Stolen copper wiring leaves Wonderwood Bridge in the dark as neighbors raise safety concerns

Neighbors are raising safety concerns over the lack of light on the Wonderwood Bridge, where the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says more than $120,000 worth of copper wiring has been stolen.

With it getting darker much earlier, more than a dozen lights are out at the end of the bridge, where it should be pretty lit.

“It’s pretty scary, you know, I drive there with my kids every day,” said Megan McGowan, who has lived a block away from the Wonderwood Bridge for four years.

She says it’s been dark for as long as she can remember.

“You don’t see anything, especially when you’re at the very top of the bridge. You can see other cars maybe coming up, but you just see their lights,” McGowan said.

Action News Jax saw boxes on both sides of the bridge left open and exposed because people are stealing the wiring inside. So when the sun goes down, many of the lights don’t come on.

Residents like John Sternad worry about people walking. He says it’s been like this on and off for years.

“I won’t walk that bridge unless I’m armed,” Sternad said. “I don’t want anybody jumping out and trying to rob me or possibly kill me.”

A police report from April names the City of Jacksonville as the victim of a grand theft of more than $100,000. The report lays out multiple incidents, once in 2024 and again in January of this year.

“It’s pretty ridiculous,” McGowan said.

Action News Jax started asking questions to see if the issue is any closer to being resolved. JEA said it didn’t know if the lights were on and told Action News Jax to reach out to the city. The City of Jacksonville says it is still looking into it and referred us to the Florida Department of Transportation.

FDOT says it has replaced wiring over the years. In a statement, the agency said in part:

“FDOT will continue working with its partners to repair damage and maintain the infrastructure. However, repairs alone cannot prevent someone from intentionally damaging electrical infrastructure.”

Residents say they’re being left in the dark, especially ahead of the end of daylight saving time on Saturday.

“I think everyone here around here just wants the lights back on so that we can see when we drive over the big bridge,” McGowan said.

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