JTA shifting towards mass transit?

[exnewsman]

Thank you sir.

[cline]

The City Council is basically telling JTA to focus on mass transit.

Wow.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-03-29/story/jta-might-soon-be-out-road-building-business

Bishop and Crescembeni have made it very clear over the past eyars that that don't like anything about JTA. 

Well honestly, what is there to like about JTA?  Unless of course you like a piss poor mass transit system run by an inept organization. 

As far as laziness...you've got the head of JTA pushing 300k a year and quite a few others getting close to 200k a year that all basically do nothing.  Now that's laziness.  But hey, I guess you can't really blame them.  I mean, why actually try and do anything when you're making a six figure salary off of the taxpayers and you have no accountability.

[dougskiles]

The thing that gets me is the duplication of administrative effort.  FDOT is more than capable of managing road construction projects on a larger level.  And COJ Public Works does a fine job on the smaller city projects.  There simply is no need to have a third group in the mix.

[JeffreyS]

The thing that gets me is the duplication of administrative effort.  FDOT is more than capable of managing road construction projects on a larger level.  And COJ Public Works does a fine job on the smaller city projects.  There simply is no need to have a third group in the mix.

+1

[Anti redneck]

I never understood why JTA was in charge of building roads. That was a bonehead idea to give them road-building duties. I would like to see better road systems here, though. I brought this up before, why not build an expressway that goes from downtown to the beaches? It shouldn't be that hard to do.

[Dashing Dan]

I brought this up before, why not build an expressway that goes from downtown to the beaches? It shouldn't be that hard to do.

The Hart Bridge was built as the first leg of a downtown to beaches expressway, but I think that the development along Beach Blvd made that into a bad idea. 

The J Turner Butler is an expressway to the beaches, but you have to go down I-95 a few miles to get to it.

[Anti redneck]

I brought this up before, why not build an expressway that goes from downtown to the beaches? It shouldn't be that hard to do.

The Hart Bridge was built as the first leg of a downtown to beaches expressway, but I think that the development along Beach Blvd made that into a bad idea. 

The J Turner Butler is an expressway to the beaches, but you have to go down I-95 a few miles to get to it.

I was thinking more along the lines of visitors coming in from I-10 east. They already fixed that issue for those coming from I-95 north. It would just be nice to see something get done from the other way. I'm sure there's a way to work it out.

[Charles Hunter]

Historically, JTA started in the 1950s as the Jacksonville EXPRESSWAY Authority.  It became "Transportation" in the early 1970s when they acquired the private bus operator.  As noted above, the Hart Expressway was the first phase of an expressway to the beaches - the leg that ends at Parental Home Road would have continued southeast, then follow the Butler alignment from around UNF.  But, certain interests stopped it.

[Know Growth]

   JUATS file

JUATS 2015.  Amendment  July 1997.  Draft MPO Jacksonville Urban  Area Transportation Study Long Range Transportation Plan

Post-it notes in the file;
JTA expand to REGIONAL
Promoted by C.A.C./MPO
Stephen Jensen-Chair (president of road building co.) ph 268 7766.   "cool reception"
MPO Calvin Burney

Cheers!- North Miami

Edited to completely spell Chair's name

[Anti redneck]

Historically, JTA started in the 1950s as the Jacksonville EXPRESSWAY Authority.  It became "Transportation" in the early 1970s when they acquired the private bus operator.  As noted above, the Hart Expressway was the first phase of an expressway to the beaches - the leg that ends at Parental Home Road would have continued southeast, then follow the Butler alignment from around UNF.  But, certain interests stopped it.

Any way to get those interests going again?

[cline]

Jax already has plenty of expressways.  We don't need anymore.  JTB serves as the "expressway" to the beach.  It's limited access (for the most part), is directly linked to I-95, and takes you straight to the beach. 

[thelakelander]

You think the Outer Beltway or SR 9B is a lot of cash, just try blasting an expressway to the beach from downtown now.  That will certainly run you over a billion.  If we do find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, we just might want to use it on maintaining what we already have.  After all, at some point the Mathews Bridge will need some work and it alone might consume that billion.

[Dashing Dan]

The Hart Bridge Expressway, the skyway, the Kings Avenue Garage, and the Outer Beltway.  I'm picking up a theme here.

Instead of "The Bold New City of the South" or "Where Florida Begins" we should call ourselves the home of half-baked transportation projects.

[Fallen Buckeye]

Just curiosity, but what kinds of qualifications does a person need to direct an organization like JTA? Are these guys mostly engineers or something like that? Are there specialized degrees that are applicable to the mass transit field and others that more applicable to road construction and city planning? It's something that I have no background in, so I was just wondering.

[Anti redneck]

You think the Outer Beltway or SR 9B is a lot of cash, just try blasting an expressway to the beach from downtown now.  That will certainly run you over a billion.  If we do find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, we just might want to use it on maintaining what we already have.  After all, at some point the Mathews Bridge will need some work and it alone might consume that billion.

If you think about it, it would not be that much to connect Hart Bridge Expressway to JTB. While you're at it, connect it to 9A as well. At least finish the job. 9B and Outer Beltway, I haven't even heard about that in a while. Have they even done anything with that?

Furthermore, is the Outer Beltway and 9B really necessary? To me, those look like projects that can be put off for a while until the very end.