Fuller Warren Bridge Replacement - Major Missed Opportunity for Jacksonville

[Charles Hunter]

There was a study for replacing it: http://www.mathewsbridge.com/master.asp?menuChoice=home
but nobody has the huge amounts of money needed - I don't know if that site has costs, but I seem to remember around $600 million just for the bridge, from the MLK to University (that may include rebuilding those two interchanges).  Rebuilding the two expressways was another several hundred million.

I did hear that DOT plans to repaint it, once they finish repainting the Hart (which just got started).

[billy]

They did complete the surface replacement.

[reednavy]

Thank God, and people still can't drive over the bridge.

[mtraininjax]

If you think about it, there is no bigger tourist attraction than the Fuller Warren (I-95) Bridge downtown.

You want to make a bridge a tourist trap? What and take away from the Fountain of Youth or the Old Jail down in St. Augustine? Wait, Clarke, is that the world's largest ball of mud a short drive down Forsyth to Newnan to Bay? Could it be, it is, the Shipyards mound of mud. Where once stood proud ships and a ship building business now stands mounds of mud.

2nd place award goes to the old JEA Generating grounds on the southside. Nice field of dreams.

[david ml]

I agree with most writers that the Fuller Warren Bridge is just another featureless ugly FDOT project.  When it was being designed, I attended a couple of "Citizen Advisory Group" meetings to discuss the 'aesthetics' of the bridge.  It was clear early on that the committee was just window dressing to give the appearance of legitimacy to the design process.  In fact, the design was already set and the design firm (based in Washington state) had no intention of making any changes. Public input was viewed as a necessary evil, but was also ignored.

So...that train has left the station.  What's next ?  The Matthews Bridge is slated for replacement. I've seen a couple of concepts being floated by FDOT - One was appallingly ugly, the other was just regular ugly.  We could use a really great bridge in place of the current Matthews Bridge - but we'll need a designer like Santiago Calatrava (Spain) or Norman Foster (Britain) in charge of the design.  There are a lot of good people at FDOT, but the agency is not structured to produce great design.  In fact, they are structured as a typical state bureaucracy in which conformity is rewarded, and controversy is avoided at all cost.  We could use a citizen bridge design advocacy group to engage City Hall in the quest for a great new bridge.

[BridgeTroll]

Welcome David... We look forward to your insight!

[mtraininjax]

So...that train has left the station.  What's next ?  The Matthews Bridge is slated for replacement. I've seen a couple of concepts being floated by FDOT - One was appallingly ugly, the other was just regular ugly.  We could use a really great bridge in place of the current Matthews Bridge

Before we replace the Matthews Bridge, we MUST deal with the ships below and move this traffic further North. The City must move the large ships north of Tallyrand, in exchange for a bridge no taller than that of the Acosta. Why do we need a bridge that will last for 50+ years be 60+ feet high? MOve the ships, save the money and in the process, add a rail line over the bridge. How many contemporary bridges that are 60+ feet high also feature a rail system too?

[Charles Hunter]

"Add a rail system" to a new Mathews Bridge??  Aren't you contradicting just about every other post you've made on this board, mtraininjax? Although, I agree, the new bridge (that no one can afford) should accommodate [rail] transit.

That said, I'm not sure it needs to be 150' but 60' is too low - need to find out how tall the ships are that serve the concrete facilities (those towers you can see from the stadium) between the Mathews and Hart (or pay to move those operations north).  Also I think it would be too low for even the small Intracoastal cruise ships that now come to the Hyatt.  And of course, we could forget any "tall ships" (sailing vessels) coming downtown.

[thelakelander]

Most of the large ships, south of the Matthews, are there because of the North Florida Shipyards.  They would have to be bought out and it would be shortsighted to eliminate the possibility of large ships accessing the downtown riverfront.

[brainstormer]

I think the new bridge should be a tunnel.  Can you imagine something like the Dames Point that close to downtown?  I think it would look really awkward.

[Ocklawaha]

"Add a rail system" to a new Mathews Bridge??  Aren't you contradicting just about every other post you've made on this board, mtraininjax? Although, I agree, the new bridge (that no one can afford) should accommodate [rail] transit.

That said, I'm not sure it needs to be 150' but 60' is too low - need to find out how tall the ships are that serve the concrete facilities (those towers you can see from the stadium) between the Mathews and Hart (or pay to move those operations north).  Also I think it would be too low for even the small Intracoastal cruise ships that now come to the Hyatt.  And of course, we could forget any "tall ships" (sailing vessels) coming downtown.

I'm certain that the new bridge will have transit lanes, be it rail, BRT or even Skyway.

Y'all need to know the Concrete Plant Silos are coming down - SOON. Looks like application has already been made and a redesign of Comadore Point is in the works. The Shipyard is going to expand, Mason Marine may expand too. The rail links might be lost.

OCKLAWAHA

[Charles Hunter]

By "the Shipyard" do you mean that non-existent multi-use non-development by Maxwell House, or a real honest-to-goodness place that works on ships?

[thelakelander]

North Florida Shipyards.  Its a real honest-to-goodness place that works on ships, that's also cramped for space.

[Steve]

Every study that I've seen about the Mathews bridge has made provisions for at least one transit lane in either direction.  So, as soon as we get the 1.5 Courthouses (this is my new monetary term) that it will cost to build this thing, we should be all set.

[NotNow]

I like Ock's idea!  I would like to see development of more bike, run, walk trails on the Northbank and the Southbank as well as joining them up.  Add in some pretty riverside park space with picnic/exercise/vendor attractions (old generating station, maybe?) and downtown becomes much more attractive and livable.