Florida 9B, linking 9A and U.S. 1, moving forward

[tufsu1]

Stephen, the referendum is called an election....we don't live in a democracy and never have...we elect people to represent us....if you don't like what they do, then throw them out!

But go ahead and hold a referndum in St. Johns County on whether SR 9B should be built or not...heck, so it in Duval too....you might be surprised by the results.

[tufsu1]

sorry...never meant to say the "people" put the project as #1....guess I should have been more clear in that the St. Johns County Commission has determined it to be their #1 Priority Transportation Project.

as for sprawl...it has different meanings for people....in my case it has always been about a certain aesthetic (i.e., strip retail) or leapfrog development....but building on undeveloped land adjacent to developed areas is not automatically sprawl to me.

[stjr]

sorry...never meant to say the "people" put the project as #1....guess I should have been more clear in that the St. Johns County Commission has determined it to be their #1 Priority Transportation Project.

as for sprawl...it has different meanings for people....in my case it has always been about a certain aesthetic (i.e., strip retail) or leapfrog development....but building on undeveloped land adjacent to developed areas is not automatically sprawl to me.

Well, maybe the St. Johns County commissioners should butt out of making decisions they are not qualified to make.  It's clear they have no idea what they are doing if this is the best way they could come up with to spend over $200+ millii on ultimate transportation dollars for their county.  Total incompetence to me.

As to urban sprawl, here is one definition highlighted by Wikipedia:

Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs over rural land and to its outskirts.

Based on this definition, I would say expanding to adjacent undeveloped land is the epitome of urban sprawl.  This highlights the problem:  Sprawl happens daily in front of us, but we often fail to recognize it until we come to the all-too-late recognition that we have swallowed up all those great undeveloped and natural open spaces with a bunch of mundane tract housing and strip shopping centers around a multilaned strip of asphalt.  Any area around the First Coast pretty much qualifies with more candidates joining the club daily.

[CS Foltz]

Makes me wonder just who is gonna make out on this deal.....sure won't be the public! We get to pay for the road and the developers get to make houses with fancy names! I sure wish my tax dollars were used wisely and by the way......I do keep track of how my Representatives vote and if they get too out of the mainstream then I make note ....sooner or later they have to come up for reelection and if they have not done their job.....they are gone period! But that's just my take!

[stjr]

Darts to the T-U for blindly supporting growth and urban sprawl with this endorsement editorial just posted in support of 9B.  A bunch of exaggerated, self serving statements about traffic relief with the best support they could muster of "holds much promise" and "could."  What basis is that for building this road? Very weak thinking but what do you expect for a pork barrel project.  I especially "like" the logic that finishing the first phase justifies building the next phase.  Urban sprawl at its best, T-U!  Once again, misplaced priorities for our limited transportation funding.  Shame on the T-U for selling out on this one.  Who got to you?

I like the cite at the end of all the usual bureaucratic and developer-friendly agencies and politicos who made this project possible.  I hope everyone clips it out, puts it on the refrigerator, and remembers it the next time they vote!  Of course, three (JTA, MPO, and NFRC) of the EMPOWERING groups are UNELECTED officials.  How convenient.  Maybe their makeup and control should be an item for the Charter Review Commission.

Florida 9B: Success at last

    * Story updated at 12:25 AM on Monday, Oct. 19, 2009

Bids are being sought for construction on Florida 9B.

Those words - so elusive for years - are finally reality.

The Florida Department of Transportation started advertising for the work from Florida 9A to U.S. 1 in Southeast Jacksonville this week.

The $82.4 million project made possible by federal stimulus money will extend a road that holds much promise in relieving traffic in parts of Duval and St. Johns counties, although the St. Johns County part that would extend to County Road 2209 remains unfunded.

But just getting to this point has been the major challenge - and represents a major victory.

The state earmarked money for the initial part of the road into its five-year plans, but those plans shifted in and out of focus, making Florida 9B a road on paper that seemed to elude traction for getting done.

Much to their credit, however, various local politicos refused to let Florida 9B slip out of the public consciousness.

The expansion of the Jacksonville port and the role 9B could play in providing another outlet for truck traffic gave local leaders new ammunition for arguing the case of the road to various agencies and the state Legislature.

They made various pleas to the leadership of the state Legislature and the Florida DOT for the worthiness of funding.

When federal stimulus money became available from other work that came in under budget, Florida 9B wasn't an afterthought.

The initial phase of the road is now on target to be completed in 2012. Having that section done will make a stronger case for finishing the rest of the project in St. Johns County.

It's nice to see a project of tomorrow become a project of today at long last.

local leaders helped Florida 9B: The project was kept on the front burner by trying to earmark local money that shows a local government commitment for luring state and federal help. Some of the leaders: Some members of the Jacksonville City Council, the St. Johns County Commission, First Coast Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Northeast Florida Regional Council and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2009-10-19/story/florida_9b_success_at_last

[reednavy]

Sounds like a broken record.

[TD*]

Can I get a map of where this proposed road will go?

Im not a Jax Native, I live over here in Tally.

[TD*]

Furthermore, how is this justified? I did a small bit of research and if I understand correctly this will only cut off less than 10 miles distance to 95 South..


How is that efficient?

I dont get it at All....

[CS Foltz]

TD*.........if you go back through this thread you will find a projected map of both the 9A and B route. Pork at it's most magnificent best! Too bad the TU Article did not give names on the COJ Council members who pushed for the this...........I would take bets that Daniel Davis was one just off the top of my head due to his ties with the Builders Association (at least I don't remember him resigning as President of that organization) This is just one more example of the GOB Network hard add it.....not only do we get to pay to build it, we get to pay to maintain it.......wow! What a deal for the taxpayers!

[tufsu1]

stjr....two fact flaws with your rant above

1. The MPO (or TPO as its now called) does include localgovt. elected officials
2. The Charter Review Commission has no jurisdiction over regional bodies like the TPO or NEFRC....and I'm not as convinced as some that they have any say over the makeup of JTA either

The other major problem is the issue about the extension.....while I have never been a fan of 9B, constructing the road only to US 1 is useless....it needs to connect 9A to I-95...and an extension to Racetrack Road would provide a better grid system and minimize the traffic impacts of the Julington Creek area (which is Duval and St. Johns counties) on SR 13 and US 1.

I would agree that any further extensions are purely sprawl inducers.

[thelakelander]

From the look of things, the most needed section is the southern half of it (I-95 and South).  This would at least tie in Race Track Road with an interchange at I-95, thus relieving 210.  The first phase seems to be redundant with I-95 and 9A already in place, but does open that area up to sprawl growth if that's the goal (which I suspect it may be if you dig deep enough behind the concept).

[tufsu1]

I'm still confused as to how the area north of I-95 gets opened up for development as a result of SR 9B...this area can already be accessed from US 1 and 9B won't have any other interchanges.

[thelakelander]

When I get some time, I'll post a few land use maps and further explain how it will open land for future development.

[reednavy]

Lake, the southern half would also help relieve San Jose BLVD because of Julington Creek Plantation.

[CS Foltz]

lake..........I agree with your gut feeling, opening up that area for development! They can hem and haw all they want.....developer nirvana and away we go.......I give it maybe 2 to 3 years tops and viola........another high dollar development will be kicking off!! We get to pay for it and maintain it .....lucky us! I would really like to know just who on the COJ Council was pushing for this......already posted Davis who has his builder buddies in mind I am sure, just not quite sure who else had a finger in that pie!