Emergency approval for additional funding will allow Riverplace Boulevard work to begin
Aerial view of Riverplace Boulevard between Prudential Drive and Main Street to undergo a “road diet.”
Riverplace Boulevard is finally starting its long-awaited “road diet” that will make the street on the Southbank slower-paced and pedestrian friendly.
The project was put out for bid last fall but the bids, opened in December, were over budget. In March, District 5 Councilwoman Lori Boyer pushed through an emergency measure adding $642,663 to the project budget.
The $6 million project, unveiled in 2015, will reduce the street from five lanes to three and includes the addition of bike lanes, crosswalks, wider sidewalks, shade trees, landscaping and lighting, access to the Riverwalk and 36 on-street parking spaces.
The goal is to give the road between Main Street and Prudential Drive a more neighborhood feel, in keeping with the changing character of the area, said Boyer, who represents the area.
The Southbank is home to a number of office buildings, but in the last decade, three high-rises – The Strand, The Peninsula and San Marco Place – have brought hundreds of residents to the Southbank. And a new complex, the Broadstone on the River, is expected to be completed by this summer.
To the east, The District – Life Well Lived, a mixed-use development, could break ground by fall on 30 acres of riverfront land owned by the JEA.
In addition, efforts are underway to activate the riverfront with the renovation of Friendship Fountain and the addition of thematic pocket parks along the renovated Riverwalk. The bike lanes will tie into the new bike lanes being installed on Hendricks Avenue, giving cyclists a dedicated path from southern Jacksonville to downtown.
Boyer is hoping restaurants and retail will be attracted to the area.
The project was delayed because underground utility lines were incorrectly located on JEA maps and the design had to be adjusted.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
By Lilla Ross
Resident Community News
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