JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With the closure of the southbound side of the Buckman Bridge due to an expansion joint, many drivers may be wondering- what exactly is that?
An expansion joint is a part of the bridge that helps absorb thermal expansion or thermal contraction. Basically, when concrete gets hot, it can expand and when it gets cold, it contracts.
To account for that movement, expansion joints are put in bridges. Without those joints, there would be cracks in the structures.
While there are many different types of joints depending on the design of the bridge, they are a critical piece of the structure.
How dangerous is the damaged joint? A report suggests that expansion joints are often one of the first components of a bridge deck to fail and repairing or replacing expansion joints are essential to extending the life of any bridge.
The joints are designed to absorb the stress of movement on bridge decks to prevent cracking of the surface.
So yes, damage to the joint could be dangerous but the impact likely wouldn't be immediate.
A civil engineer from the construction company working on the bridge recommended the closure of the bridge Thursday for an emergency inspection.
There is no word on when it will reopen, but be prepared for a long morning
According to a bridge inspection report, the bridge was last inspected in February of 2020 and received good ratings.
If you normally use the Buckman, Traffic Anchor Katie Jeffries says prepare to take an alternate route and that is going to add a lot of extra time.
ALTERNATE ROUTES: If you have to get across the river, there's really no easy way to do that. Here are your options:
- Go NB on US-17 to I-10 EB and use I-10 to the Fuller Warren then 95 SB.
- Go SB on US-17 to the Shands Bridge in Green Cove Springs