Fort Lauderdale

A1A Reconstruction Project Begins

The A1A reconstruction project began Monday in Fort Lauderdale, marking the first day of road closures that will last more than a year.

The road work will span A1A from Sunrise Boulevard to Northeast 18th Street.

The Florida Department of Transportation says the $11.8 million project will clear the way for a brand new promenade on the east side of A1A, restored beach showers, turtle-friendly pedestrian lighting and signalized pedestrian crosswalks. The road work will also replace portions of the road that were eroded in 2012 during Superstorm Sandy.

While residents say they aren't looking forward to the inconvenience, they are looking forward to a nicer roadway.

"If it looks nicer, I could live with that," said resident Ron Prescia who regularly jogs down A1A.

Workers will also install a new underground drainage system to prevent flooding.

"It's a French Drain system so to a point it holds water internally and takes some of the pressure off the outfall system so not all the water has to rush out of the system at the same time," said Brian Gibbs, with Russell Engineering.

Gibbs said the work will eventually narrow the roadway, to create one lane in each direction by the end of the reconstruction.

The work will take up about 11 hours each day -- from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- and could include Saturday hours as needed. It will take about one week before crews establish a familiar traffic pattern in the area.

Contact Us