JTA meetings on the future of the Skyway

[thelakelander]

I hope they fixed the online survey. It was pretty screwy when I took it. It did not let me rank the alternatives in an order according to my priorities, even though thats what the question asked the participants to do. I will be waiting to see what the survey results say. I suspect the answers to that particular question will be flawed.

[MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain]

Out of curiosity, in addition to San Marco, can the King Street be extended to go down Phillips with a stop at the ice rink around Emerson and back over the Hart for a true circular loop? Is this feasible?

Sometimes it feels like "this" side of the old Jacksonville city limits gets overlooked - Spring Park and St Nicholas. Along Phillips is a slow process but getting redeveloped. I compare it to Mayport was and now.

In addition, all talks for creating a urban pathway Emerald Trail goes to other neighborhoods but none extended there - while there is much history and a mini shopping center that could thrive given the opportunity.

Last night someone lost their life on a bicycle - very tragic. Seems like not much focus is being put into improving that area for a more walkable pedestrian/bicycle friendly neighborhood that links up with other parts of the Emerald Trail is all I'm saying. Even driving on Arlington Rd, you see improvements.

[marcuscnelson]

^ In theory, with enough money you can do anything. In practice, that's about an 8-mile loop and the Skyway's mode choice (automated people mover) is probably too slow to make that ideal, on top of the cost of either making major modifications to the Hart Bridge, replacing it altogether, or adding a separate bridge to accommodate trains.

I think it makes sense to extend the Skyway about a mile to the south (to about River Oaks Rd), after which a different mode becomes preferable for longer-distance travel. That's already a pretty old idea to my understanding.

That area has been getting a lot of investment lately via the various I-95 widenings, I think the question is of the desire to shift that kind of investment into developing the trail and transit infrastructure. Hendricks Ave, Philips Highway, and along the FEC (perhaps under an added Skyway guideway a'la the Underline in Miami are all potential ideas, but they need the density to make up for them. The state has also gotten much more intransigent about lane reductions to accommodate things like protected bike lanes or dedicated transit lanes, and you're always going to have people who show up to public meetings claiming they're not needed. All challenges to be addressed.

Separately, I noticed in The Jaxson article this week the mention that:

Notably, an automated people mover manufacturer has expressed interest in refurbishing the full 10-car fleet and potentially adding a third car per train. This upgrade alone could increase capacity from 56 to 84 passengers per train, a roughly 50% gain.

Do we know who this is? Are they actually capable of this for a reasonable price?

[tufsu1]

I hope they fixed the online survey. It was pretty screwy when I took it. It did not let me rank the alternatives in an order according to my priorities, even though thats what the question asked the participants to do. I will be waiting to see what the survey results say. I suspect the answers to that particular question will be flawed.

It worked fine for me this week

[thelakelander]

^ In theory, with enough money you can do anything. In practice, that's about an 8-mile loop and the Skyway's mode choice (automated people mover) is probably too slow to make that ideal, on top of the cost of either making major modifications to the Hart Bridge, replacing it altogether, or adding a separate bridge to accommodate trains.

I think it makes sense to extend the Skyway about a mile to the south (to about River Oaks Rd), after which a different mode becomes preferable for longer-distance travel. That's already a pretty old idea to my understanding.

That area has been getting a lot of investment lately via the various I-95 widenings, I think the question is of the desire to shift that kind of investment into developing the trail and transit infrastructure. Hendricks Ave, Philips Highway, and along the FEC (perhaps under an added Skyway guideway a'la the Underline in Miami are all potential ideas, but they need the density to make up for them. The state has also gotten much more intransigent about lane reductions to accommodate things like protected bike lanes or dedicated transit lanes, and you're always going to have people who show up to public meetings claiming they're not needed. All challenges to be addressed.

Separately, I noticed in The Jaxson article this week the mention that:

Notably, an automated people mover manufacturer has expressed interest in refurbishing the full 10-car fleet and potentially adding a third car per train. This upgrade alone could increase capacity from 56 to 84 passengers per train, a roughly 50% gain.

Do we know who this is? Are they actually capable of this for a reasonable price?

Schwager Davis Inc. (SDI). Somewhere around $50 million, extending the system's life by another 10-15 years.

[marcuscnelson]

Interesting, so between overhauling the trains to have a full 10-train fleet again, replacing the train control system, repairing the guideway (given likely deferred maintenance), probably updating the O&M facility, and getting a station open in Brooklyn, how much might that be? I believe this initial PD&E is already $6 million or so, so that already leaves about $234 million (plus the $7 million fleet budget that is in theory for Holon shuttles).



Also, I see from the image above and previous efforts that there's been talk about extending the trains by one car before. However, the station platforms are at least 100 feet long, potentially closer to 120 feet. Is there any technical or engineering reason the trains could not be made longer still for added capacity, such as the below? Is that a maintenance facility issue?



If enough can be saved in how the overhaul is done, perhaps those funds can then shift towards things like operating on late nights and weekends, or looking to expand the system further (to Ford on Bay or Atlantic Blvd, perhaps). Or reviving the original Brooklyn Station plan: