New fight over Atlantic-Kernan overpass

[Ocklawaha]

Lake, Big Ben,

I understand from some of our friends at City Council, the local "mall" or business owners at the intersections were told of the interchanges and fly-overs before they built. The City, perhaps through JTA issued a  proposal for access that was flatly ignored by the developers! Now the same developers are leading the charge to try and force the City to conform to their bad decisions. Really a quagmire, but it looks like the Beaches and local citizens have had their say. This appears rare in Jacksonville, perhaps only these interchanges and the homeless seafood restaurant in LaVilla, leave the City in some innocence. LOL.

As for Light Rail to the Beaches, there are lots of ways it COULD happen. There is no problem with LRV's using a "tight" street such as 1st.  (The original Jacksonville and Atlantic/FEC went up the center of the blocks between 1st and 2nd, and a spur went south to Ponte Vedra). Just consider the Trolley/LRV as an 8' wide bus type vehicle, if it shares the lane (track in the street) it doesn't remove that lane from regular traffic. Stop at a light and the trolley/LRV can stop right behind you, turn right and the trolley/LRV might continue on down the same street... no problem. The great thing about light rail is while it CAN and DOES operate as a bus in tight urban or beach settings, it can get to the edge of town, climb up on its own private railroad track, and race to the next station oblivious to traffic. Perhaps we should start looking for a route?  

Ocklawaha

[thelakelander]

I've heard the story with the claim that Sleiman knew the interchange was going in when he built the shopping centers.  Nevertheless, I don't think thats an important enough reason to move forward with spending an additional $10 to $20 million for an overpass that in reality, won't do much to improve traffic flow in the long run.  To claim to be broke, we tend to easily throw away a lot of taxpayer dollars every chance we get. 



As I said earlier, due to poor planning/zoning practices and infrastructure layouts, the future of this thing has Pinellas County's US 19 congestion nightmare written all over it.  An overpass today, one tomorrow, congestion still occurs and then you're looking at spending a billion converting the thing into an expressway with service roads.  We will never be able to pave ourselves out of traffic congestion.  I know there are those out there who don't like Sleiman, but this is bigger than Sleiman and Beach residents who want to get home a couple of minutes faster at the expense of other communities adjacent to these things.  What's the greater/vision plan for relieving traffic in this sprawling area and what is its impact on the surrounding neighborhoods?  Is there a greater plan in play or are we still applying reactionary band aids to a larger problem that won't be going away?

The Kernan Boulevard Issues Effect Us All

The proposed changes to the Crabapple Cove entrance will result in no left turn out for residents and no left turn in. The on-going plan to build an overpass at Kernan and Atlantic (to relieve 1 hour of congestion, 2 times a day) will result in all association members' property values being adversely affected, not to mention the additional noise. Overpasses are unsightly and generally neglected once complete (landscaping, etc.) If there is one overpass in Jacksonville that resulted in property values in it's general area NOT falling- let us know where it is.

www.riverpoint-monumentlanding.com/newshappenings.html

[Ocklawaha]

It's more of the good old "Better the devil you know, then the devil you don't." So we keep on building our band-aid freeways and overpasses, throughout Florida, with 4 lanes. Other places, wouldn't consider any of these roads large enough to really be effective. California, would build a freeway from scratch with 8 lanes. We have had them for 40 years and many are still only 4.
This speaks volumes to our transportation planning. Had the Arlington Expressway been built large enough for urban traffic, or at least planned with 8 - 10 lanes in mind, and extended to the Beach in the first place, this might not even be a question. The City is also full of "might have been" roads that would serve as relievers in rush hour. The Hart-Beach Blvd expressway, 20Th St bridge-Arlington North Expressway, Emerson St. Connector, JTB-St. Johns bridge extension, even a Blanding-Roosevelt Expressway. None of these would have cured the rush hour blues, and none would take care of our traffic forever, but a good system of arterials, expressways AND fixed guideway mass transit, layered by grid and mode, would go a long way toward relief.

I think our biggest problem is JTA is not a local agency, and not a Transit Operator, and we need BOTH badly.  

Ocklawaha