDOT provided details on how the process would look.
First, crews would install steel sheet pipes and remove the existing sloped pavement that is near the Bridge of Lions. They would then fill the space between the existing seawall and those steel sheet pipes, leveling the sidewalk.
This process would happen in 150-foot increments. North of the Bridge of Lions, most of the construction would happen waterside, so people would still be able to enjoy walking along the water but there would no longer be elevated pavement.
Once the sidewalk is complete, crews would start building a 3.5-foot pedestrian barrier.
News4JAX spoke to residents about the proposed construction and their concerns.
“Most of the view of the water would be seeable. Or from the cars, from the carriages, or from the restaurants,” Resident Laurie Sage said.
Art Moore has lived in the area for over 20 years and has experienced his share of flooding from storms.
“I’ve been here now 23 years, and we’ve been flooded three times. And we’ve had nor’easters. I could tell you about that. But anything is better than being flooded. It’s an awful situation to lose property and so forth,” Moore said.
FDOT is allowing residents the opportunity to weigh in on the proposal at an open house meeting on Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the St. Augustine City Hall. The event will also include a presentation at 6 p.m.
Take a look at the renderings that show the construction sequence for the project.