A stretch of Interstate 10 between Chaffee Road and Hammond Boulevard has been a concern for hundreds of drivers who reached out to News4JAX to say their cars were damaged from loose asphalt on the road.
It’s been 10 years since the last resurfacing project in the area, that’s according to two contracts the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) provided in a public records request.
MORE: I-TEAM: Hundreds of I-10 drivers share photos & stories of damaged cars and windshields | ‘Danger zone’: Drivers concerned about safety as loose asphalt crashes into windshields on I-10 | ‘They’re just passing the buck’: Drivers on I-10 are frustrated as FDOT denies their damage claims
The last project included milling, resurfacing, asphalt work and more. The first was for the stretch from east of Halsema Road to Lane Avenue. Crews started construction in January 2009 and construction ended May 2013 but the latest project was more than just resurfacing. Crews added lanes and did some other things as well.
The next contract was from the Duval County line to State Road 23. It had a 426-day contract time for resurfacing. It started construction in August 2012 and ended in September 2013.
FDOT’s plan is to start resurfacing the road this spring and summer.
News4JAX asked Shelley Armato, the CEO of My Smart Plans, a construction technology company, about how previously the resurfacing was done by two different companies.
“What’s happened in the subcontracting world is that the workforce has shrunk down so much because these government projects have closed so many subcontractors…so it’s not uncommon to see things like this,” Armato said. “But it’s, you know, it’s holding the government accountable…What those contractors are doing is they’re gunning for change orders. So what they’re doing is they’re finding out what the real number is, they’re going to try to find as many ways as they can to maximize their contract…and the taxpayers are really the ones that suffer because we’re paying all these taxes and what really happens?”
FDOT said the road has reached its life expectancy and is deteriorating. After News4JAX started reporting issues, FDOT began sweeping the troubled stretch of road daily. Previously, it was happening weekly.
News4JAX also heard from more people who filed claims with FDOT to get their damaged vehicles repaired. They said they were directed to Jorgensen Contract Services, the company responsible for the maintenance of that stretch of road.
News4JAX got a statement from the Florida Department of Financial Services Risk Management division which reads, in part: “FDOT will investigate and work with DFS Risk Management to process the claim in accordance with Florida Statutes.”
News4JAX is still waiting to hear back from Jorgensen on the criteria that is used to determine if a person’s claim can be awarded or not.
Meanwhile, FDOT is asking for patience. The agency said it does care about what’s happening but it needs people to understand this is a process.
FDOT said people with claims still need to go through FDOT.
RELATED: FILE A CLAIM WITH F-DOT
REACH OUT: News4JAX wants to hear from anyone who filed a claim to find out if you heard back from Jorgensen Contracting Services and what the company said.
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