JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Crews will begin resurfacing I-10 from Chaffee Road to I-295 in late April as the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is prioritizing the corridor to improve conditions, the agency announced on Tuesday.
The stretch of road has been a concern for hundreds of drivers who reached out to News4JAX to say their cars were damaged from loose asphalt.
It’s been 10 years since the last resurfacing project in the area, according to two contracts provided in a public records request.
MORE: I-TEAM: Hundreds of I-10 drivers share photos & stories of damaged cars and windshields | ‘Danger zone’: Drivers concerned about safety as loose asphalt crashes into windshields on I-10 | ‘They’re just passing the buck’: Drivers on I-10 are frustrated as FDOT denies their damage claims
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FDOT said the resurfacing project will improve roadway conditions, smoothing uneven surfaces and promote safety through enhanced lane markings. The goal, FDOT said, is to provide a more comfortable drive, reduced roadway noise and a more durable roadway for years to come. The project will also include updated highway signage, improved drainage and other incidental construction.
“It makes me feel better knowing that it’s coming. But also at the same time my vehicle isn’t fixed. I think it’s absolutely necessary. I don’t think it should have taken all this time for it to come to this,” said driver Amber Scott.
Drivers like Scott said they can cover up the road but wonder who’s covering the damage to their cars.
“No one is being held accountable. No one is taking the blame for this. It’s pretty much falling on us,” she said.
Scott said her car was first damaged in December while driving between Hammond and Chaffee.
She filed the claims, but got denied. Then she called the maintenance company and got denied. And her windshield only got worse.
“My crack in my windshield has started from the very top, and has now went all the way across my windshield. But I absolutely refuse to get my windshield replaced until I-10 is fixed because there’s no point in it,” she said.
Obviously, you can expect some delays in the near future because of lane closures and lowered speed limits.
Anderson Columbia Co. Inc, was awarded the $26 million project and is expected to complete the project in mid-2025, weather and unforeseen circumstances permitting, according to FDOT.
“Good luck,” Scott said, addressing Anderson Columbia. “And please fix the road as fast as you can so we can get back and forth to work home to hop back home safely every day.”
According to its website, in 2019 Anderson Columbia started paving a cemetery access road in Jacksonville.
The company also was tasked with resurfacing SR 9 (I-95) from SR 207 to Intl. Golf Parkway in St. Johns County. As well as resurfacing projects in Clay, Alachua, Columbia counties, and more.
News4JAX called the company to see if it would share its process of repaving I-10 but it did not immediately respond.
A future project to resurface I-10 between the Nassau County line and the First Coast Expressway (SR 23) is expected to begin in late spring.