Most of Jacksonville remembers the crash that shut down the northbound lanes of Interstate 295 at the Dames Point bridge and left part of a tractor-trailer truck dangling over the edge of the bridge. That was over 5 weeks ago.
The trailer eventually fell into the shallow waters below the bridge, partially sinking into the mud, where it remains, over 5 weeks later.
The accident scene and all the damaged vehicles on the bridge were cleared away within a few hours. Likewise, repairs to the bridge and state inspections to assess those repairs and certify the safety of the bridge all happened within a few hours and the bridge was re-opened.
We were told by state officials that a barge would be dispatched to remove the trailer but that could take several days. It has been over 5 weeks.
The trailer is still in the water and now it’s load (Kirkland water bottles, private brand of Costco) has become dislodged and is polluting the waters around Dames Point, down to Mill Cove, with non biodegradable plastic.
Jax Examiner has contacted the Florida Highway Patrol (The State Officials who first told us the trailer would be cleared within several days) as well as the Mayor’s Office and the Governor’s Office.
As of yet we have not received any official reply.
In their defense, it is the weekend, 5 weekends since the accident
In defense of our natural resources and our planet, that is 5 weekends too long.
UPDATE: Noon, Sunday 01/27/2019
Captain Lee Bowman, Alex Sawyer and a group of volunteers worked early this morning to clear the floating debris and secure the trailer.
We still have not heard back from State or City officials as to when the trailer, we were originally told would be removed within days and has not been removed after 5 weeks, 2 days, and counting, will actually be removed.
UPDATE: Noon, Sunday 02/03/2019
Logan Diving & Salvage in conjunction with the St. Johns Riverkeeper, cleared out the contents of the trailer.
The Department of Environmental Protection is issuing a warning that will require the responsible party to remove the trailer
That responsibility falls on the trucking company. The company, based out of Orlando, said it will cost $28,000 to remove the trailer and the problem is the insurance company won’t pay for it.
We will contiue to update this story as additional information becomes available.
Pictures #2 and #3 were provided by Captain Lee Bowman who first brought this issue to our attention.