First Coast Outer Beltway: Should it be Built?

[Metro Jacksonville]

First Coast Outer Beltway: Should it be Built?



The First Coast Outer Beltway is projected to cost $1.8 billion. It would run 45 miles from Interstate 95 through St. Johns, Clay and Duval Counties to connect with Interstate 10, via Cecil Commerce Parkway. Metro Jacksonville asks: Is it really needed?

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-feb-first-coast-outer-beltway-should-it-be-built

[zoo]

This project should not go through, period. It flies in the face of smart growth, environmental prudence and more effective solutions to commuter problems. This region needs a strong core, and wise ways to get to and from it. Trying to spread regional-scale economic development out to all corners of Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau and Baker counties will not work, and will dilute the positive outcome that would result from a concentrated effort. This roadway is a mistake for the region and its residents, and the private partner.

[Miss Fixit]

Local government and private investors should take a close look at the Greenville experience.   And ridership studies should be scrutinized very carefully - they are often sort of like a real estate appraisal, in that a clever statistician can make the numbers support whatever position the initiator of the study prefers.

There are alternatives that are environmentally and fiscally much more responsible - light rail, anyone?

[thelakelander]

I would be interested to learn more detail on how this road is supposed to help relieve traffic on I-295, Blanding, Roosevelt and San Jose/SR 13?  I can see how a new river crossing midway between the Shands and Buckman would be beneficial, but the current concept has Greenville's Southern Connector written all over it.

[GideonGlib]

This project makes very little practical sense. I grew up, and my parents still live in Lake Asbury, a small community between Green Cove Springs and Middleburg, and the community can be reached via the first part of this project that is completed (between I-10 and Blanding). It still does not reduce the commute time from Downtown Jacksonville significantly during rush hours over using Blanding or Roosevelt because of the extra miles that you have to go to use the route, and during off hours using those routes take far less time. As far as getting out to I-95 south there is already a "back way" over the Shands using county and state roads that have almost no traffic.

The proposed project of using the existing rail lines for commuter trains with stops in Orange Park and Green Cove Springs makes 100 times more sense, and might actually be a better commuter option because it could reduce travel time during peak hours, this won't reduce travel times, it will just be a conduit for more sprawl.

And that is coming from someone who is from one of the communities this project is supposed to help.

[jandar]

As it is currently designed, no.

Move the bridge to Hibernia/Switzerland crossing, yes.

Will it alleviate traffic from Middleburg/OP/Fleming Island/Lake Asbury to downtown? No

Will it alleviate traffic from Middleburg/OP/Fleming Island/Lake Asbury to the southside of Jax? Yes

Will it free up at least some buckman/mandarin traffic? Yes

[reednavy]

The main problem in moving the crossing north is that most of the shoreline north of GCS is developed with homes. Good luck getting people to move or using eminent domain.

Oh and on the main subject of building this thing, not no, but hell no.

[CityLife]

Any idea how much of the financing will come from state, local, and federal dollars?

[hightowerlover]

toll roads just have such a stigma against them.  even if they only wanted .50 cents its just the whole having to always have 2 quarters on you to get to the other side.  the only way a toll road/bridge would work is if it's somehow more convenient to take and this just looks to out of the way for anyone to use.

but then again "bridges to nowhere" have a tendency to turn "nowhere" into the up and coming place to be, because the bridge is there.

[Dapperdan]

Do you see how much the beltway winds? A few trucks may take it until they ralize how out of the way it takes them. I don't know anyone who would take this route. You would be better off driving in on 10 and hitting 2-95 south, even with its traffic. I have never thought any of this made sense. And the whole Brannon Field- Chaffee fiiasco will realy make some people livid when they realize part of the road that is already built will be converted to a toll road. I encourage everyone to go to these meetings and tell them you don't want this dumb idea.

[Overstreet]

I prefer the green way in Orlando to the I-4 slog through town. I suspect others will have similar feelings about this one.

The Green Cove and points north traffic now coming across the SHands bridge to Hwy 210 to I -95 tells me that a new bridge and route to I-95 from the Shands is needed.

If I lived in Orangedale, or one of the developments at hwy 210 I'd be using it to get to I-10.

[stjr]

Short answer: Hell NO!

Won't fix traffic or anything else, just enrich a few special interests.  It will create a host of new issues for Clay and St. Johns regarding environment, infrastructure, urban sprawl, expenses, and destruction of quality of life and character.  The road itself is nothing but compromises by committees forming a useless "long and winding road".  

This is a project looking for an excuse to be done.  The proof is in the fact that we still have six options that are all over the place both location-wise and exit-wise.  No one has a clue as to who this road is supposed to serve.

We should be having public hearings by the FBI on why certain politicos are pushing it so hard because there is no logical reason for its existence.  Let's start with studying campaign contributions from whom and to whom.

[tufsu1]

Any idea how much of the financing will come from state, local, and federal dollars?

as has been discussed, very very little...basically just the money for the planning and environmental studies.

of course, there is an argument that portions of the road have already been built, just not as an expressway...Cecil Commerce Pkwy and the BFC corridor...both done w/ public $

[Lunican]

Who pays for the police?

[tufsu1]

toll roads just have such a stigma against them.  even if they only wanted .50 cents its just the whole having to always have 2 quarters on you to get to the other side.  the only way a toll road/bridge would work is if it's somehow more convenient to take and this just looks to out of the way for anyone to use.

The stigma barely exists in Tampa, Orlando, and Miami now....thanks to this modern thing called a transponder (like SunPass).

and now there's even open road tolling where you don't even have to slow down....you can check it out on roads like the I-95 express lanes in Miami and the reversible lanes on the Crosstown Expwy in Tampa.