Mathews Bridge users will find their commutes, starting Tuesday and possibly lasting until the summer of 2014, changed at nights and on weekends.
The 58-year-old bridge between Downtown and Arlington will be repaired and repainted in a $22.7 million project. It currently carries about 66,500 vehicles a day in both directions.
The Florida Department of Transportation reports that full bridge closures along with single and directional lane closings will regularly occur, but will be done at night and on weekends.
The bridge and lane closings will not impact commuter and rush hour traffic.
The department said that allowable times for full bridge closures are:
• 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights.
• 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Wednesday nights.
• 7 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. on Sunday, meaning all day on Saturday.
• 9 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. on Monday.
The department said the bridge and lane closures are necessary to safely repaint and repair the bridge. Directional closings mean that both lanes in the same direction are closed to traffic while lanes in the opposite direction are open.
Single and directional lane closings are allowed from 7 p.m.-6 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights and from 9 p.m.-6 a.m. Wednesday nights.
Detour signs will be posted on the bridge and at various spots on the detour route, similar to the
signage system used when the Hart Bridge was repainted and repaired.
The detour route for eastbound travelers is Union Street to the Hart Bridge, then along Atlantic Boulevard and University Boulevard to the Arlington Expressway.
The detour route for westbound traffic is the Arlington Expressway to University Boulevard, Atlantic Boulevard, the Hart Bridge and State Street toward Downtown.
The contract specifies 720 days to complete the project and allows extra time for weather delays, holidays, special events and unforeseen construction circumstances, said the department.
According to the department, the project includes cleaning and repainting structural steel surfaces along the 1.4-mile long span.
The project includes structural steel repairs, corrosion protection, new ladders, platforms and railings and rehabilitating the joints that allow bridge segments to expand and contract.
More than 7,000 tons of structural steel will be fully cleaned and repainted. The color of the bridge will remain the same. Work will also be done at the pier foundations at the water level.
The new paint should last 15 to 20 years. The time period could be extended through periodic cleanings and paint touch-up projects when needed.
According to the department, the bridge will be covered with containment systems to protect motorists, property owners and boaters.
A telephone number will be posted adjacent to the work area for individuals to report instances of paint overspray.
Boaters along the St. Johns River at the bridge should be aware that construction barges may be used. Waterway access for marine traffic will be maintained, but boaters will need to use caution while entering the construction area, according to the department.
Construction warning signs for boaters will be placed near work areas. The U.S. Coast Guard will be notified about any channel restrictions and will send out notices to mariners.
No construction work will be performed during special events unless approved by the department. Those events are:
• The Players Championship.
• The Florida-Georgia football game.
• Jacksonville Jaguars home football games.
• The Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair.
• The Gator Bowl game.
• The Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament (Monday through Friday).
• The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam.
• The Monster Energy AMA Supercross.
• The Gate River Run.
• The 26.2 with Donna National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer.
• The opening weekend at the Jacksonville Beaches.
No construction work will be performed during some holidays, either. Those are:
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
• Memorial Day, including the Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding it.
• Independence Day.
• Labor Day, including the Friday, Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding it.
• Veterans Day.
• Thanksgiving Day, including the Wednesday preceding it and the Friday, Saturday and Sunday immediately following it.
• Dec. 24 through Jan. 2.
Intech Contracting LLC of Lexington, Ky., is the project contractor. The Jacksonville office of Greenman-Pedersen Inc. is providing contract management and construction inspection services for the Florida Department of Transportation. PB Americas Inc. of Tampa performed design services.
According to the department, the Mathews Bridge opened to traffic on April 15, 1953, and cost $11 million to build. The four-lane bridge is 7,736 feet long and 58 feet wide.
The vertical clearance — the point from the bottom of the bridge to the mean sea level mark — is 149.5 feet.
The bridge was last fully repainted in 1982. It had paint touch-up work in 1995, 2002 and 2007. Steel grating on the bridge was replaced with a concrete riding surface in 2007 at a cost of $12.9 million.
The department said general information is available at 360-5457 and construction complaints can be called into the project field office at 355-6948.