One year after a Bombardier jet lost both engines and crashed on I-75 near the Golden Gate Parkway exit, the site looks almost frozen in time.
The crash killed both pilots, Edward Daniel Murphy and Ian Frederick Hofmann, while the three passengers on board survived. The impact destroyed a section of the highway’s sound wall, which has yet to be repaired.
For drivers passing by, the damage serves as a stark reminder of the tragedy. Residents who live behind the wall, like Jason Brick, want to know why it hasn't been fixed.
“I don't know why the delay. You know, it is a year. We woke up saying the same thing, like, wow, it's been a year. It's crazy that they haven't fixed it,” Brick said.
Brick believes the repairs should have been prioritized.
“There’s plenty of money in this area, you know, and especially FDOT, to be able to put it back together for people so we don’t have to look at it, be reminded by it,” he said.
The Florida Department of Transportation says it began assessing the damage once the Federal Aviation Administration released the site back to them in February 2024.
In a statement, FDOT said they had to "review the impact to the posts to determine how far out from the actual crash site that the foundations of the sound barrier wall could have been compromised. FDOT will continue working to restore and repaint the 30 sections of soundwall which were inspected and deemed repairable. Simultaneously, the construction subcontractor has been preparing to replace the 3 sections which were deemed unrepairable."
However, the agency now says there have been “unforeseen delays” in the rebuilding process.
"Rebuilding even one section is a time-consuming task. Unfortunately, we have had unforeseen delays that have extended the timeline of the restoration and repair effort," FDOT said in the same statement.
FDOT says repairs to the sound wall should be completed by late April.