Expanding the Skyway: Where would you like it to go?

[Metro Jacksonville]

Expanding the Skyway: Where would you like it to go?



The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is seriously considering expanding the Skyway to serve neighborhoods outside of downtown Jacksonville. Where would you like to see the system expanded first?

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2016-nov-expanding-the-skyway-where-would-you-like-it-to-go

[Adam White]

Putting aside questions of feasibility, I think having it run through Riverside and Avondale would make sense. Maybe also extending it through San Marco.

[BridgeTroll]

Brooklyn obviously... Springfield possibly... people mention the stadium district but more cars would need to be added for events.  Those tiny two car pods do not hold enough people for large events...

[JBTripper]

Run it north at grade on Main and 8th to UF with a stop at 4th and Main. Run it southwest at grade along Riverside/St. Johns/Herschel to Roosevelt Square, with stops for 5points, Park&King, and Avondale. Run it south somehow to Atlantic/East San Marco/San Marco Square.

Make Roosevelt Square and UF into park-n-ride stations a la kings ave, and call it a day.

[pierre]

Brooklyn, Riverside

[ProjectMaximus]

1. Brooklyn
2. San Marco

[Jtetlak]

Don't they ask this same question like every 8 months? I feel like I've taken multiple surveys the last couple years on what the future should be for the skyway. Just do it already or give up on it all together. We'd all love to see it stretch from riverside to the stadium, and into San Marco, but in all honesty people will only use it during special events anyway so why invest all the money?

[thelakelander]

The survey is a bit different than others in the past. It has some focus on identifying what destination the public prefers them to focus on first. There's not enough money to do everything at once.

[spuwho]

On the north I would like an extension from Rosa Parks to UF Shands.

On the southbank to San Marco.

On the westbank, Brooklyn/Riverside, as close to 5 points as feasible.

Long term, i dont think the Skyway is feasible for routes like the airport, stadium or the beach.

But if they could come up with a dual purpose system, where Skyway cars stay local, and longer, faster cars go farther, but use the same monorail system the Skyway does.

Kind of like the original Chicago Loop, where not only CTA transit cars were used, but also interurbans would traverse the elevated and use the same stations. This might be useful.

[FlaBoy]

Brooklyn is the most feasible with real benefits but I would really like to see it as close to 5 Points as possible too. I think San Marco would make a lot of sense as well with the new Publix/San Marco Square addition. There is real density in the area that makes parking hard but destinations people want to go to. I think late night hours when events are occurring make a lot of sense, which they are good about sometimes. I would hop on the Skyway and head to Art Walk or when going to the symphony rather than figure out parking.

Why not extend down Bay St. just around the Hyatt/Old Courthouse Annex/Elbow if it still doesn't make sense to go all the way to the Stadium?

[Kerry]

I would love to see fixed-guideway extended into Brooklyn, 5-points, and San Marco...but how do you do it without the visual problems that it brings?  Running an elevated track through 5-Points and San Marco would be an eye-sore.

[thelakelander]

You'd have to find a way to drop it down to grade. In San Marco, that would be easy since it would possibly run adjacent to the FEC tracks down to Atlantic Boulevard. It would be pretty hard to do in Brooklyn without closing several streets. Brooklyn aside, you could get it within walking distance of Five Points by extending it to I-95.

[coredumped]

I'm not sure the people of San Marco would want it, it's a bit unsightly. Whereas a street car could integrate much better on the existing roads.

Is the possibility of using the raised track for a street car out?

It seems like it would cost more now to convert, but expansion from them on would be much cheaper.

[FlaBoy]

It would be an eyesore if you actually took it down into the commercial district but I don't think it would be into a Riverside Park if you did it right along Park.

[coredumped]

But converting it to a street car gives more options for expansion later.