Double lane closures have been in place on weekends for more than a year on the Buckman Bridge. we’re getting your questions answered
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Some describe closures on the Buckman Bridge in Jacksonville as a traffic “nightmare.” The bridge on I-295 connects Orange Park and Mandarin and has been undergoing weekend construction for more than a year.
“It’s already miserable to cross because of traffic and the construction now has made it much worse,” said driver Andrew Jenkins.
The bridge finger joint replacement project has been underway since April of 2025. The joints allow the bridge to expand and contract with the changing weather and pressure without cracking.
Spokesperson Sara Pleasants said the work is extensive.
“They have to sawcut the joints out of the concrete, put new joint in. They’re doing some structural steel coatings. They’ve got to put in steel reinforcing bars, pour back the concrete and cover with apoxy and then install or remove any plates covering the work they just did,” said Pleasants.
The work involving lane closures for the project has been limited to weekends.
“The alternative? We could get it done pretty fast if we closed the whole bridge in one direction for a bit. That would be very disruptive to travel,” said Pleasants.
Some First Coast News viewers reached out to us with questions they have about construction on the Buckman Bridge.
Social media user “Raized By Nerdz” asked “when the heck will they get that dang steel plate out of the way?”
Some may have noticed the plates across lanes of traffic creating a little bump for some drivers. Pleasants said it’s basically a way to bookmark where crews left off.
“They will place a metal plate over that joint to allow people to travel over it, but they are still working on that joint when it’s there and then the plates will come up when construction ends,” said Pleasants.
While work only requires double-lane closure, some drivers said they’ve noticed otherwise.
Rachel Brown reached out on social media saying three lanes closed one weekend.
“There could be intermittently possible. But we’ve run into issues occasionally where we have a vehicle that may have hit a cone out of place so they have to temporarily close an additional lane to get the [cone] back in place,” said Pleasants.
Peter Boll wants to know when the installation of the overhead traffic lights will be finished.
Pleasants said that’s a separate project that got extended due to the original contractor defaulting. You’ll notice some work being done in May with completion expected this summer.
Many people echoed Dave Hettrick’s comment: “Is FDOT ever going to fix this bridge?”
Work on the Buckman is expected to be completed by late summer or early fall of 2026. FDOT is asking for patience from drivers and respect for construction crews as they continue to work on the bridge just feet from dangerous traffic.