FDOT outlines safety upgrades on State Road 40 and A1A; commission and residents press for pedestrian, tree and trail fixes

Florida Department of Transportation representatives presented design and construction updates May 20 for two resurfacing-plus projects in Ormond Beach: State Road 40 from U.S. 1 to A1A (Granada Boulevard) and A1A from State Road 40 north to Roberta Road. FDOT said safety was the projects’ central theme.

“Safety is the theme of all these projects,” FDOT project manager Kevin Hayden said, describing lane narrowing, bulb-outs, chicanes and a reduction in the posted speed limit from 35 to 30 mph on both corridors. FDOT said State Road 40 will have three pedestrian crossings equipped with pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs); two of the crossings will be raised. A1A will get 13 new midblock crossings with rapid rectangular flashing beacons (RRFBs); four of those crossings will be raised. FDOT also said it will install three speed tables and a multi-use shared-use path on A1A and resurface the roadway.

FDOT engineer Ed Kessary described how PHBs and RRFBs work and said the agency will add in-road and pedestrian lighting at crossings to increase visibility. Hayden and Kessary acknowledged earlier construction sequencing and striping issues and said they had identified best practices so contractors can install features in a single sequence rather than in stages that confuse motorists.

Residents and commissioners pressed FDOT on several neighborhood concerns during the presentation: the height and material of the multi-use path, retention of trees and landscaping, the geometry of newly extended concrete medians and pedestrian refuge islands, and whether bridge walkways could be reconfigured to improve pedestrian space.

“Concrete definitely is what Ormond deserves,” Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland said after FDOT said it had identified funds to convert parts of the multi-use path from asphalt to concrete. Hayden said the conversion is already programmed and that plan revisions would require the contractor to remove installed asphalt, regrade the base and construct a concrete path; FDOT said quotes from the contractor were acceptable.

Commissioner Howard Bridal raised concerns about bulb-outs and median extensions that can make turning more difficult for vehicles towing trailers and asked FDOT to re-evaluate specific medians. FDOT said turn-movement analyses using swept-path software inform those designs and agreed to re-examine potentially problematic medians. Commissioners and staff also asked FDOT to provide public education materials about RRFB and PHB crossings; FDOT agreed to work with the city on outreach and noted the agency’s existing education campaigns.

FDOT described three detour phases for the A1A project. Phase 1 (Neptune Road) is complete; phase 2 (Amston Road to Halifax to Granada) is under way with a temporary four-way stop at Amston and Halifax; FDOT estimates phase 2 to complete in early July and phase 3 to run into mid-September. Hayden said the agency plans a two-year warranty for post-construction landscaping if the city elects to remove landscaping work from the construction contract and bid it as a separate landscape contract.

City Manager Joyce Shanahan and residents praised FDOT for correcting survey errors that had left portions of the shared-use path at the wrong elevation. FDOT said it will adjust plans and regrade areas where survey errors were found.

No formal action by the commission was required or taken; the presentation and Q&A served as an information update and opportunity for the city and residents to raise design concerns before final construction sequencing and plan revisions.

Key project details from FDOT presented to the commission: lane narrowing and chicanes on both corridors, a speed reduction from 35 to 30 mph, three PHB crossings on State Road 40 (two raised), 13 RRFB midblock crossings on A1A (four raised), three speed tables, a multi-use path on A1A to be converted to concrete in problem areas, and roadway resurfacing.