NAPLES, Fla. — One year after a deadly plane crash on Interstate 75 left a gaping hole in a sound barrier wall, repairs are finally underway.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) says crews are making progress on reconstructing the damaged section, located just north of the Golden Gate Parkway exit near mile marker 107.
While the repairs may seem cosmetic to drivers, neighbors on the other side of the wall have spent the past year dealing with increased noise and a constant reminder of the tragedy.
WATCH TO SEE HOW THE WALL LOOKS UP CLOSE AS FDOT NEARS ITS COMPLETION ON THE REPAIRS:
"My neighbors are all kinda frustrated," said Javed Kapadia, who lives just a few 100 feet from where the plane crashed. "As you can hear from the road noise, it's been 13 months, so we're all frustrated that it's taking so long to repair the wall."
The crash, which occurred in February 2024, shook the Naples community. The plane, a Bombardier Challenger 600 series jet, was carrying five people when it crashed on I-75, sending a plume of smoke and debris across the highway.
The pilot and co-pilot were killed.
"At first, I heard a loud boom," Kapadia recalled. "I was upstairs in my house. I thought my wife had driven through the garage and crashed into our house. Then I looked out the window—I saw this huge black smoke, helicopters hovering, and we didn’t know what happened."
Even a year later, Kapadia says the missing section of the wall serves as a lasting reminder of the crash.
"Every time you drive on I-75, it’s a reminder of this plane crash that took the lives of two people," he said.
FDOT says the delay in repairs stemmed from the multi-agency crash investigation, which prevented them from assessing the damage for three months. Once they were able to inspect the site, engineers determined that 33 sections of the sound barrier needed to be either restored or replaced.
In a statement to Fox 4, FDOT said the sound barriers are custom-built and uniquely engineered.
"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," the statement read.
After multiple delays, FDOT says the project is now in its final stages. Officials expect the repairs to be completed by the end of April.
Residents like Kapadia, however, remain skeptical.
"I heard back in December it was going to be started sometime in January, and here we are now at the end of February and nothing’s happened," he said. "So we'll see what happens."
