Local

Jacksonville pushes to improve neglected infrastructure

Mayor Lenny Curry and Councilman Scott Wilson got their hands dirty at the corner of Keel and Marina drives.

City workers worked alongside city officials to patch up a pothole that had been irritating neighbors for months.

“It’s been like that for like about two to three months. Everybody kept on calling and stuff and nobody tried to fix it,” said Amina Turkanovic. “It was 2-3 feet deep.”

The visit to the Beachwood neighborhood is all part of a push to improve infrastructure in older parts of town.

“We’ve invested $6 million, well the mayor has invested $6 million in his budget, the council will review that budget over the next month or so, for drainage system rehab,” said Scott Wilson, City Council vice president.

One area that is in desperate need of a drainage system rehab is San Marco.

Much of the area flooded during a summer afternoon thunderstorm last week.

“I live in San Marco. We’ve dealt with it for years. Part of it is a tide problem not an infrastructure problem,” said Curry.

Director of Public Works John Pappas said two pump stations are already in place and a third is being designed for Lasalle Street.

“The design is probably a year away from being completed, and then we’ll move forward with the construction side,” said Pappas.

In the meantime, the mayor says the effort to improve long-neglected infrastructure throughout Jacksonville is one of his budget priorities.