JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Documents reveal Jacksonville International Airport’s parking facilities underwent significant structural repairs between 2019 and 2024, addressing various concrete deterioration issues in both Daily and Hourly parking garages.
A 2022 assessment identified multiple structural concerns, including scattered cracking and concrete spalling on upper garage levels. Spalling, a condition where concrete deteriorates through chipping, peeling, or pitting, was among the primary issues addressed.
RELATED: At least $38 million, 18 months to repair hourly garage at Jacksonville airport after massive fire
The inspection report highlighted several areas requiring attention:
- Concrete spalling on upper garage levels
- Ground-level slab cracking between joints
- Frame cracking on the second level of both garages
Jacksonville Aviation Authority spokesperson Greg Willis confirmed that the repairs “were completed over the course of two construction projects between April 2019 and December 2024.”
Despite being miles from the ocean, Jacksonville International Airport’s location still poses challenges for concrete maintenance.
Dr. Mark Kilgore, a structural engineer with Probe Forensic Engineering, explained that the region’s salt-laden atmosphere contributes to structural wear.
“The concrete will develop some spider cracking, just from the everyday loading of the concrete and unloading of the concrete,” Kilgore said. “As that continues, this salt-laden atmosphere works its way into the concrete and starts attacking the steel rebar that was put in place at the time of the construction. When the salt, air, and moisture come into contact with the steel, it starts a corrosion process.”
Kilgore said no one could have predicted what happened a month ago, but once the garage is repaired, he said it would be safe to use.
“The state of Florida is very, very concerned about structural collapse, as we all know from the Surfside catastrophe four years ago, and there is a raised awareness of this situation in Florida,” Kilgore said. “And the engineering board and the state of Florida have, in my opinion, have stepped up to the plate [to] make sure the best of their ability that this is not going that Surfside is not going to happen again.”
News4JAX also contacted the Jacksonville Aviation Authority about sprinklers in the hourly garage and if there are plans to include those in the new design plan.
They shared that the current Florida building code doesn’t require sprinklers in an open-air garage and that a sprinkler system is not currently in the design plan for the new build for that same reason.
When asked about the addition of sprinklers to the hourly garage, JAA said that they are still in the process of removing vehicles and stabilizing the affected areas structurally and plans for a long-term redesign have not yet been finalized
