Road closures to accommodate the latest JEA water pipeline project occurring along the Arlington Expressway will start 11 p.m. Friday to accommodate traffic from people attending the Jacksonville Jaguars evening scrimmage.
JEA needs to shut down one of the two eastbound travel lanes and eight ramps along the Arlington Expressway from the Mathews Bridge to the Arlington Road overpass to accommodate a 6,700-foot section of pipeline.
The JEA will start pulling that 6,700-foot-long section of 36-inch water line Friday under the St. Johns River in the second of six segments of its $50.7 million Total Water Management Plan.
“By connecting the water systems on both sides of the St. Johns River, JEA can balance its water withdrawals from the Floridan aquifer and protect one of our most important natural resources,” said Greg Corcoran, a JEA spokesman.
This section is being assembled and welded together on the south shoulder of the Arlington Expressway, and the insertion of such a large section of pipeline makes it one of the largest projects in the country, according to JEA.
In order to install the pipeline, horizontal directional drilling was used on both sides of the St. Johns River south of the Mathews Bridge. The process began with one crew drilling at Beaver Street near EverBank Field and another crew drilling south of the foot of the Mathews Bridge. They drilled toward each other until the two tunnels connected.
Crews drilled a 48-inch tunnel 60 feet below the riverbed and 100 feet below the mean high water line of the river to accommodate the 36-inch pipeline. The pipeline is made of three quarter-inch thick steel.
Once assembled, the pipeline will be pulled through the tunnel by a 1.2 million-pound drilling rig and the work is scheduled to begin Aug. 9
Once the pipeline is in place, JEA will drill under the Arlington Expressway near Jones College to connect with the water system on the southbank of the St. Johns River.
The total project cost of Segment 2 is $23.3 million.
JEA divided the Total Water Management Plan into six segments to provide a larger number of businesses the opportunity to participate in the project.
“We wanted to make sure we provide plenty of opportunities for engineering firms, construction companies to get involved with the project,” said Corcoran.
The future maximum flow through Segments 1, 2 and 3 will be about 22 million gallons per day. At this flow rate, the EverBank Field lower bowl could be filled with water in eight-and-a-half days.
JEA is the primary water, wastewater and electrical power utility provider for the City of Jacksonville and Duval County. It also supplies services to parts of St. Johns, Nassau and Clay counties. JEA serves more than 240,000 customers.
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