Investigates: Concerns over cracked bulkhead along Jacksonville’s riverwalk

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville riverfront apartment complex says they have developed a plan to fix a cracked bulkhead along the riverwalk.

For months joggers, walkers, and passersby have noticed the crack, but not any repairs. Tamara Croons walks the riverwalk frequently. She says she has never seen workers on the damaged area. But since so many people live there, she hopes it gets done quickly.

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“Because it is something that’s terrible to happen so hopefully they do fix on it quickly and in a matter of time.”

Action News Jax reached out to property management. They said as soon as they noticed this seawall was damaged, a repair plan was developed. The whole statement is below.

“The safety and security of our residents and visitors is our highest priority. For this reason, when damage to the seawall was discovered at the Broadstone River House, a comprehensive inspection and repair plan was developed. Residents were moved from units affected, and the repair plans for the seawall and affected units are in progress. We currently estimate the repairs to be executed later this year. The buildings were completed in 2019 and built to current safety code standards. We have found no evidence of structural damage or concerns in other units as a result of the recent inspections.”

–Broadstone River House

Despite this confidence, one construction expert says the crack should be fixed quickly.

“The industry literally changed overnight when that condo in south Florida collapsed.”

Jason Hambrecht works to make sure seaside highrises meet and exceed safety standards. His company, Construction Solutions, has been called to highrise, waterfront condos all over the Northeast Florida Coast. He says following the Surfside Condo collapse, property owners should be working quickly.

“Now it’s sort of shows that these things really can’t be ignored. but they are going to be looked at closely by professionals and repaired as necessary.”

He was able to look at the damage to the bulkhead at the Broadstone River House Apartments. He says, “A professional engineer really needs to take a look at it, if that hasn’t been done already. If I were the owners of that building I would get somebody out there right away.”

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He adds the crack isn’t necessarily a major danger, but he believes the complex should be acting proactively to fix the issue.

“Right now… it’s always important to fix things like this when they are found. it’s always important for owners and residents to be vigilant of these things and reporting them like these owners have.”

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