JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A weeks-long inspection of the Hart Bridge, also known as the "Big Green Monster," started Saturday. The bridge carries Routes 1 and 228 over the St. Johns River and is referred as the Hart Expressway.
“Usually a bridge of this size takes weeks to actually perform the inspection," said Ross Hammock, FDOT structures maintenance engineer.
“They’re going to take pictures of anything that’s unexpected or that they took a picture of last time because they’ll compare the two," FDOT spokesman Hampton Ray said.
Florida Department of Transportation spokesman Hampton Ray said this is a routine bridge inspection and is done at least every two years.
“We break it down into components," Hammock said. "That’s what we’re out here doing today. We’re looking at the deck specifically.”
The deck is the actual part of the bridge you drive on.
The Hart Bridge opened to traffic in 1967. One of the things inspectors looked at is expansion joints to make sure they're still functioning as expected.
“What they’re looking for are cracks in the structure," Ray said. "We measure it in order to make sure our infrastructure is well maintained.”
Inspectors also looked to see if pieces of concrete are broken off to repair them.
“If they see something that’s not right, they will shut down the bridge, and they don’t have a problem with it because safety is our number one priority," Ray said.
The next step for FDOT crews is an underwater bridge inspection on Monday, June 7, beginning at 9 a.m.