JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — If you’ve driven on Interstate-95 toward Downtown Jacksonville this week, you’ve probably got caught in traffic.
It’s all because of a construction project the Florida Department of Transportation is working near I-95 and the 8th Street exit. All that heavy traffic on I-95 is because construction crews are working on the interstate’s bridge deck.
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Since last Friday, construction crews have been drilling away on I-95 southbound lanes. There have been multiple lane closures throughout the week, causing traffic delays while crews work hard to repair the interstate overpass.
“We’ve got crews, you can hear the jackhammers behind me, demolishing portions of the bridge deck. Then they are replacing it with concrete slabs. These concrete slabs are necessary for basically, the concrete can go in pre-stressed, pre-don,” said Hampton Ray, a spokesperson for FDOT.
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This highway construction is funded by the state and is standard procedure for all state roads.
“This is pretty routine work. It’s taking place but it is kind of interesting that it’s it’s it’s taking place during the daytime; we’re seeing a lot of activity.” added Ray.
The daytime construction is affecting Duval County drivers’ morning and afternoon commutes, causing a bottleneck of traffic right before they approach downtown.
According to FDOT, if the weather permits, this highway project should be done in the next week.
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