DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Beach access is slowly coming back to the boardwalk and Main Street in Daytona Beach.
In 2022, Hurricane Ian took out more than a dozen staircases and ramps and further compromised the iconic Main Street Arch, forcing the city to block it off and rebuild it.
“It looked really bad you know and you couldn’t even walk down it. You had to walk pretty far to get there,” said Tom Caffrey, the owner of World’s Most Famous Brewery.
The closures were bad for business. Many Main Street merchants said without a way to get to the beach, people began avoiding the area all together. Local surfers said the same thing.
“The only time we come to most of these little businesses is when we are having our little day trip at the beach so if we can’t get on the beach, we can’t hit these businesses up and give them our support,” said Eric Lazenby.
So far, two staircases and the arch are finished. Construction on all of the ramps and stairs is set to be finished by spring 2026.
With Biketoberfest just a few weeks away, businesses are relieved to see construction crews now working around the clock to get the boardwalk back up and running.
“The photos of having bikers and families sitting around the arch and on the arch and all the cool stuff, a lot of great memories, and I am really excited about having that back again,” said Caffrey.
The city is hosting an official unveiling and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the arch on Oct. 3 and 9 a.m.
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