A safety inspection for the decrepit stretch of a Downtown street damaged in the Feb. 1 collapse of Liberty Street will happen about a month sooner than planned.
The Florida Department of Transportation is bumping up its mid-August inspection to the week of July 20.
The stretch of Coastline Drive between Liberty and Market streets has been closed since the early morning hours of Feb. 1. In April, the section of the road in front of the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront was restricted to one-way traffic and a 3-ton weight limit as a precaution.
“The collapse on Liberty Street and resultant restriction of Coastline Drive has impacted Downtown businesses and disrupted traffic long enough,” said Mayor Lenny Curry in a news release. “This inspection of Coastline Drive will help define and speed up repairs to rectify this important issue as quickly and safely as possible.”
The FDOT inspection will evaluate the safety of the structure and provide information to help in redevelopment and repair.
The city will meet this week with FDOT officials to talk about temporary repairs to return the street to full service.