ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. (WJAX/WFOX) — Action News Jax is looking into what it took for the Florida Department of Transportation to get motorists back on the road quickly after Hurricane Matthew.
Just days after Hurricane Matthew, FDOT said that all major local roads and bridges are back open.
The bridge on State Road 206 into Crescent Beach in St. Johns County is connecting people with the beach again, even after a partial washout during Hurricane Matthew.
FDOT spokesman Ron Tittle showed us where crews got SR 206 and the rest of our local roads and bridges open quickly for neighbors like Jaqui Harrell, of St. Augustine.
“I had a lot of faith,” Harrell said.
“Currently, we have everything open in our district,” Tittle said.
“They made it happen that fast, and they did a great job,” Harrell said.
“We’ve got them open, we're safe,” Tittle said. “The bridges, roads, we will go back and inspect to see what needs to be done for the long term.”
Flagler County is a different story on State Road A1A.
Parts of A1A in flagler county closed at flagler beach due to erosion after #HurricaneMatthew pic.twitter.com/5sG0QisIk0
— Cole Heath (@ColeHeathMSP) October 11, 2016
FDOT said more than a mile of the ocean-side road is still closed after Hurricane Matthew washed out the ground underneath.
Officials say it could take up to a year and an estimated $35 million to complete the repairs.
“It's unfortunate to see the dunes and the roads eroding away,” Flagler Beach resident Dan O’Fallon said.
FDOT said it’s too soon to know how much money or how many man-hours it took to get those local roads back open.
Cox Media Group
