{"id":289814,"date":"2025-10-09T17:49:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T17:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/289814\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T17:49:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T17:49:10","slug":"why-do-some-road-projects-seem-to-take-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/289814\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do some road projects seem to take forever?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>JACKSONVILLE, Fla.<\/strong> \u2013 Road projects are part of life for people in Jacksonville. But they can be a baffling part.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">Jacksonville Today reader Lois B. questions why some <a href=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/2022\/11\/28\/fdot-hearings-give-the-lowdown-on-upcoming-road-projects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">road construction projects<\/a> take so long.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">She has several examples, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/nflroads.com\/ProjectDetails?p=5020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">redesign<\/a> of the Interstate 95 and Interstate 295 interchange on the city\u2019s Northside. That project began in 2016 and won\u2019t be done until next summer, the Florida Department of Transportation says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cSeems like poor planning to me,\u201d Lois says.<\/p>\n<p>A U-turn was built to get eastbound Gate Parkway traffic across Southside Boulevard. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX &#8211; All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Among Lois\u2019 other concerns:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Overall, Lois wants to know this:<\/p>\n<p><b>\u201cWhy are (projects) started and then left abandoned for weeks or months?\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\"><b>A<\/b>: FDOT spokesperson Hampton Ray says the department allows contractors to manage their own schedules as long as they meet the overall contract time. That means there are times when motorists don\u2019t see any activity, such as the median work on Southside Boulevard, he says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Contractors schedule work based on the availability of materials, subcontractor crews or other logistical needs, \u201cwhich helps reduce the overall cost of construction, saving taxpayer dollars,\u201d Ray says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Much of the work on state roads and interstates is scheduled during off-peak hours, often overnight, to minimize traffic disruptions and ensure safety. The public may not see changes, but FDOT meets regularly with the contractor to ensure projects are progressing, Ray says.<\/p>\n<p><b>Specific road projects<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Ray spoke specifically about the project at Southside and Deerwood Park boulevards. The work will change the intersection to enhance traffic flow and add a new right-turn lane to AC Skinner Parkway, part of a larger corridor improvement project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Work there is being done when most folks are asleep \u2014 between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., Ray says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The $29.8 million project includes nearly 5 miles of resurfacing on Southside Boulevard, intersection and safety improvements at Southside and Deerwood Park boulevards, drainage improvements, sidewalk installation, signage enhancements and lighting improvements. It should be done in spring 2026, Ray says.<\/p>\n<p>The I-95\/I-295 interchange project during construction. | Florida Department of Transportation (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX &#8211; All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">As for the 9-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/2023\/05\/04\/massive-i-95-i-295-project-will-take-another-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I-95\/295 North interchange project<\/a>, it is not expected to be completed until summer 2026. Ray says the contractor, Archer Western, has faced challenges, which included redoing I-295\u2019s interchange with North Main Street.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The contract time has been extended to account for bad weather, holidays and circumstances beyond the contractor\u2019s control, including labor shortages related to COVID-19 and archaeological complications, Ray says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The original contract amount increased about 5.5%, from $176.8 million to $186.7 million, due to additional work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">When the project is done, FDOT will assess what are called \u201cliquidated damages\u201d if Archer Western fails to meet the timeline of the contract, Ray says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Liquidated damages compensate FDOT and taxpayers for losses resulting from delays and the contractor\u2019s failure to complete the project on time.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Road projects are part of life for people in Jacksonville. But they can be a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":289815,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5136],"tags":[52136,5229,3188,723,7310,52137,314,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-289814","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-askjaxtdy","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-fl","11":"tag-florida","12":"tag-jacksonville","13":"tag-together-4-jax","14":"tag-traffic","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-united-states-of-america","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","19":"tag-us","20":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115345474522331949","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}