Construction Begins on Permanent Hurricane Protection Project Along Vilano Beach Roadway

Superior Construction has returned to Vilano Beach to build permanent hurricane protection along State Road A1A, securing the same stretch of coastal roadway the company restored after a hurricane several years ago. The 150-day project addresses storm damage that left the community without north-south access and homes perched on eroded foundations.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) awarded Superior the contract to install a permanent sheet pile wall system along two sections of A1A. The project includes construction of a concrete cap, shoulder widening, roadway resurfacing and restoration of coastal dunes with native landscaping. The work is scheduled to be complete by late June, ahead of the 2026 hurricane season.

The two sections of sheet pile wall, more than 600 feet long in total, are designed to withstand a 100-year storm and maintain a 75-year service life. The design incorporates fiberglass reinforcement in place of traditional steel rebar and uses concrete with microsilica additives that create a denser, less permeable material better suited to saltwater exposure.

Installation will combine conventional vibratory methods with a specialized press-in technique. Superior’s subcontractor ASAP Group will use equipment that relies on the machine’s weight rather than vibration to drive the sheet pile.

“This is exactly the type of work where our experience makes a difference,” said Miguel Martinez, Project Manager I at Superior Construction. “We responded when the road washed out, we know this stretch of coastline, and we understand what it takes to build infrastructure that will protect this community for decades.”

The project builds on Superior’s coastal emergency response experience. The company completed similar jobs at Summer Haven and along the Flagler County coastline, and was FDOT’s first call for three consecutive storm response contracts in 2022.

Throughout the current project, Superior has collaborated closely with St. Johns County to coordinate beach access and local communications, continuing a partnership that began with earlier work in the area.

Once complete, the wall will protect approximately 2,000 linear feet of coastal roadway, ensuring emergency officials and residents maintain uninterrupted access to Vilano Beach during future storm events.