JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The flooding Tropical Storm Elsa left behind at McCoy’s Creek looks devastating to some, but locals said it happens all the time.
Water flowed from surrounding streets onto McCoy’s Creek Boulevard, and within an hour, the water completely covered the road. It created a large body of water about 20-yards wide.
“It’s always like this,” said David Merritt, who drives McCoy’s Creek Boulevard to go to work daily. “I’ve seen it all the way up to Stockton.”
Merritt said even a minimal storm does the same damage.
Now, the City of Jacksonville is stepping in.
“It probably would help solve the problem of people getting stuck down here,” Merritt said. “That’s just the way it always looked around here.”
The city has committed more than $105 million for the McCoy’s Creek Restoration Project over the next three years to restore the creek to its natural state.
The project will permanently remove parts of McCoy’s Creek Blvd. The road is a low-lying area, and getting rid of the road expands the flood plain and provides more room for water runoff.
“Turn it back into a flood plain—which is what it is,” Merritt said.
The project will include some new parks and trails, and also elevate the bridges over on King St. and down the road at Stockton Street.
For complete project details from the city, click here.
