At what point are Florida bridges shut down due to Hurricane Ian's force?

Dan Scanlan, Florida Times-Union
·2 min read

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In a city of many bridges, what happens if predicted high winds from Hurricane Ian grow too strong?

The bottom line is when the anemometer consistently records a certain wind speed, the city's bridges (Main Street, Acosta, Hart, Mathews and Ortega, plus Beach and Atlantic boulevards over the Intracoastal Waterway), get shut down by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

And the state's bridges — like the Dames Point and Buckman on Interstate 295, the Fuller-Warren on Interstate 95 and Butler Boulevard — follow suit as well, Undersheriff Nick Burgos said.

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"We man all the bridges and pre-deploy resources obviously to provide a safe commute for all," Burgos said. "We normally stop it at 40 mph. ... But we have wind meters on all the bridges and we will make sure no one crosses them when they are not safe."

The Florida Department of Transportation, sheriff’s offices and the Florida Highway Patrol jointly monitor wind conditions at area bridges during storms in the state. If sustained winds exceed those specified levels, the FDOT works with city police departments or county sheriff's offices to close affected bridges.

A public safety officer sits at the base of the Jacksonville side of the Beach Boulevard bridge as the winds and rain from Hurricane Dorian build in 2019. If sustained wind speeds reach 40 mph during the approaching Hurricane Ian, bridges will be blocked off.
A public safety officer sits at the base of the Jacksonville side of the Beach Boulevard bridge as the winds and rain from Hurricane Dorian build in 2019. If sustained wind speeds reach 40 mph during the approaching Hurricane Ian, bridges will be blocked off.

Bridge closures will be communicated via local and social media

Any bridge closures will be communicated via local media channels, social media, the city Twitter page and its JaxReady mobile app. The FDOT also uses FL511, a free tool for motorists to get real-time updates on the status of roadways. And any person can call #511 from any phone to receive up-to-date information on roadway conditions throughout the state.

Bridges get shut down quickly when weather conditions get bad, and will stay closed for the duration of the storm, emergency officials said. Even if it's not windy enough to shut down the bridges, law enforcement members warn anyone with tall vehicles, such as commercial trucks or motor homes, to be careful since crosswinds during an approaching storm can also be dangerous.

"High trucks are a bit different, and we discourage them from going across bridges because they are a wind hazard," Burgos said.

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FYI: Jacksonville Transportation Authority buses will be parked if sustained winds hit 35 mph or above, the JTA said. As for the St. Johns River Ferry that runs between Mayport and Heckscher Drive on the city's Northside, it gets moved to docks in Green Cove Springs if the storm gets too bad.

dscanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Hurricane Ian's winds could mean Jacksonville bridge closures