The new, nearly 2-mile trail through Graham Swamp south to State Road 100is as stunning as trails get in Flagler, a county already braided with lovely trails. A 1,600-foot elevated boardwalk make it seem as if you’re walking on water. Its 55 discreet lights are an invitation to nocturnal hikes.
For walkers and bikers along the 12-foot-wide path, the pleasure of the experience might just make it all the way across the new Graham Swamp Trail and Pedestrian Bridge that was completed this week, as long as they don’t think of the price: $12 million, almost double the $7.5 million cost projected in 2018, when the County Commission announced the plan, using grant money from the state Department of Transportation.
For drivers and pedestrians below the 650-foot bridge, along State Road 100, it’s a different story.
From that perspective, the new bridge is as hideous a structure as there is in Flagler County, as dissonant with its environment as a steel mill in a forest, as out of proportion with the road it straddles and the nature trails it links as an eighteen-wheeler on a golf course: the structure blocks rather than blends with the surrounding greenery, contradicting the very purpose of a trail designed to be in harmony with its environment.
It appears a well-intentioned but overeager attempt at architectural sampling ran away with the drawing board. The A-frame design by Kissinger Campo and Associates was clearly intended to echo the Flagler Beach pier’s A-frame. But the echo is lost in a din of visual noise and glare that screams hilarity at best, and at worst poses a risk to distracted and blinded traffic below.
It’s not an exaggeration. The county has been worried, and contacted the designer.
“KCA received notice via e-mail there were concerns associated with sunlight glare observed by drivers on SR 100 associated with the newly installed stainless-steel safety enclosure” of the bridge, H. Simon Hagedoorn, a design project manager with KCA, wrote Faith al-Khatib, the county engineer, in early June. “Peek glare was reported to occur between approximately 3:30 to 4:15 pm for drivers traveling in the eastbound direction of SR 100.”
Hagedoorn himself took drives back and forth on 100 at peak times (as did al-Khatib), noting that “The intensified glare described by others began to occur at 3:37 pm while traveling in the eastbound direction from Old Kings Road toward the bridge.” But, he added, “The consensus was that at no time during to the intensified glare period, vehicles traveling eastward toward and under the bridge were inhibited from seeing the roadway, lane striping, nearby pedestrians, the adjacent terrain and other vehicles traveling in front.”
Nevertheless, KCA agreed that the steel enclosure should be treated with chemicals “to lessen the intensity of sunlight.” Next month, al-Khatib will request from the County Commission a $65,000 allocation to conduct an inspection of the bridge and treat the steel with a patina that will accelerate its oxidation, thus darkening the steel. There are also discussions about adding lettering on either side of the steel, with perhaps Flagler Beach on one side and Palm Coast on the other.
England-Thims & Miller, or ETM, the well-regarded contractor that’s built numerous, important infrastructure projects around the county and its cities, and that built the bridge, describes the stainless-steel A-frame enclosing the pedestrian bridge as “adding aesthetic appeal while simultaneously fulfilling safety requirements.”
The safety part is unquestioned: the enclosure looks forbidding enough for a fly not to dare defy. Aesthetics is another story. The enclosure alternately looks like a giant triangle of light-emitting cellophane, a sun-reflecting strobe shaft that might need a trigger warning for seizure-prone motorists, an airborne prison that Jules Verne might have imagined in his darker moods, or a 1970s auto-train that never ends, while the frame’s anchor rods drop below the floor of the bridge like unsheathed weapons ready to spear drivers below.
So much for a stainless steel enclosure that was once proposed at $500,000 and ended up costing $1.1 million. It now makes State Road 100, hardly an aesthetic marvel, look elegant in comparison. But the enclosure is here to stay, as are the torrents of memes and derision it is radiating every day.
On Flagler Beach for Friends, the community Facebook page, the bridge’s enclosure has been a recurring gag, with one animation comparing it to a chicken-coop, another only yesterday having Elon Musk asking himself whether he should “buy this bridge and fix it,” which unleashed its own responses: “It wouldda been profitable and benefited the community in a positive way,” a commenter said. “Maybe they can use the heat collected from the glare to fuel his rockets? Use it as a star link satellite,” wrote another. “In a few years it will be a tourist attraction. Especially after all Vermonts covered bridges wash away,” a third wrote.
A few days ago yet another meme had an alien whose spaceship crashed into the bridge complain to a cop that the glare was at fault–that one just above John Morgan, the celebrated attorney, in a meme of his own: “If you were blinded by the bridge, you may be entitled to compensation.” And so on.
County and Flagler Beach officials have been hearing earfuls about the bridge even before the enclosure, though previously it used to be derided as a “bridge to nowhere.” It’s still that, at least in one direction: the rest of the trail down to Bulow Park is a $1.5 million Phase 2 project, again funded with state transportation dollars. A design firm was just selected, however, so work is under way. So users of the bridge will be crossing it south only to have to immediately loop around back to a new sidewalk built along State Road 100, to take them back to Old Kings Road, if that’s where they want to go.
If for now, it’s the glaring enclosure is catching all the attention (and the sun’s rays), some officials are beginning to see a silver lining. “It’s negative publicity but it’s helping us,” Al-Khatib said. She wasn’t kidding.
This morning at the Tourist Development Council meeting, Eric Cooley, chairman of the Flagler Beach City Commission and a member of the TDC, said the bridge’s bad publicity could be turned into a very good thing.
“I believe that the infamous A-frame bridge going over 100 is actually going to end up becoming a potential destination for tourism,” Cooley said. “There’s a lot of negative buzz, but it’s also turning into positive buzz. And everybody wants to see this. I’ve had folks just coming in and out of my business at the beach, going, where’s this bridge everybody’s talking about? They don’t know and they want to go see it. And I think it’s a neat opportunity for tourism to almost latch on to.” He said the county’s tourism could build a marketing angle around those very vibes, turning the bridge into another destination.
“I love that bridge,” Dave Sullivan, who chairs the TDC and sits on the County Commission, said. “The county is expanding whether you like it or not. Try to build something like that after the expansion. It won’t happen. So by having it there and close to the new visitor eco Center, which is going to be just to the west of it, will be good.” The county is planning to build its visitor center near the foot of the bridge. (See: “County Approves Spending Extra $500,000 for ‘Gem of a Site’ as Future Visitor Center on SR100.”
The bridge has drawn a lot of criticism over its cost. County officials stress that the state grant could not have been used for road or other bridge projects: it was designated specifically for trail-like projects.
Al-Khatib, the county engineer, drives to work using 100 every day. She’s shepherded the project’s evolution form the start, having secured the grant for it (among the tens of millions of grants she has secured). “It’s a stunning, it’s a unique bridge, they’ll love it, in no time they’ll get used to it,” she said of the bridge’s detractors.
Mike Shimkus says
My suggestion is to put up a 2 large welcome signs. On one side “Welcome to Flagler Beach” and on the other side “welcome to Palm Coast”
Flying bird says
What bulls$$t .i pass there everyday and it is disgusting looking distraction (some ones Wet Dream.
Tonda Bian says
Sorry. Flagler gov is a joke and so is this bridge. Glad I moved to Jacksonville…not better, but real
Laurel says
Oh, my, God! The powers that be. The dingle-berries drove back and forth on 100 and didn’t seem to see a problem. Did anyone consider the location of the sun, which is now way north of 100? Just wait until November or April when the sun will be directly aligned with 100.
As it is now, it’s a joke. The thing is hideous. What the hell are they thinking? A tourist destination “whether you like it or not.”
Zinda says
It blinds me every time I drive by on a sunny day, change color or something…..
Gina Weiss says
I had a saying in the public relations industry, unpopular PR is better than no PR. Also
it serves an added function, it provides a wonderful animal crossing if anything, animal crossings
are done in California to protect the wildlife. Just another way to look at it.
Brian Chrestoff says
I think the walkway is very attractive (especially after sundown) and seems to offer a well thought out design to prevent someone from tossing a brick into some poor soul’s windshield. Thank you Mr. Civil Engineer. As far as some drivers saying the design causes the sun to reflect its sunlight directly into their eyes I’m trying to get my head around that claim. Get a mirror and a flashlight. Now tilt the mirror about 25 degrees and shine the light on it from any angle to mimic the sun from sunrise to sunset. The A Frame design causes the sunlight to be deflected off into the distance, not downward into a driver’s eyes. Any sunlight hitting a driver’s eyes is coming from the sun as it always has and always will when driving directly in a East – West direction.
Lance Carroll says
Solar panels….
peter says
WHO IN THE WORLD APPROVED THAT THING. WHO EVER DID NEED TO BE FIRED. Just a big waste of money.
Marbles says
Why the heck is a giant, confining crypt needed anyway? If you can put fences and half cages along over passes why not do the same here? At least there would be some visibility on either side.
HEMIboy4ever says
Why not cover the glare of the tin with bill board advertisements. Seems like a win win situation to me.
Marbles says
The first lawsuit that gets filed after something bad happens while people travel through that thing will have Brainiac’s behind it kicking themselves in the butt.
DoubleGator says
Poor aesthetic design…. Guess we will have to learn to live with….. ugh blah
Shark says
Just another holland splash park !!!!! This county will buy anything just to get ripped off. It seems to to be their M.O. Just wait until someone gets killed because of this their family gets Morgan & Morgan to defend them !!!
Hot Cakes says
Wouldn’t the intense heat emitted from the steel and concrete essentially create a 150+ degree oven to walk through? That should go over well for the 50% elderly population. Morgan & Morgan, for the people. Pound law that’s all.
Jimbo99 says
Surprised it’s not a solar farm or even a informational billboard for Flagler Beach events. Would we ever see Amber or Silver Alerts flashed on it. At some point all the addicts & dealers might even use it as their location. Homeless, sex offenders/predators might also see it for the opportunities it presents for victims & crimes if higher volumes of pedestrian traffic isn’t patrolled by law enforcement. Hate to be the guy that sees the glass 1/2 empty, but a lifetime of watching the human race in action, I can’t be the only one that sees the potential for the mentally ill that are among the rest of us ? FL-100 is a highway, the goal from what I have observed is to develop FL-100 into a mix of commercial & residential that would be very similar to SR-40 or even Dunlawton, perhaps even ISB about 25-35 miles South of us in Volusia County. I mean convince me that I’m wrong on this ? The Flagler Pedestrian Bridge is essentially the Walkway across from the Speedway with bicycle capability. Once the residential goes in, all it takes is one child that tries to beat the traffic to cross and they will praise the pedestrian bridge for saving countless lives. When do we have our 1st suicidal teen rescue like the O-95 overpass rescues over the recent years. The growth of Flagler county & Palm Coast is going to happen, the articles on that are a testament to that fact of life. This is the vision for global warming cloaked by the lies of Saving the Planet for the future of mankind.
TR says
The first time I drove west on 100 from Flager Beach after this was installed. I said right away this was going to be a problem. Does anyone in any city council in Flagler ever do their diligence to make sure any materials for any project is not going to cause a problem down the road. (no pun intended, Lol) So now they want 69K to do an inspection and spray chemicals to speed up the oxidizing process. Who’s going to pay to fix this problem? When it gets darker it’s going to look even worse than it does now. Of course anyone who agreed to have this idiotic A Frame cover built will not admit to it being ugly and non functional. they would have been better off using chain link fencing. Oh and who’s going to pay the Thousands of dollars for the lettering they want to add to it. I hope it gets fixed before there is an accident and the county gets sued. What an embarrassment and an eye sore. i guess it’s true that there are morons living among us.
Nancy H Miller says
My first concern re: the UGLY bridge is safety.
Walking/biking alone in FL not an option; need a prepared group.
To tell you the truth, I am finding it impossible to see the ‘big picture’ re: the bridge to nowhere…
Maybe you can publish a line drawing of the trail and bridge and surrounding area so we could get a glimpse of the ‘big picture’ what the Planning Committee was envisioning.
I sure don’t have a clue.
Mischa Gee says
OMG, another hair brained idea hatched in the heads of Flagler leadership! $12 million to build it and now they want to spray it, to oxidize it?! Are you kidding?
Oxidizing it means, make it RUST. Won’t that effect the structural integrity, and cause early deterioration? How about you paint it a colour like green or light blue, and have it blend in with the environment?
And, the cost should be absorbed by the idiot architects who designed this eyesore in the first place. When are the county officials and Palm Coast officials going to write contracts that hold these “businesses” accountable for going over budget and time. We are being taken for a ride and these companies see us coming! Good grief, learn from your mistakes and quit repeating them.
Tony says
It’s mothing but a distraction plain and simple. And someday when there is a fatal accident because of it the clowns who think it’s great will eat their words and end up paying millions to one of those online attorneys !!!
Greg says
Total eye sore. Total waste of taxpayer money. We travel that road daily and have only seen one bike cross over the road
F. Thomas Jr. says
Has anyone ever noticed that al-Khatib, is always going to the commission for more and more money to fix mistakes on projects she is responsible for ? Has she ever completed any county project that was on time, on budget and done right ?
Damien Esmond says
10 years ago while working for Aveo Engineering we wanted to build a small off the grid factory/office/hangar on Executive Dr on the South side of Flagler Airport. The building was designed from the ground up to orient southward so the angled roof would catch the maximum amount of sun exposure. At the time there was no power lines or sewer and no road to Belle Terre Blvd. There was an objection from the airport director that our roof mounted solar panels would “blind our pilots”. We performed a SGHAT study or Solar Glare Hazard Analysis Tool. This is a free software available for downloading from the Dept. of Energy, You place on its map the corners of your building and enter the angle of your roof, and it starts at sunrise January 1 and computes how the sun coming over the horizon (Ocean) will strike the roof and where its glare will bounce too. You can enter in Flaglers 4 runway glide slopes so Say the sun rises over the ocean at 7AM January 1 the program looks at the landing path (5% glide slope) of a pilot at altitude from 2 miles out from the threshold off all 4 runways plus the vantage point from the ATCT (Air Traffic Control Tower) and determines if there will be any glare at any point from 2 miles out until touchdown on all 4 possible runways. Then it computes the same things at 7:01AM and so on until Sunset Jan 1, Then computes all this for January 2 and so on till Dec. 31st. It takes the program 20 minutes to crunch all that math but in the end you get a report of which days of the year at which times of the day the sun might be at such an angle for these few minutes that the rays could be seen by an incoming pilot. Since Solar Panels absorb light and not reflect it, we were fine and proved it with this study. For fun I entered the airport’s Amphibious runway, a lake on the airport property for sea planes. This lake reflected massive glare late in the day most of the year into the eyes of incoming pilots onto Runway 29, the running joke around Aveo was if ‘Ol Roy want to save his pilots from Glare, he should drain his pond! This tool could easily be used to illustrate the perceived glare of a driver approaching the pedestrian bridge from either the East or the West on Rt. 100 during every minute of every day year round, and then you would have a concise factual document and graph you could take back to the designer or contractor and say, Fix it! (Maybe paint it flat green?). Anyway hope this helps though Im sure as an engineer Ms. Al-Khatib knows all about this. PS: Out of frustration Aveo ended up cancelling those plans and went on to build its green modern new factory in Europe with zero hassles.
Vince says
Man yall are hilarious. You actually think this is drawing attention from tourist. It’s a boring walkover to no where with no where to park and walk over. It’s so goofy.
Realist says
I pass by this bridge 2-3 times every day. I have NEVER experienced any glare. People just need something to complain about
Realist says
No glare. It is fine.
Purveyor of Truth says
At least put solar panels on it.
Disgusted says
“This morning at the Tourist Development Council meeting, Eric Cooley, chairman of the Flagler Beach City Commission and a member of the TDC, said the bridge’s bad publicity could be turned into a very good thing.
“I believe that the infamous A-frame bridge going over 100 is actually going to end up becoming a potential destination for tourism,” Cooley said. “There’s a lot of negative buzz, but it’s also turning into positive buzz. And everybody wants to see this. I’ve had folks just coming in and out of my business at the beach, going, where’s this bridge everybody’s talking about? They don’t know and they want to go see it. And I think it’s a neat opportunity for tourism to almost latch on to.” He said the county’s tourism could build a marketing angle around those very vibes, turning the bridge into another destination.”
Great Idea Eric! People are going to plan their vacations around this pedestrian bridge. Really???!!
Leeroy in Flagler says
I’m all for the bridge and trail. Great use of county land to protect from developers! When completed it will be a world class trail. But the bridge? I don’t think it came out like the renderings. The mesh on that fence is way to dense and nothing says it’s hot like that reflection from the sun when it’s already 100 degrees. I think they botched that part. I could see a big colorful sign like over ISB saying welcome to Flagler beach. They could use the space underneath for parking so people could walk the rest of the way to the beach( no parking left)
FlaglerLive says
The commenter is misinformed. Al-Khatib has appeared frequently before the commission only because she has frequently needed the commission’s ratification of the tens of millions in state and federal grants she has secured from the Florida Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Protection, and FEMA, grants that now exceed the $100 million mark, or to highlight savings. The 2018-19 dune-rebuilding project along most of the county’s shoreline, originally budgeted at $25 million, was completed for several million dollars less, ahead of time. The delays of the US Army Corps of Engineers’ project in Flagler Beach, for which she also secured the entirety of the county’s required share through state grants, were not government’s doing, but were due to property owners’ delays in signing easements.
BLINDSPOTTING says
Damien Esmond: Good OL Roy couldn’t run a chicken coup let alone running this over crowded
donut hole of an airport, the chickens are smarter than him and would run it better. He cares
about Pilot safety? He doesn’t care when flight school student pilots are performing dangerously low
touch and goes 300 and 400 feet above residents homes one right after the other in congested
skies without the proper infrastructure, against FAA wind regs that say they shouldn’t be flying,
and the county who owns the airport and is operated under the county license does nothing
to correct this dangerous situation for their citizens and the pilots while complaints fall
upon deaf ears , they don’t care if people die.
My 2 cents says
I’ve gotta go see this thing.. 3:37.. okay here we go. I’m also surprised to see they still give civil engineer and architectural degrees out in crack jack boxes. Might get me a box today!
Larry Torino says
Could not resist responding to “I love that bridge.” I’m hopeful the “love” is the love of the bridge structure, if so, I am in agreement. No offense, however, should the “love” take in the choice of finish materials, visual appeal and effect, compatibility, etc. I’m mindful of the wise saying beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
I see this effort aligning with a Vince Lombardi quote. Known for his commanding leadership, discipline and relentless focus on achieving goals he drilled into his players a well-known quote which reads “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” In sport, the coach, team, has an opportunity to regroup, return more focused and excel. Unfortunately, the bridge lacks this capability come back next season and improve its appeal.
I would hope the team, local or otherwise, works harder and diligently on the visitor eco center design and exterior finishes. Lastly, why the “eco” reference; give thought to the general population knowing the actual meaning of the term “eco.” Keep it simple, clear, authentic.
“I love that bridge,” Dave Sullivan, who chairs the TDC and sits on the County Commission, said. “The county is expanding whether you like it or not. Try to build something like that after the expansion. It won’t happen. So by having it there and close to the new visitor eco Center, which is going to be just to the west of it, will be good.”
Jane Gentile-Youd says
Faith AlKhatib is the only county employee who brings millions of dollars into the county from outside sources all by herself but she never gets a bit of credit for her efforts but she sure gets blamed for every design flaw, I am sure she will find a way to fix this ‘eyesore’ the same way she fixes everything else on our roads.
Mel says
Hell I get blinded by sun reflection from a truck’s chrome bumper or even by some back windows of vehicles. Now I have a train’s length of reflective steel in my face …… if not driving west, it’ll for sure get me coming east. I wonder if any of the sun’s reflection would start a fire….hhmmmm
Frankie C Robson says
I worked for DHSMV for 30 years, some of those as a Highway Safety Specialist. I can only say this is one of the worst traffic hazards I have seen in Florida. Not only are drivers blinded by the reflection but it also distracts from concentrating on traffic conditions around them.
Malakai says
Add a few sprinklers and call it a “splash walkover”, then close it immediately following the ribbon cutting ceremonies.
Villa Beach Walker says
Yeah. Because nobody ever tried to jump off a roadway overpass into traffic and no rocks or bricks were ever thrown from an overpass. Sure. Right.
https://flaglerlive.com/ledge-95-prevention
Bill C says
“…a wonderful animal crossing”? Like for alligators? PR spin is one thing, stretching the truth until it breaks under the weight of incredulity is another, convinces no one. Btw, a tourist attraction? People skipping Disney to come see the Flagler SR 100 bridge- ‘Hey kids, want to see the weirdest bridge ever’? Naaaa.
Villa Beach Walker says
The ‘SR’ in SR-100 stands for ‘State Road’. This was a state project; not a City of Flagler Beach or City of Palm Coast project. Focus your ire on the right target. Tallahassee.
Laurel says
Frankie: I agree. It’s a distraction as you drive towards it and think “What the hell?” It would have been a heck of a lot better if it was chain link. If they start with advertisements, etc., that won’t make it better, it would still be a very huge distraction. Tourist attraction? What, a titanium pyramid? Just look at it. Bad design.
Protonbeam says
It would be brilliant to install a giant 30-foot chairman mao inspired portrait of Rick Staley – compete with missiles
in the background and the green roof in with an ominous warning message to all who enter –
Mark says
Sounds perfect, yet they’ll have to do a $50,000 study first to see what font to use.
Mark says
“…al-Khatib will request from the County Commission a $65,000 allocation to conduct an inspection of the bridge and treat the steel with a patina that will accelerate its oxidation, thus darkening the steel. ”
No, have the builder pay for the inspection and oxidizer. Obviously it didn’t turn out how they said it would so the cost should be on them and not the taxpayers.
Land of no turn signals says says
Follow the yellow brick road om,follow the road built “gold”to nowhere .
T says
The glare off of it blinded me one day another idiot decision by the idiots of Palm Coast and I have to ask is this on the taxpayers for their little precious walkway
Lance Carroll says
Wrong! Angle of the sun and angle of the structure most certainly is blinding to driver’s at certain times of the day.
can'tfoolme says
Good grief, simply paint the bridge blue or green. Bridges in WV are painted blue to blend with the sky and are very unobrusive, even attractive. The trail itself, when completed will definitely be a tourist attraction for major cycling tours and events.
Boogeyman says
This was the brain child of Joe Mullins and Dave Sullivan!
cgm says
thumbs up
cgm says
idiots
cgm says
12 million
50k for the 24 people who are going to us it.
now we have pay yearly maintenance.
what a waste..
Land of no turn signals says says
Paint it? That would be another million dollars .
Marbles says
What??? With all the bridges and over passes across town, all you can come up with is the article of the same troubled teen on Palm Coast Parkway? And that gives you the qualifications to support this monstrosity? Salt water must be effecting your reasoning. Continue to take your beach walks let us long time residents give the OK on what’s what.
palmcoaster says
I can’t hardly imagine what the next hurricane can do to the metal sheeting siding on that bridge and if those sections can become flying guillotines for drivers going by or whatever live thing around. Hope none of the multitude of student pilots out of the airport can also be blinded by that metal siding…how much was the local matching to the 12 millions FDOT grant? Hope none but doubt it, Looks like the 12 millions and the 33 more coming for his pet projects tourist center and library has Mr. Sullivan forgetting that he is dealing with other people’s monies! Never ends building castles to themselves and us footing the bill. Between the FDOT for trails and the FAA grants for the airport, what is left for more needed roads and proper maintenance of the one’s we have?
Tony says
When do you pass it at night???
Shark says
They are all graduates of t=rump university !!!
pete says
And another 50,000 to decide what side to put Beach on and what side to put Palm on
Linda says
And yet, they went through with it anyway. Makes sense! 🤣
Brian C says
Lance…………Physically cannot happen. That’s why it’s an A Frame structure. Any glare you are getting is the same glare everyone who has ever driven directly EAST – WEST on any road in the US gets every day.
I think what is happening is drivers are distracted by this new structure and looking up at it.
I just checked the official FIRST WORLD PROBLEM list and this walkway has risen to the #3 spot:
1) Slow Internet access
2) Poor mobile-phone coverage
3) Complaining about the new Walkway over SR 100 in Palm Coast, FL
4) Phone battery dying (low battery anxiety)
5) Television remote not working
6) Misplacing AirPods (the most frequent complaint about AirPods)
7) Receiving too much ice in your soda order
8) Waiting over 10 minutes in line for a simple Venti Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino
9) Door to door salespeople
10) Getting a bad haircut
Brian Chrestoff says
Throwing bricks and other heavy objects off of overpasses is a popular past time for our future leaders in 2023.
Brian Chrestoff says
One observation from reading all the comments here is that is appears, at least in this instance, that FlaglerLive is a bit more lenient in what it considers violating Community Standards when it comes to published reply’s. I don’t agree w/ any of their well known political views but I have to give credit where credit is due. I’d venture to say 90% of the comments here would be banned if offered up in the Nextdoor App. Nearly every reply here would be removed and you would be suspended for “Public Shaming” under Nextdoor policy.
Brian Chrestoff says
Grab your paper and pencils Shark because you are about to go back to school in 2024
Laurel says
Pete: hahahahahaha! My husband was an underground utilities inspector, which required a lot of knowledge about the different utilities, engineering, how utilities are placed, de-watering, safety standards, blueprints, coordination, densities, measurements, payouts, people skills, it goes on and on. When he heard about Palm Coast having turf inspections, he wanted to know what they inspected, green side up?
Laurel says
I bet Reynolds Wrap is happy as hell!
atwp says
All the complaints, am pretty sure the complainers will vote for the Republicans 2024. They will waste money and they are voted in again. Try voting Democratic and your tax dollars will be used better. Just try it. Look at our crazy Republican leader, look where the state is going. DOWN TO NOTHING.
Wow says
Another issue I predict is that people are going to want to walk the bridge without having to walk “all the way” down the Lehigh Trail or from Winn Dixie. They will end up parking on the side of 100 where they DID NOT put a parking lot.
Lance Carroll says
Evidently, I am not the only one that has been “distracted” by the refraction. …just like I am not the only one to receive a sunburn from the sunlight refracted from the surface of the ocean.
Lance Carroll says
Exactly! That Eric Cooley is brilliant…..only that may not be as brilliant as the glare that comes from this structure in question…
Lance Carroll says
Thank you for your input, Damien.
Lance Carroll says
Thanks for chiming in Frankie. I am sure your opinion and experience is well received by the community.
TR says
$12 million, almost double the $7.5 million cost projected in 2018, when the County Commission announced the plan,
I did, the COUNTY COMMISSION announced the plan. I didn’t say Flagler Beach city council. “I said ANY council in Flagler.” meaning the entire county that has any council. It seems any city council member doesn’t think things through on whatever they do. So my ire (whatever that is) focus is right on target.
pete says
What on earth? a turf inspection never heard about that are you serious?
Tim says
Funds and adjusted design of the materials would have made an AWSOME pier at Flagler Beach for all to enjoy!
Laurel says
Nextdoor is a hype, in my opinion.
Geri says
Animal crossings are typically created by elevating roads (like I-75 across the Everglades). Do you really think that animals are going to cross 100 on this bridge?
Gina Weiss says
Hi Geri- absolutely yes, why not, they cross the roads right, why wouldn’t they go over a bridge
that leads and ends into trails where they already are? Started in 2022 they are building a wildlife
overpass bridge over a busy road in California road, they call it a safe passage snakes, toads, bears,
deers, bobcats, rabbits all kinds of wildlife and these wildlife crossings are picking up speed across
the country and the world. Both bridges and tunnels can be built , it’s part of a larger nationwide
push to build special bridges and tunnels that help animals to cross safely busy roads and highways.
Colorado already built 2 bridges. It’s better than them getting hit by a car. especially with all of the
overdevelopment going on down here without any consideration for wildlife who are on the run
trying to survive the greed of these money hungry politicians and their developer buddies.
blerbfamilyfive says
I believe Ms. Faith has brought a few projects in under budget and on time. I think the replacement of the bridges on CR 305, the Matanzas Overpass, the Civic Arena at the fairgrounds and there are probably other projects as well. Yes sometimes additional funds may be needed for a project especially if there are unknown issues that arise but Faith has always been able to get additional funding. She is not afraid to go after liquidated damages if it is called for and she is a fighter for Flagler County and has an awesome staff. If a contractor thinks they are coming in to meet with Faith and are going to get one over on her, they better think again as she is well prepared.
TR says
That wouldn’t solve the problem. Solar panels are made with tinted glass and that will not tarnish and it will be the same problem if not worse.
TR says
I do also, but when that happens I can get away from it by either changing lanes if available or just slow down an little by like 5 feet and the glare goes away. But with this walkway the only time it goes away is either if the sun isn’t shining, of different time of day. there is no way to get away from the glare until your like 100 feet from passing under it.
TR says
Look at the Democrat Government and you’ll see our COUNTRY going DOWN TO NOTHING.
BIG Neighbor says
I agree….blinded me too. The reflection from the glare was so intense, the bridge appeared to be vibrating like a solar collector radiating….probably couldn’t duplicate that effect if they had to. And what’s with the light? I thought these trails were closed at sundown? If these have lights, shouldn’t all the trails and tail heads have lighting?
TDHutson4501 says
Stainless Steel Birdcage on Hwy 100
This overpriced 12 million dollar (regardless where the money came from ) project becomes more ridiculous as you listen and read comments from our elected officials. Not only is the bridge a joke as many residents have stated; the idea of buying stainless steel for its aesthetics and now a county engineer suggests adding another 65k to accelerate oxidation – REALLY?!?
Mischa Gee says
Wildlife bridges are constructed for wildlife not wildlife and people. They are made to look like a natural setting with dirt and vegetation. They are wider and have fencing material far enough away from the trail part to keep from frightening the animals into thinking they are walking into a trap. They are so usually built between two already elevated areas on either side of the highway, without long winding ramps. This overpass has none of those attributes and is not a candidate for this conversion.
I am curious about how hot it is inside of it as it’s so highly reflective I wonder if the screening is prohibiting air flow. Again, I say it should simply be painted a light blue or green and not oxidized – which means made to me prematurely rust! And, the company that built it, should pay the cost. They should have realized early on, when the first panels went on the glare problem and done something about it then.
DAve says
Paint it, but that will mostly likely require a $50,000 + study. The stupid spend of money in this county and cities is laughable.
Well when a crime is committed on someone walking along this path, things will take a new turn. Give it time.
Marbles says
I drove by it today. I take back what I said. It’s not as bad as I thought. It is well venerated and transparent.
Gina Weiss says
I was speaking tongue and cheek when I mentioned the wildlife crossing, I do know about
wildlife crossings, my point is that there is so much irresponsible overdevelopment going
on without any consideration for our wildlife, you can clearly see them dead all over our roads.
Poor planning for money hungry officials and their developer buddies, we need to vote these
opportunist out of office, just take a look at Alfins plan to develop the west with his great
insane frontier plans, and just wait until everyone sees more and more increases in taxes.
Laurel says
Brian C: Physically can happen. Look at the reflection in the photograph, heading this article, taken by a person standing at road level.
G says
That would be awesome- and effective to fix the horrible looking panels they created that all go different directions 😂😂😂
Mindover Matter says
Actually, this was a Local Agency Program project. The County and FDOT entered into an agreement to build the project using both Federal and County funding. FDOT provides guidance to help local agency professionals navigate the Federal-Aid Highway Program. The County designed the bridge, awarded the Contract and built the bridge. ETM didn’t build the bridge as the article stated. Masci built the bridge. ETM is an inspection firm.