We addressed long-standing flooding problems on Jim Godwin Road in Calhoun County, Florida, where storm events repeatedly cut off residential access and blocked the Chipola Community Church Food Distribution Center from emergency services. Our goal was to improve drainage, raise the roadway and resurface it to enhance safety, structural longevity and storm resilience.
Our drainage redesign replaced four side drains and one main drain to improve stormwater conveyance, removing three damaged 5-foot culverts and replacing them with box culverts. Using HY-8 software for drainage modeling, we determined that two 9-foot-by-4-foot box culverts optimally handled runoff from 5-, 10- and 25-year storm events while minimizing changes to road elevation. We designed the box culverts in AutoCAD and used OpenRoads Designer for roadway layout. Raising the road by less than two feet preserved cost efficiency and limited environmental impact, while widening the travel surface from 18 to 22 feet brought the road into compliance with Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) standards.
We coordinated permitting with the Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) and incorporated erosion control measures to protect adjacent wetlands and Stafford Creek. Our construction plan maintained one open lane for local traffic throughout the estimated 115-day build schedule.
The completed design improves safety, structural resilience and cost efficiency for the corridor. By mitigating flood risk and preserving access during major storm events, we delivered a durable infrastructure solution for the Jim Godwin Road community.