Southeast Corridor BRT & Regional Transit Hearings

[Jdog]

Reminder regarding the following public hearings:

February 23 - Northeast Regional Transportation Public Meeting
March 10 - BRT for the Southeast Corridor

www.jtafla.com/

[Jdog]

I'm not going to attend this meeting...but I have a few comments / questions if anybody has the answers...

1. JTA website says the SE Corridor BRT is predominantly on "existing rights of way."  Does this mean there won't be new pavement but just a reallocation of an existing piece of pavement / lane to the buses?   
2. I've read that BRT stations can become expensive and still have shortcomings. So the BRT stop at Philips Highway and Baymeadows will have exit / entrances to both the east side and west side of Philips Highway (i.e., an elevated crosswalk from one side of the street to the other?). Or, for example, would I park east of Philips Highway, take the bus north from a station and, upon return, have to walk across Philips Highway at grade to go back towards my original departure location?
3. JTA website says there will be a multi-modal station near the Avenues Mall.  I don't know what the other modes of transportation will be.  A possible future commuter rail stop will be afforded space?

I can tell other people are much more knowledgeable than me, but these are questions from an average Joe who's spent a little time doing some Internet searches. 

Thanks everybody for the good website!           

[dougskiles]

Here are my questions:

How much is the SE Corridor BRT going to cost?

If JTA builds the BRT line, does that hurt the potential for a commuter rail that would essentially be along the same corridor?

I will try to go to the March 10th meeting and if I do, I will ask your questions also Jdog.

[Jdog]

Appreciated. 

[thelakelander]

The Southeast BRT route will cost $25 million and it will hurt the potential of commuter rail along the same corridor.  There also won't be any dedicated bus lanes for the most part (its not like there's a need for them anyway). Buses will share existing lanes with existing traffic. The majority of the cost will go to pay for new buses.

[Jdog]

I don't know if JTA expects that to have an impact on how developers think and plan, but I'll say this: Without a literal, physical separation between busing pavement and auto pavement, it would have zero impact on my thinking as a developer. 

[thelakelander]

You're right but unfortunately, economic development isn't one of the top priorities for BRT.

[Charles Hunter]

But there is already one "TOD" proposed on Philips, San Marco Square was one name it has had, that will use the presence of the JTA Southeast BRT corridor as justification for getting TOD zoning.

[thelakelander]

However, their plans actually show commuter rail and a skyway extension, not BRT.  By the way, just because we call it TOD doesn't actually make it one.  There's nothing about the Jackson Square plan that suggests its being designed with transit as a central element.  Quite simply, its just a denser development than what is typically allowed in Jax and could be built, irregardless of whether BRT happens or not.  Thus, its really a transit adjacent development (TAD).

[Charles Hunter]

Oh, I agree with you - but the developer is calling it TOD.  And by "their plans" you mean the developer's not JTA's, right? Especially about the Skyway, and JTA now says a Commuter Rail station could be in the Emerson/Jackson Square area.

[thelakelander]

Here is the developer's original site layout.  I stand corrected.  This layout would be a TOD because it is designed with transit as the central anchor.  The developer's sketch shows a skyway/commuter rail station at the center, with a local bus coming into the development to access the rail station.  However, this isn't what JTA has produced to date.