3 Jacksonville bridges to undergo repairs to fix deficiencies

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Three local bridges, used by thousands of drivers every day are about to get a major facelift.

The Florida Department of Transportation is set to start rehab work on the Ortega, Hart and Dames Point bridges.

“I actually go over bridges a lot to get to where I need to get with my customers,” Josephine Stanfill said.

“Being in Jacksonville, it’s a lot of water so it’s a lot of bridges,” Kenneth Griswold said.

Action News Jax spoke with FDOT and an independent bridge engineer on Monday to find out what these deficiencies mean for those who drive over these bridges every day.

“There are some things we found in our inspections that we do every two years that had to be corrected,” David Fierro with FDOT said.

Fierro told Action News Jax Monday that most of the problems are things many people can’t see when they’re driving. Things to be fixed include wire rope replacement, steel plate repairs and repairs to bridge superstructures.

When asked if there are no safety problems for drivers right now, Fierro said, “Exactly.

"Now if we were to leave these problems and not tend to them and ignore them over a period of time they would become a serious problem," he said.

Repairs to the Dames Point Bridge are estimated to cost around $4.5 million, estimates for the Hart Bridge are $4.3 million and repairs to the Ortega Bridge are estimated at $4.2 million. FDOT said it will be paid for with state and federal gas tax money.

“These inspections keep an eye on the corrosion,” Ed Morales, president of Morales Consulting Engineers said.

Action News Jax reporter Michael Yoshida spoke with Morales Monday night about FDOT’s upcoming bridge work.

“You’re really looking at just like maintenance on your car so it doesn’t break down on you. It’s changing the oil and kicking the tires,” Morales said.

Many hope the repairs are done quickly.

“To keep people safe you’re going to have to check it,” Griswold said.

“It’d be nice as long as they do it at night and don’t hold up the traffic in the mornings,” Stanfill said.

The repairs will require some lane closures and detours. Work will begin this summer and is expected to be completed in 2017 and 2018.

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