Nearly three weeks after a portion of South Liberty Street collapsed into the St. Johns River, about a dozen downtown residents are still waiting to get power restored. The city of Jacksonville is waiting to determine what caused the road to give way and what can be done to fix it.
A portion of Liberty Street from Bay Street to Coastline Drive remains closed, as does the parking lot behind the old Duval County Courthouse, and a row of riverfront townhomes remain without power.
On Friday the city said that electricity to the townhomes should be restored by the end of next week, but the road and parking lot will remain closed for at least another month.
Answers on what caused the 50-year-old structure to collapse in the first place may take even longer.
Last Sunday the JEA had a replacement transformer lifted into place with a helicopter because the existing road wouldn't support a crane. Electricians spent this week laying conduit and digging trenches for new run power lines to the Riverwalk Townhomes.
"Work has been going well and we are fairly certain we will not break our promise and it will be no later than Thursday the 26th that we will have them back in power," said Jim Robinson of the city of Jacksonville's Public Works Department.
Florida Department of Transportation officials who analyzed video shot under the structure say they still don't know why the road built on pilings over the river collapsed.
"Until we can get the slabs that collapsed demolished, there will not be any additional inspection work because that's what it will take to get the site safe for divers to go in the water and that is what is really needed next," said Robinson.
Divers did conduct some tests along standing sections of Coastline Drive and the Northbank Riverwalk this week to see just how safe the area is, but results of that inspection won't be back for about a month.