The half-built Berkman Plaza II tower on Jacksonville’s Northbank will be imploded on Sunday, bringing down an eyesore that has been a part of the city’s skyline for more than 14 years.
The implosion comes after several starts and stops — and delays — to bring the building down over the last year. At least three other implosion dates have come and gone since work to dismantle the structure came to halt last summer.
In January, Jacksonville’s City Council approved Mayor Lenny Curry’s $1.2 million emergency funding request to take down the building deemed unstable.
The building is set to be imploded at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 6.
7 a.m. to noon Sunday, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is scheduled to shut down the following roads to vehicle and pedestrian traffic:
East-West routes: Forsyth Street from Market to Catherine streets; Bay Street from Market to Lafayette streets; and Courthouse Drive from Market to Liberty streets.
North-South routes: Liberty Street from Adams Street to Courthouse Drive; and Marsh Street from Adams to Bay streets.
City officials say anyone wanting to view the implosion can safely do so from the Southbank Riverwalk.