JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A massive construction project is well underway for one of the busiest stretches of road in Northeast Florida: I-95 North coming into downtown Jacksonville.
RELATED: #AskJAXTDY | Can FDOT make construction zone safer on I-95 near Emerson?
The main goals for the project include:
Getting five (5) travel lanes on I-95 southbound and northbound
Replacing the bridges over Emerson Street and San Diego Road
Resurfacing Emerson St. from U.S. 1 to Spring Park Road
Installing drainage improvements
Updating traffic signals
The project is now in the widening phase around the Emerson Street interchange, which is affecting some adjacent neighborhoods with construction taking place just feet away from some homes.
“Yeah, it gets loud sometimes,” said Nailyn Fernandez, whose family home is just feet from the temporary construction fence.
A man driving in the area named Franco said, “It’s terrible…I’m from here [and] only here a few months out of the year. Every year I come back it’s worse and worse.”
As far as lane closures, the Department of Transportation said it will not have any at the following times:
Monday-Thursday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Fridays from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
And on weekends from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
But the bad news for commuters: This won’t end until spring 2028, and for taxpayers, the cost is $247 million.
“[It] slows you down, but with all the growth in Florida, you have to have the infrastructure to handle the traffic,” said Cheryl Palmer.
However, there may be some daytime closures on weekends to accommodate piledriving, which would come with plenty of notice about when they will occur.
More on the project can be found here.
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