JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The commute through Jacksonville’s Westside has become treacherous for some drivers.
The Florida Department of Transportation has received reports of debris cracking windshields near Chaffee Road.
“My daughter was actually with me, and she goes, ‘Oh my gosh mom, it happened again,'" said Sharon Chappell, who commutes on I-10 regularly.
Chappell knew right away what her daughter meant – a rock coming off I-10 had cracked her windshield.
She was going to need to replace it, and this wasn’t the first time, or even the second time.
“This would be a total of four times for me," said Chappell.
Four new windshields over the course of two years, cracked every time in roughly the same spot, the seven-mile stretch between Chaffee Road and the I-295 interchange.
She isn’t alone, a friend of a friend sent her a picture of a massive gash in her sunroof, that she says all started with a rock hitting it on I-10.
“I’ve traveled that road my whole life," said Chappell. "I’m from that area. It’s gotten so bad, I’m like, ‘Does no one see this?’”
“Basically, what’s happening is the friction course, the top level of that asphalt, is deteriorating," said FDOT Spokesperson Hampton Ray. "It’s reached the end of its service life.”
Ray says the agency is putting $45 million into two projects planned to start in the Spring that will resurface the stretch of I-10 heading to the Duval-Nassau County line.
He says they’ll take about a year to complete.
In the meantime, FDOT is sweeping the roads to try to help control the issue and offering reimbursement for drivers like Chappell who suddenly find themselves with a cracked windshield after taking a trip on I-10.
“We are trying to push those claims as quickly as possible to resolve issues for people," said Ray. "We do regret the inconvenience.”
“We work hard for our vehicles, and I know over time, they’ll get dings and dents and stuff, but this is too soon, and it’s not anything that we’re doing," said Chappell.
You can find information for filing a claim with FDOT here.
If your windshield gets cracked anywhere else, if you have comprehensive insurance, Florida law requires that your insurance company pay for the replacement without charging a deductible.