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

[stjr]

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.

Tufsu, I wouldn't call them "fact flaws" as much as "propositions" for change from the status quo.  We need a responsive plannning entity that is beholden to the community rather than special interests.  I doubt most of us could readily identify who among our elected reps (if they are even the appropriate ones to serve) serves on these agencies, whether they actually attend or just send staffers, and how they actually vote (are votes recorded by voter or is it just the final tally?).  I think the overall process is obscure enough that it would not be readily apparent to any but the most committed of diehards as to how and who pushed for what decisions, especially when its threaded between so many bodies.

The process by which priorities for projects are set should be more transparent.  Not sure if this means revising the process or just getting more information in the press and the public's hands as to what factors into setting priorities and how specific choices are made.  Maybe meetings should be televised like the school board and city council.  Instead of wasting a full page on restaurant inpsections in the T-U, maybe they should list how each person involved in this process votes, what the meeting agendas are, and when the public can appear to speak.  In other words, transportation development should get the same limelight that taxes, crime, and sports do in this town.

P.S. My guess is the urgency to extend 9B to US 1, even without I-95, is to support the traffic coming off the nearly completed Nocatee Parkway that will dump all of its traffic on US 1 a few miles to the south.  Again, politics and urban sprawl at warp speed.

[tufsu1]

no...the reason that 9B is being funded is because it has been a highly ranked priority project by the TPO for years and there was left over $ after bids for the initial stimulus projects came in under the FDOT estimates....but there was only enough $ to fund a portion of the road, which is why the part to US 1 is being built.

As for the TPO, it is a federally and state mandated body...so a local charter review commission can't do much....that said, your ideas on making the process more transparent are good....maybe you should call/e-mail the TPO with your ideas.

[stjr]

no...the reason that 9B is being funded is because it has been a highly ranked priority project by the TPO for years ...

I understand, Tufsu, but the question is why?

...that said, your ideas on making the process more transparent are good....maybe you should call/e-mail the TPO with your ideas.

Thanks, Tufsu.  It seems you know these people well too.  Perhaps you could also bring it to their attention.

[thelakelander]

Tufsu1, what's the minimal distance allowed between interstate interchanges?  The proposed Collins Road interchange and Blanding are pretty close to each other.  There's less space there than an interchange along 9B, between 9A and US 1 would be between exits.  How was the Collins Road interchange approved? 

[tufsu1]

Minimal spacing ranges from 1 mile to 3 miles, depending on whether the area is urban, surburban, or rural....the Collins interchange got approved because C/D roads will connect the two interchanges....in essence, if you're traveling west/north on I-295 and want to get off on Collins, you'll actually exit the mainline facility before Blanding.

[reednavy]

How many times a day will we hear of crashes along this section when this is all done?

[CS Foltz]

reednavy what is your problem? Crashes are a way of life and to be expected when people don't follow the traffic rules! I AGREE by the way...........talk about urban sprawl and a lack of cohesive urban planning and here is a classic example! I don't care how long it has been talked about, this will just open that area up for development! This sounds like a DR Horton project coming to me! Sure am glad I get to pay for it! My tax dollars hard at work so developers can earn lots of money for their shareholders.......taxpayers be damned!

[reednavy]

My problem? Having two intersections that close together on a section of the interstate that has a fairly nice curve in it. The backup due to the Blanding ramps still spills out onto the highway and people trying to merge on or off will be worse with the addition of a new interchange. I guess FDOT has never heard of left onramps?

Either way, it is a waste.

[tufsu1]

guess you don't understand what C/D roads are...check out an aerial of I-95 around I-595 in Ft. Lauderdale...you'll notice that several exits are acceseed from the side...allowing through vehicles to avoid the weaving....that's what we'll have here (albeit on a msaller scale)

[reednavy]

Good lord, that whole area looks like a concrete clusterf*ck. Hopefully there will be plenty of signage for this area. People here can't even merge w/o causing a big deal, let's see how this goes.

However, looking at the image, I've seen this in more urban environments, not usually suburban areas. We'll see how it works.

[CS Foltz]

reednavy I was being sarcastic! FDOT has several boondoogles around Jacksonville............Southside hook up from acess road Bay Meadows Cirlcle west, Belfort road onto JTB and the like! What we need are traffic control roundabouts..........less concrete, no lights perfect solution right?

[civil42806]

How many times a day will we hear of crashes along this section when this is all done?

Good lord knows there are no crashes on the existing roads LOL!!!!

[reednavy]

Good lord knows there are no crashes on the existing roads LOL!!!!

If you didn't get what I was saying, I was talking about how many more will we see because we all the worst drivers in the metro area are from Clay County.

[Jason]

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

You don't think the same reliever could be created by simply building an interchange at Racetrack and I95?  Even if the road needed to be slightly redirected to the north to limit interference with the rest area it would still provide the same connection to US1 to the east and even on into Nocatee.

[tufsu1]

yes...that would be the same and would be my preference....but spacing requirements would mean either moving the rest stops or building C/d roads connecting the rest stops with the interchange.