In an effort to get the Northbank back up and running as quickly as possible, the Florida Department of Transportation will do a safety inspection on Coastline Drive about a month earlier than initially planned.
The Mayor's Office announced the acceleration today, saying the information gathered in the inspection will help them better evaluate repair options moving forward. Coastline has been partially closed since adjacent Liberty Street collapsed earlier this year. A parking lot bordered by the two streets is also shut. All three structures are built on a bridge structure over the St. Johns River.
GALLERY: Liberty Street collapses
We're told the Coastline Drive options, as well as the future of Liberty Street, will all be discussed in a meeting between the City and FDOT next week.
“See how we can best affect not only some temporary repairs, but some safe and expeditious repairs for the long term,” says Mayor Lenny Curry’s Public Affairs Director Bill Spann.
Even cleaning Liberty Street is proving to be an obstacle, however. The City has twice solicited bids for debris removal from the collapsed portion. Most recently, only one proposal was submitted, and it was over the $750,000 budget that was allotted for the project. The FDOT has previously said the debris- including a large slab of concrete- must be removed before they can do a full inspection of Liberty Street, for safety reasons.