JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Every day, thousands of Jacksonville residents rely on the city’s iconic bridges to get to where they safely need to go.
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Jacksonville is often nicknamed the “City of Bridges” and Duval County alone is home to nearly 800 kinds of bridges. Action News Jax anchor Chandler Morgan spoke with FDOT Structures Engineer Ross Hammock.
“We’re mandated to inspect the bridges every two years,” said Hammock, underscoring the regularity of safety checks.
Hammock says these inspections are thorough, requiring engineers to be as close as possible to inspect the bridges, “often within arm’s length” to ensure no detail goes unnoticed.
That means high in the sky for bridges like the Dames Point or diving down below the water for the many bridges that cross the St. Johns River.
All of these findings are compiled into a quarterly bridge report released by FDOT. The report covers all of Florida’s bridges, including the nearly 800 in Duval County, and is a comprehensive 231-page document. It includes a rating system for each bridge, which takes into account its usage, inspection history, and current condition.
One bridge that stands out in recent reports is the Matthews Bridge, a vital route for many heading to the Downtown area or Jacksonville Jaguars games. It holds a “functionally obsolete” rating and a sufficiency score of just 28 – a figure that at a glance, may sound low, but one that requires context.
While the Matthews Bridge and other structures might have low sufficiency ratings, FDOT stresses that this does not automatically mean they are unsafe.
“If a bridge was unsafe, we would close it down,” said Hammock.
He clarified that these ratings primarily reflect outdated designs and the need for rehabilitation rather than immediate danger.
The Main Street Bridge, an even older structure built in the 1940s, also regularly scores lower according to FDOT officials.
Action News Jax was given a rare behind-the-scenes look at the historic Main Street bridge, including a visit up to the bridge’s tender house, where a team of operators ensures its safety.
Above cars and trucks passing on the grated road, towering above the rushing St. Johns, there are crews inside the bridge’s tender box 24/7.
“We have three tenders out here to maintain safety for the public,” said Chad Nettles, FDOT Maintenance Project Manager. He added that, while all Jacksonville bridges are carefully maintained, the Main Street Bridge requires additional attention due to its unique design.
Additionally, in the FDOT quarterly bridge report a rating of “structurally deficient” can be given to a bridge. Its another term that may sound alarming, but Hammock explained that it simply means some level of deterioration has occurred, requiring repairs to ensure the bridge remains functional in the long term.
In Duval County, 134 bridges are classified as “functionally obsolete,” while 13 are considered “structurally deficient.”
These lower-rated bridges are typically prioritized for rehabilitation projects, which may include measures like painting bridges to protect them from corrosion or replacing aging components. The Main Street Bridge is one such example, with FDOT regularly performing maintenance to ensure its continued operation.
“Our focus is on the safety of the bridges and the people who rely on them every day,” said Hammock. “When you’re out on the road, especially on a bridge, much of what you see are rehab efforts designed to keep these structures safe.”
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Action News Jax got to see those safety procedures in action, as our crews were invited to ‘ride out’ the lifting of the Main Street Bridge, as it was being lifted for a barge to pass through. Our crews watched as crews from the tender house to the bridge’s span, constantly monitored and maintained the structure to prevent or identify any potential issues before they arise.
“We have an obsession with the safety of this bridge, and all of our bridges,” Nettles said.
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