The closure of one of the county’s busiest beach ramps has led to the closure of two businesses and a great deal of exasperation among beach-goers.
Here’s more on what we know about the $2.9 million project:
What does the project entail?
The project is intended to refresh the beach approach and make some additions.
It will add parking, a new public restroom, new landscaping, bike racks, underground utilities, sidewalks, and lighting. The World’s Most Famous Beach sign above the ramp is in storage during construction but don’t worry, it will be returned.
What’s up with businesses at the site?
The project has made the area extremely difficult to navigate and reduced foot traffic. Sam Tadros, owner of Sam’s Coal Fired Pizza, has shut his doors temporarily.
“It’s just been horrible,” Tadros said on Friday morning, as a construction crew toiled away.
Tadros said that before he signed his lease, Volusia County Coastal Division Director Jessica Fentress told him that half of the road would remain open during the project, but Public Works Director Ben Bartlett said that wasn’t the county’s intent due to safety considerations.
“Unfortunately this project needs to be done and it’s going to cause a disruption, and we’re working hard to minimize this disruption,” Bartlett said.
Zoltan Kerekes, who owns Daytona Shirt Shop, also closed his doors.
Tadros plans to reopen in February, he said. He also plans to launch a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs restaurant along the same strip.
When will the project be finished?
The project is on track to be finished by April 2025, but the county could open the ramp to vehicles before then, Bartlett said.
“Everything’s dependent on weather and those kinds of things,” he said.
Can pedestrians access the beach or the storefronts?
People can get to the storefronts from a sidewalk on the north side of the road.
Pedestrian access to the beach is closed while crews work on installing sheet piles for a seawall, Bartlett said. Once that portion is done, the county plans to allow pedestrian access again. He said it is unsafe to allow pedestrian access right now.
Bartlett said the county is working with business owners, including allowing signs to be placed at the site to direct people to businesses.
What does the site look like?
Most of the road was blocked off with fencing on Friday. But people could access the Boardwalk Inn and Suites parking lot on the south corner.
Why is Volusia County doing the project now?
The county coordinated the project with the Florida Department of Transportation’s work on International Speedway Boulevard from A1A west, Bartlett said.
That way the overall disruption in the high-profile area is kept to a minimum and the county doesn’t have to pull out any new infrastructure that’s been put in.
How popular is the beach ramp?
Volusia County tracks the number of vehicles that use the International Speedway Boulevard ramp each year.
The county tracked 18,709 vehicle visits in 2023, according to county spokesman Clayton Jackson. In 2022, the number was 18,199, in 2021 it was a banner year with 26,619 visits and in 2020, it was 14,021.