FDOT finds $120 million: Fuller Warren to be widened

[Ocklawaha]

Photo examples of other cities that have created a utopia on the backs of their highways mean little to me... To wit:

BOGOTA




MEDELLIN










Nuff said, any questions?

[mtraininjax]

Needless to say, the community objected much the same as the Riverside community seems to be objecting to this proposal.

hahaha, I don't see the Riverside community jumping up and down condemning this, yet. I don't see anyone but a handful on this board protesting the events.

Like a previous post said, if the FDOT does not spend the 120 million here, in jobs, work and business, they will spend it elsewhere, and they believe it will relieve congestion, and something needs to be done to help the poor residents of Orange Park and Middleburg get onto Blanding faster than trying to weave their way over across multiple lanes of traffic to get on US 17 south. Its a great game of Frogger in its current state! 

[fieldafm]

hahaha, I don't see the Riverside community jumping up and down condemning this, yet. I don't see anyone but a handful on this board protesting the events.

That's because FDOT has deliberately tried to give this issue as little light as possible.  We are making sure people start knowing about this neighborhood killing road. 

[thelakelander]

Like a previous post said, if the FDOT does not spend the 120 million here, in jobs, work and business, they will spend it elsewhere...

Could it be possible that this is okay and that perhaps it should? Is this the only place for an "operational improvement" in the region?

[Kay]

Needless to say, the community objected much the same as the Riverside community seems to be objecting to this proposal.

hahaha, I don't see the Riverside community jumping up and down condemning this, yet. I don't see anyone but a handful on this board protesting the events.

Like a previous post said, if the FDOT does not spend the 120 million here, in jobs, work and business, they will spend it elsewhere, and they believe it will relieve congestion, and something needs to be done to help the poor residents of Orange Park and Middleburg get onto Blanding faster than trying to weave their way over across multiple lanes of traffic to get on US 17 south. Its a great game of Frogger in its current state! 

You are wrong, the Riverside community has already begun to jump up and down and say no more.  The RAP board approved a transportation strategic plan that includes no more highway expansion next to our neighborhood.  We researched the long term TPO plan to see if there was anything on the horizon that would affect us and there was not.  This is a complete surprise. 

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

The widening appears to be taking place on the southside of the bridge. You can see shift to the south where the Park Street ramp goes through that 6-story building instead of just north of it. New infrastructure appears to be highlighted in purple (elevated structure) and blue (ramps).

I understand that part, Lake, but in the picture you show, there are 4 lanes BEFORE the ramp is even figured in on the west-side (Riverside side) of the FWB.



One the east-side (San Marco side), where did those additional lanes go?  I only see 3 passing by the Wolfson Tower.   They don't appear to be adding ANY additional travel lanes, only a dedicated on/off ramp to San Marco.



Seriously?  Add on top of that the lack of bike / ped facilities and you end up with $120 bridge from 5-ponts to San Marco that doesn't really serve anyone else except those few people, unless I'm interpreting these drawings completely wrong, but I don't think I am.

[thelakelander]

There would be four southbound lanes passing by Wolfson. However, the outside lane isn't a through lane at that point. It's marked differently because it is preparing to branch off and feed "Ramp E" (in the image below), which is being built as a part of the Overland Bridge project.



click here for larger images:

Fuller Warren Bridge
http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/gallery/35300233_t5ZXLR#!i=2961827173&k=KRKRQ7m&lb=1&s=A

Overland Bridge
http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/gallery/26320140_fqWPQ5#!i=2192977442&k=VGG7wXL&lb=1&s=X2

[ChriswUfGator]

Needless to say, the community objected much the same as the Riverside community seems to be objecting to this proposal.

hahaha, I don't see the Riverside community jumping up and down condemning this, yet. I don't see anyone but a handful on this board protesting the events.

Like a previous post said, if the FDOT does not spend the 120 million here, in jobs, work and business, they will spend it elsewhere, and they believe it will relieve congestion, and something needs to be done to help the poor residents of Orange Park and Middleburg get onto Blanding faster than trying to weave their way over across multiple lanes of traffic to get on US 17 south. Its a great game of Frogger in its current state! 

You are wrong, the Riverside community has already begun to jump up and down and say no more.  The RAP board approved a transportation strategic plan that includes no more highway expansion next to our neighborhood.  We researched the long term TPO plan to see if there was anything on the horizon that would affect us and there was not.  This is a complete surprise. 

How do residents assist in supporting you on this? This plan is terrible, there is a) no real need for the expansion, the backup comes from the overland bridge on the San Marco side, not from this section of it, and b) with 17 and 95 the way it is now, they've taken enough property in riverside for highways already.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

There would be four southbound lanes passing by Wolfson. However, the outside lane isn't a through lane at that point. It's marked differently because it is preparing to branch off and feed "Ramp E" (in the image below), which is being built as a part of the Overland Bridge project.



click here for larger images:

Fuller Warren Bridge
http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/gallery/35300233_t5ZXLR#!i=2961827173&k=KRKRQ7m&lb=1&s=A

Overland Bridge
http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/gallery/26320140_fqWPQ5#!i=2192977442&k=VGG7wXL&lb=1&s=X2

So then you agree that they're not adding any more 'capacity', only more dedicated on/off ramps.  There are still only going to be the 3 lanes each way.

How is this supposed to 'ease congestion' except for what I interpret as only a few drivers that are going directly from the Park St on ramp to San Marco and/or (now) the Ramp E exit.  Anyone coming from 95-N or I-10 is still going to have to weave over 2-3 lanes to get to their exit.  The traffic getting on at Park street will now have to deal with a higher volume of faster traffic if they plan on continuing SB on I-95. 

IMO, this will actually cause more congestion than we have now due to everyone hitting the same bottleneck at a higher rate of speed. 

[thelakelander]

Oh, I'm not a proponent of this project. I think the $136 million is better spent elsewhere to be honest. However, if it does happen, it needs to address more than moving cars across the river.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Oh, I'm not a proponent of this project. I think the $136 million is better spent elsewhere to be honest. However, if it does happen, it needs to address more than moving cars across the river.

I didn't think you were.  I'm pretty sure you would most definitely have some other plans if you were in charge of spending $136M of the state's money.  I was just asking some questions and you seem to be the only one attempting to provide answers. 

So aside from a lack of additional ACTUAL capacity and a probable complete fail at alleviating any of the backup that occurs already, where do place the odds of this project actually happening?  Or anyone here with any 'inside info'. 

It seems to me, based on the non-info and the amount of work that's already gone into it, that this was 'the plan' all along, but rather than do it all once, someone decided to ensure that he/she would be collecting a check for 20 years instead of 10.

[fieldafm]

It seems to me, based on the non-info and the amount of work that's already gone into it, that this was 'the plan' all along, but rather than do it all once, someone decided to ensure that he/she would be collecting a check for 20 years instead of 10.

That's pretty spot on analysis.

This plan has to be stopped.

[mtraininjax]

You are wrong, the Riverside community has already begun to jump up and down and say no more.  The RAP board approved a transportation strategic plan that includes no more highway expansion next to our neighborhood.  We researched the long term TPO plan to see if there was anything on the horizon that would affect us and there was not.  This is a complete surprise.

Kay, I think the idea of spending all this money to fix something that we all knew was going to be an issue is lunacy. But the reality is that FDOT does what it wants where it wants to who it wants, with little that the "little guy" can do or say. As it stands now, the Riverside Dog park has to spend THOUSANDS of dollars cleaning up the mess that FDOT left behind with the last attempt of fixing the Fuller Warren, and RAP cannot get FDOT to clean up their old mess. How do you plan to address the new Mess and get better results? If this is a knife fight, better bring a gun, you need more ammo than passing out stickers at RAM saying no more Fuller Warren.

[mtraininjax]

going to be interesting, i think.

I agree with you, but the results of dealing with FDOT so far are, FDOT does not really care.

[thelakelander]

Full house at today's TPO meeting. This project is on the agenda for discussion. I'll provide an update when the time comes...