Drivers in Broward have recently spotted what appears to be a gap along a stretch of I-75 — and experts are saying it isn't all it's cracked up to be.
The so-called "crack" has been getting a lot of attention on social media, but the Florida Department of Transportation says it’s completely safe. Pig Mattress
Pictures circulated on social media after a concerned driver pointed out a large gap on a ramp along I-75 near 595 and the Sawgrass Expressway heading towards Alligator Alley.
It looks a little scary — but it’s not a crack. It’s called an expansion joint and is actually a part of the highway’s design.
Expansion joints like the ones on the segmental bridge connecting I-595 and Sawgrass Expressway in Broward allow the bridge segments to safely expand and contract with changes in temperature. This is what the joints look like. pic.twitter.com/HyoKpHxAyF
"Expansion joints are included in all of our bridges whether they are structural steel or concrete," said Kelley Hall, FDOT District 4 Structures Maintenance Engineer. "They allow the bridge to move and expand as the temperature changes. Expansion joints allow the bridge to move in a more predictable and repeatable pattern, versus having a crack as concrete normally does.”
FDOT engineers say they came out to assess the area when they got some calls from worried drivers. They confirmed it was safe and posted these pictures of the expansion joint on that segmental bridge.
"All of our bridges are designed with expansion joints so that they expand at a specific point in the structure and that way it limits the damage to the structure when the temperatures change, whether it shrinks when it gets colder or it expands when it gets warmer," said Hall.
Hall says the expansion joints are either made of a rubber expandable material or a metal cone that expands and contracts as the bridge moves.
These joints are very common along highways and have been around for some time.
"They were originally designed in 1986 and those gaps have been there since 1989," said Hall. "We do get several concerns from the public every 6-12 months."
Hall says the department is looking at some aesthetic solutions to the gaps.
Expansion Joint Of Bridge "Maybe just a shield so that we kind of assuage those customer concerns."