Turn lane of Beach Boulevard near Hodges collapses

Eastbound lanes closed while workers with heavy equipment try to fill hole

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The right-turn lane of eastbound Beach Boulevard, just west of Hodges Boulevard, collapsed Wednesday afternoon. The resident of the Wolf Creek Condominiums who alerted News4Jax to the situation said the road is "collapsing by the minute."

The opening is about 33 feet long and 18 feet wide and estimated to be about 20 feet deep.

"It is pretty big," nearby resident Howard Coston said. "I really hope that it does not get worse, but that’s what they do: They grow. They get bigger and bigger."

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has barricaded that lane, the right-land travel lane and the sidewalk from traffic while dozens of workers with heavy equipment attempt make temporary repairs. JSO said the closure was expected to last about eight hours.

The JEA said the hole resulted from a drainage-pipe problem. While it wasn't under JEA jurisdiction, its utility crews were helping out.

Florida Department of Transportation spokesman Hampton Ray told News4Jax that FDOT is aware of what it calls a "void." A DOT team will perform a special underground survey to make sure there are no other voids and things are draining properly.

Ray estimated that the turn lane could be closed at least a couple of days.

"It's a little scary that our roads could be in this much disrepair," said Seth Blue. "I mean, that’s big enough to swallow like two or three cars. But other than that, I thought it was pretty cool."

The JTA announced that its eastbound Route 9 line would be detoured from the area until further notice and that buses will not be able to stop in the area and bus stops will be missed. Paratransit service in the area is also affected. Anyone with questions about bus service in the area should call 904-630-3100.

Aerial of Beach Boulevard road collapse

 


About the Authors:

Lifetime Jacksonville resident anchors the 8 and 9 a.m. weekday newscasts and is part of the News4Jax I-Team.