The Shands Bridge, which will be closed from Friday to Sunday for maintenance. | Florida Department of Transportation
Published on May 14, 2026 at 11:00 am
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A heads-up for motorists: The Shands Bridge will be shut down all weekend for maintenance — but the Buckman Bridge will remain open.
The Florida Department of Transportation will close all lanes on the Shands from 9 p.m. Friday through 4 a.m. Sunday.
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The bridge crosses the St. Johns River between Clay and St. Johns counties.
During the closure, drivers can use the Buckman Bridge as a detour. FDOT has been closing lanes on the Buckman every weekend to replace the structure’s steel joints, but the bridge will remain open this weekend.
Detouring from the Shands to the Buckman will add about 21 miles through Clay County for drivers on the west side of the St. Johns River, and almost 30 miles for those detouring on the river’s east side through Fruit Cove and Mandarin.
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Another possibility is detouring south to the Memorial Bridge in Palatka, which is about a 60-mile round trip.
FDOT has done numerous single-lane and full closures of the Shands Bridge since late 2024 for maintenance projects.
Meanwhile, construction on the new Shands Bridge continues next to the existing span. The $595 million project will create a four-lane span connecting Clay and St. Johns counties as part of the First Coast Expressway.
A number of columns that will support the new bridge — 60-inch pile bents — are now in place.
The new 9,300-foot bridge will have a 65-foot vertical clearance versus the current span’s 45-foot height, meaning taller ships can transit the St. Johns River.
The new bridge also will have a pedestrian/bicycle path. Parts of the current span will remain as fishing piers and recreation areas.
The bridge is estimated to be done in 2029.
