Laurel Drive to close for drainage project

Laurel Drive between Bay Street and Magnolia Street in Oriole Beach will close Nov. 5 for about one week while Santa Rosa County works on a drainage project.

The west bound traffic detour is north on Bayview Lane or Redwood Lane to U.S. Highway 98. The east bound detour is north on Oriole Beach Road to U.S. 98. According to a county press release, homeowners will have full access to their homes at all times. 

The closure is a continuation of a hazard mitigation grant drainage project that began in 2011, which will minimize recurring flooding and reduce repetitive flood loss to 210 structures and provide protection against a 100-year storm event. This project will remove inadequate drainage facilities along Harrison Avenue, Oriole Beach Road, Pins Lane, Oriole Drive and Laurel Drive, and replace with a comprehensive and coordinated drainage network capable of handling existing and future growth in the area. The network will include pipes and open ditches through the Calvary Chapel Church property to protect residences along redwood lane from environmental contamination eliminating a health hazard caused by flooded yards with failed septic systems.