FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Fort Lauderdale broke ground on two massive projects Friday with the goal to make some major changes in two of the most flood prone areas in the Broward County city.
Fort Lauderdale’s Mayor Dean Trantalis said it was time to “bite the bullet and get this job done.”
It’s the largest storm water project in the city’s history. Trantalis said it is the beginning of a long-term project that is planned for the entire city.
The Edgewood and River Oaks neighborhoods were identified as the two most flood prone areas. So the project will being there including a filter marsh in the system to remove grease and oils from storm water discharge. The piping will increase significantly and the city’s largest storm water pump ever will also be installed.
“We’re looking at five and a half miles of pipe to a cost of $85 million. A lot of residents couldn’t even get into their homes or get into neighborhoods, so something had to be done,” said Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Ben Sorensen.
Edgewood and River Oaks in the southwest are going to be the first to get the upgrade. “Then we are going to move north and hit all the at-risk neighborhoods in the city,” Sorensen said.
The mayor said that the city is using a bond and securing grants to pay for the project.
Completion is expected to take three years.