JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Work that was expected to take until the end of the week was completed overnight as JEA crews finished repairing a damaged sewer main after a cave-in on East Bay Street next to the Maxwell House facility.
Westbound lanes and one eastbound lane remain closed until the area can be repaved, but the hole JEA had to dig to make repairs to the sewer main has already begun to be filled in.
Equipment used to remove water and support a trench for worker safety has been taken away, and the team will now focus on finishing the filling and packing of the hole, taking down the remaining equipment, and getting ready for the asphalt crew, JEA said.
Drivers in the area are still asked to slow down, take their time and follow all posted detours.
Westbound Bay Street traffic is being detoured onto Lafayette Street and then to Adams Street. Eastbound traffic headed in the direction of EverBank Stadium can still get through in the open lane, but drivers should plan for heavy traffic.
The road will reopen once the manholes are repaired or replaced and the asphalt work is scheduled.
JEA did not yet have a timeline for those repairs.
On Monday, JEA spokesperson Myers Vasquez told News4JAX that the utility first got a call about the cave-in around 9 p.m. Sunday.
Initially, the hole was about 3 feet in diameter, but as crews investigated, they realized they would need to dig out more of the street to make repairs.
“We’ll keep on at it until we can get this repaired as quickly as possible,” Vasquez said.
