JACKSONVILLE, Fla — A major construction project is coming to the Interstate 295 southbound lanes on the Buckman Bridge beginning next week. It will permanently fix a damaged finger joint. The project begins next Friday and is expected to continue for six consecutive weekends.
Two of the four southbound lanes will be shut down for weekend bridge repairs by the Florida Department of Transportation crews. It's all because of the incident that happened back on May 27, which closed the lanes for eight hours.
“Over the weekends until basically mid-August, you’ll see two lane closures on the southbound side of the I-295 East Beltway on the Buckman Bridge," FDOT spokesman Hampton Ray said.
The lane closures will happen from 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday.
“It’s going to be a permanent repair for a damaged finger joint," Ray said.
The finger joint currently has a temporary repair from a traffic nightmare not seen in Duval County for a while. It all started with a stuck-up piece of steel.
“They’re going to be taking out the existing finger joint that needs repair," Ray said. "They’re going to be repairing it and then replacing that existing finger joint and making sure it’s nice and snug on the bridge.”
“If it’s serious damage, I’d say it’s a good idea. You want to keep a bridge standing," Matt Newman said.
Matt Newman drives on the Buckman Bridge daily, including on the weekends.
“It’s going to be a lot tougher for people to get to work. They’re going to have to take an alternate route. It’s not that easy unless they’ve got to go downtown.”
“This bridge is going to be around for a very long time. We want to make sure it is around for a very long time, and we want to make sure it’s safe," Ray said.
FDOT says more than 125,000 vehicles travel the Buckman Bridge on a typical day.