JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A study by American Society for Civil Engineers, an independent contracting group, gives Florida’s infrastructure an overall grade of C- in its 2021 report card.
According to the group, six of the state’s worst bridges are right in our backyard, but they aren’t the ones you think might be a problem. They’re much smaller.
One of the bridges near San Jose and University boulevards is considered structurally deficient. It doesn’t mean the bridge is falling apart, but the term is a way of saying the bridge needs work.
The Society for Civil Engineers ranked other problematic bridges in North Florida, like the one along I-95 that crosses the Nassau River on the Northside. Another that the group considered structurally deficient -- one on the Northside along Lem Turner Road that crosses the Trout River.
Here are the six Jacksonville-area bridges mentioned in the report:
| County | Year built | Daily users | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Johns | 1958 | 49,000 | US-1 (SR-5) over Oyster Creek |
| Duval | 1967 | 43,000 | I-95 NB (SR-9) over Nassau River |
| Duval | 1967 | 43,000 | I-95 SB (SR-9) over Nassau River |
| Duval | 1957 | 30,500 | Lem Turner Road over Trout River on the Northside |
| Duval | 1960 | 30,000 | San Jose Blvd over New Rose Creek in the Lakewood area |
| Bradford | 1948 | 32,000 | US-301 (SR-2) over Alligator Creek |
Other area bridges that made the list include the bridge on US-1 in St. Johns County that crosses over Oyster Creek, and the US-1 bridge in Bradford County that crosses over Alligator Creek.
While the study was done by an independent group, the local Department of Transportation office does not dispute the findings. DOT’s Hampton Ray says the bridges are inspected regularly
“If a bridge is ever deemed unsafe, we will close it immediately,” he said.
A 2019 survey, the group reported, found of the state’s 12,518 bridges, 2.9% were structurally deficient.