Jacksonville outlines San Marco detour, timeline as LaSalle drainage work advances

City and contractor officials on Thursday outlined a phased detour and multiweek closure of San Marco Boulevard at LaSalle Street tied to Phase 2 of the LaSalle drainage project, saying the work will create short-term disruptions but will improve stormwater drainage once a new pump station is operating.

Joe Cantor, project manager for Haskell, told a crowd of residents and business owners that the project’s Phase 1 pump station will “decouple the drainage system from the river.” Cantor said the nearly completed 60,000-gallons-per-minute pump station will mechanically force stormwater out to the river and that Phase 2 involves installing a larger gravity drainage network to carry water to the pump station.

The work requires a localized closure at the San Marco Boulevard–LaSalle Street intersection to install the main trunk line, a 48-inch by 76-inch elliptical concrete pipe, Cantor said. Haskell and city staff said the plan calls first for a lane adjustment to maintain two-way traffic while crews advance from the pump station toward San Marco. Cantor said crews expect to reach near the San Marco edge line after three to four weeks of initial work, after which a full closure of the intersection would be required. Officials estimated the full, localized closure of San Marco Boulevard could last six to eight weeks once it begins in May; preliminary lane adjustments and prep work will begin earlier in April and depend on completion of the pump station’s primary power connection.

Business owners pressed for clearer, street-level details on access, deliveries and parking. David Schulte, who identified himself as a business owner at 1562 San Marco Boulevard, said the maps shown at the meeting were confusing and urged the project team to provide block-by-block closure plans and alternatives if the schedule slips. Riley Leuthold, owner-operator of Pier 30 San Marco, asked whether signage will make it clear that businesses remain open during the closure; Cantor and city staff said the detour plan will include business-specific signage and additional awareness measures.

Contractor and city responses to community concerns

City staff and Haskell representatives repeatedly said they will try to maintain business and resident access and that they will provide on-site staff to direct deliveries, truck movements and dumpsters where needed. John Hendricks, identified as the Haskell project superintendent, and Cantor said crews will coordinate to move dumpsters to points Waste Management can reach and to use nearby parking lots or staging areas for large trucks when alley turns are not possible.

Officials also pledged more traffic enforcement and temporary traffic controls to address neighborhood safety. George Foote, a member of the city team leading neighborhood outreach, summarized the meeting by saying pedestrian and vehicle safety in the neighborhoods was the top takeaway and that the city is "totally committed to speed bumps, extra cops, all of that." Foote said the city will pursue temporary and, where feasible, permanent speed-calming measures and deploy Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers at the start of operations to help manage traffic and encourage detour compliance.

Residents reported damage, vibration and safety incidents

Several residents described damage to private curbs and storm drains from heavy machinery and unsafe equipment operations. A Landmark Avenue resident said machines have driven over curbs and damaged two storm drains and asked who to contact for repairs; Cantor and Haskell staff said the project’s mailed flyer provides direct contact information and that Haskell will evaluate and repair damage on a case-by-case basis.

Multiple residents raised concerns about ground vibration and potential structural damage. Katie Sullivan, who said she lives on Belmont, said residents had been promised vibration-monitoring reports and that the city had not provided them; she also asked what recourse homeowners will have if construction causes cracks in ceilings or foundations. City staff said Public Works is preparing a formal response and that Haskell will provide requested monitoring data through the city. Haskell reiterated that damage claims would be handled individually through the contractor’s claims process.

Traffic routing, detour warnings and signage

Officials said the detour plan was developed with the city’s traffic engineering group and that the plan includes advance warnings on major approaches, variable-message signage on State routes and additional signs at the Landing roundabout and other local choke points. Foote said the city will also look at moving detour start points farther from the square to reduce cut-through traffic in residential streets. Haskell added it will staff detour positions and use double shifts and six-day work weeks to reduce total closure duration.

Drainage benefits and schedule

Cantor said residents will begin to see improved drainage once the pump station is online because the system will no longer be influenced by river tides. "We are now decoupling the drainage system from the river," he said, explaining that the prior gravity outlet allowed the river to back into the storm system during high water. Project staff said the team is one JEA primary power connection away from activating the pump station. Haskell said the Phase 2 gravity drainage installation includes roughly 5,000 feet of new piping and is scheduled for completion in March 2026.

Next steps and points of contact

City staff asked attendees to use the provided contact information to report damage, safety issues, or access problems and said project staff will remain available through weekly open houses at the project office and on-site field supervisors. Foote said his office would pull in Public Works and Traffic Engineering as needed and requested that residents and business owners reach out directly to his office for faster response rather than relying solely on general city service portals.

The project team said the purpose of the meeting was to solicit feedback and refine the detour plan before the April–May work sequence begins, and they said they would return to affected stakeholders with more granular, block-level maps and a refined detour signage plan.