A1A lane closures in Fort Lauderdale could remain for a while

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - It's as if the waves chewed up the seawall and the road, and then spit it back out. Chunks of A1A are missing and countless yards of sand were swallowed up.

"It's amazing what mother nature can do in a short period of time. I've never seen, no one has ever seen Fort Lauderdale beach look like this," says Barbara Kelleher, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Transportation.

Huge concrete barriers were placed along the beach near Northeast 17th Court last Friday to try and reduce erosion. Some of them were even tossed around, but FDOT says they're working.

"As tides go in and out those segments are collecting sand and keeping it from eroding further," says Kelleher.

"I've lived here 30 years and I've seen storms come and go and it's just become worse," says Dimitri, who lives nearby.

Dimitri says when he was a boy scout in the early 1980's, his troop planted sea grapes and other vegetation just north of the damaged area. He says that's what has kept the beach intact.

"It created a natural dune where there's no erosion on the beach. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," says Dimitri.

Crews will be in repair mode for the next few months. They're constructing a semi-permanent wall to give them room to work. Traffic is down to one lane in either direction indefinitely.