Sections of Bay Street to reopen, Riverwalk closed due to Berkman II Plaza structural concerns

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — UPDATE 8/21 7:21 p.m.:

Mayor Curry has announced that Bay Street will reopen at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday after the situation at the demolition site was secured. Riverwalk will remain closed.

ORIGINAL STORY: Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced that sections of the Riverwalk and Bay Street will be closed due to structural concerns with the Berkman II Plaza on Friday.

The City of Jacksonville, along with Councilman Gaffney and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, are all working on precautionary measures.

RELATED STORY: Tear down of longtime eyesore Berkman Plaza II to begin Thursday

A City spokesperson told Action News Jax there is no immediate danger to the public.

In a press conference, officers revealed that the partial closure of Bay Street is due to an abundance of caution.

Engineers were concerned about a piece of concrete on the upper floors and determined that Bay street should be closed from Marsh Street to Liberty Street.

Residents have already been informed that there is no current threat of danger.

Additional engineers will be called in on Saturday and, depending on their evaluation, the street could be reopened within 24-48 hours.

30 officers have been called in to reroute traffic throughout the weekend as well.

This is a developing story that will be updated once more information becomes available.

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