JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Road construction is a familiar sight across Jacksonville, sometimes closing lanes or shutting down ramps. And when a project slows a commute, some drivers respond with frustration.
The Florida Department of Transportation schedules lane closures and said it does its best to notify impacted communities ahead of time and help drivers plan detours so traffic moves more smoothly, faster and safer for roadway workers.
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But distracted, impaired and speeding drivers can make the job dangerous—and sometimes life-threatening.
Sam Lansdale, a construction and project manager with the Florida Department of Transportation, said overnight work can be especially challenging.
“There’s a lot of impaired drivers, and that can be scary because people drive a little bit more erratically,” Lansdale said.
He recalled a close call during work on Southside Boulevard at Atlantic Boulevard, when a driver went through cones and into the work area right when crews had finished testing.
“It was pretty intense,” Lansdale said. “Something that I will probably never forget.”
According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, more than 1,400 workers were killed at road construction sites nationwide between 2011 and 2022. The association reports 47% of those deaths were caused by vehicles striking workers.
Lansdale said crews have also dealt with aggressive behavior from motorists at major projects, including the North Interchange, where Interstate 95 and Interstate 295 meet near Jacksonville International Airport.
“We’ve had multiple accidents. We’ve had wrong-way drivers and also drivers that were just not really wanting to see the construction, didn’t like the delays,” Lansdale said. “They’ll yell and scream, they’ll throw stuff at us.”
He said crews try to minimize traffic impacts whenever possible, but safety has to come first.
FDOT and roadway safety advocates urge drivers to slow down, stay alert and avoid distractions in work zones, especially when lanes shift and workers are close to moving traffic.
National Work Zone Awareness Week begins April 20. FDOT plans to bring News4JAX Traffic Anchor Sophia Vitello into a work zone to show how crews balance safety and workload while projects continue on busy roadways.