It’s the height of season, the barrier island is brimming with snowbirds and tourists navigating our roads, and beachgoers scurrying across the street.
So, perfect timing for a major construction project on our major north-south artery?
The Florida Department of Transportation resurfacing work underway on State Road A1A between 192 and Pineda Causeway will cost more than $1 million per mile by the time it is complete. The 8.7-mile section of highway, which was directly impacted by Hurricane Irma, includes Indialantic, unincorporated Brevard, City of Melbourne beachside, Indian Harbour Beach and Satellite Beach.
Up until Irma and the heavy rains that followed, the project was on schedule, said Steve Olson, communications manager for FDOT District 5 covering East Central Florida. “The storm did disrupt all electrical power along the project, as it did in much of the entire station. As a result of the power outage, the signalization was interrupted and had to be restored,’’ he said
Improvements go way beyond new pavement, to include hurricane-resistant mast arms for signals, sidewalk gaps filled near bus pads, and mid-block pedestrian crossings for better safety crossing multiple lanes of traffic. The $10.4 million project did not require right of way acquisition.
The overall goal of is to maintain the integrity of the roadway by milling and resurfacing the travel lanes. It is a constant challenge along SR A1A, especially in the harsh conditions along the barrier islands.
But this project goes a step beyond routine maintenance, with improvements for better safety for pedestrians and bicyclists included as part of the original design, Olson said. “By adding six mid-block crossings, a landing space has been created for pedestrians crossing multiple lanes to traffic. Additional bus stop pads were also added to improve transit access at several locations throughout the project,” he said.
The mid-block crossings are located at Satellite Avenue, Sunrise Avenue, Magellan Avenue, Royal Palm Boulevard, Elwood Avenue and Grant Avenue.
FDOT says the project is 75 percent complete with the contractor currently working on signalization, the remaining sidewalks and medians. All pedestrian crossings are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. All of the prep work must be complete before the final asphalt is striped.
Sidewalk improvements targeting gaps within the existing right of way were prioritized toward accessing transit stops and curb ramp improvements with other sidewalks added near mid-block crossings. Requests by local governments resulted in sidewalks at still other locations, including the sidewalk on the east side of SR A1A at the extreme north of the project at the former through lane at Pineda Cause and Patrick Air Force Base.
“Right-of-way constraints and funding prohibited filling in all the gaps along the corridor,’’ Olson said.
Other improvements include the installation of 18 new mast arms designed to better withstand hurricane winds.