A new high-rise bridge has opened in Jacksonville to give some relief to Heckscher Drive commuters.
A draw bridge has spanned Sisters Creek- jutting off the St. Johns River on the north side of the water- since the 1950s.
“It being a drawbridge- and an old drawbridge- it presented some problems for both the people driving over the bridge having to wait for the drawbridge and for marine traffic having to wait for the openings,” says Florida Department of Transportation Spokesman David Fierro.
For the past two years, FDOT has been building a new high-rise bridge, which will no longer hold up road or River commuters.
“There are people who drive that way every day, they’re going to be very happy they won’t have to wait for that drawbridge anymore,” Fierro says.
The bridge was $44.2 million, and features two 12-foot travel lanes, 10-foot shoulders, and six-foot sidewalks on both sides. Fierro says there won’t be a big impact on drivers moving to the new bridge from the old one, because they are next to each other. Demolition on the old bridge is slated for within a few days of the new one getting up and running.
FDOT had hoped to have the new bridge open this morning, but rain held up some of the final striping. It finally opened for traffic around 4:30PM.
