Jacksonville Mayor, Public Works discuss infrastructure improvements ahead of Helene

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s no secret Jacksonville is surrounded by water, from the ocean to St. Johns River.

“It’s a great asset, but it’s also a liability in terms of stuff like this,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said Wednesday referring to Hurricane Helene.

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She joined the Public Works Department at the LaSalle Street pump, which is currently under construction in San Marco, to discuss improvements being made.

The pump is expected to be complete by April next year and can pump out nearly 11 times more water than the seven temporary pumps around San Marco currently. It’s a $40 million project that starts with the pump in phase one and then pipes will be replaced in phase two because the aging system can’t handle the water.

Neighbors dealt with extensive flooding during relentless rain at the start of the month, and it could be an issue with Helene as the First Alert Weather Team said storm surge north of the Buckman Bridge could become an issue near high tide.

Read: ‘Cracks in our system:’ Jacksonville leaders discuss answers to recent stormwater drainage issues

“We are doing our best to make sure water doesn’t get into homes and businesses. When you have a major event, sometimes that’s going to happen but that’s what this pump station is all about,” Deegan said.

But flooding is not isolated to San Marco. Neighborhoods across the city deal with it during events like Helene.

“We have areas really throughout. So, we’re not focusing on certain areas,” Jacksonville Public Works Director Nina Sickler said.

“We have places all over the city that are like this,” Deegan added.

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It’s why the mayor said infrastructure is her top priority. According to the city’s transparency page, there’s a total of 49 drainage improvement projects that cost a total of about $242 million. The University Point Pond at nearly $154 million, McCoy’s Creek Greenway at about $21 million, and Willowbranch Creek Bulkhead at approximately $8 million round out the top three most expensive projects.

It comes as the city looks to improve its resiliency plan looking ahead several decades.

“This is one of those things we have got to get our arms around on the long term,” Deegan said.

Read: ‘The sooner it’s up, the better:’ City leaders say Lasalle Street pump station is on schedule

As for San Marco, public works said Helene should be manageable with up to one foot of storm surge with temporary pumps in place.

A city representative said public works crews were also out Wednesday clearing ditches and using machines to address pipe blockages. Crews also inspected each pump station and fueled them up to be ready for work if it’s needed.

“They will work as late into the day as they safely can on Thursday and then start any needed recovery efforts on Friday,” a representative said.

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The City gave Action News Jax a prioritized list of the streets Public Works received through 603-CITY and MyJax submissions that need drainage improvement. You can view it below.

The City said the following of the list:

“Public Works’ Engineering Division maintains a list of Drainage System Rehabilitation (DSR) projects that are initiated through MyJax tickets and coordinated with our Right-of-Way and Stormwater Maintenance Division. Those projects are carefully evaluated and prioritized based on a number of factors including potential property flooding, frequency, and severity. The projects are undertaken in priority order by our Engineering division as funding becomes available.”

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