Georgia plans to toll I-75 and I-575; Jacksonville next?

[tufsu1]

This is the perfect example of why a regional transportation approach is needed in Northeast Florida. If you only think about things in your own tiny little world and not the bigger picture then everyone will suffer. With representation from all of the counties - planning, road construction, transit and funding become a regional mission - not just a county-by-county one.

that is what the TPO tries to do...

But the downside is you have to play nice with all the counties...in the end, what is good for Clay or St. Johns may not be for Duval.

Conversly, most everything that is good for Duval is also good foo the region...this is the message that must be conveyed!

[north miami]

I'll have to go back and check, but I believe the I-295 Collins/Blanding work is being funded by FDOT.  However, throught the BJP, we've sunk hundreds of millions into improving and extending other sections of Collins to feed into this project.  By the same token, 9B is a part of the BJP as well.  Yes, its literally economic suicide to continue to finance projects that create economic opportunities in other counties at the expense of your own.  With that said, I'm not making a claim that adjacent counties should not seek or don't deserve economic growth of their own.  I'm just saying the things we publicly finance should be done to improve and not subtract, from the community.

The Clay county commute has 'grown' absurd, a proven detractor due largely to the sacrifice of then existing major arterial highway facilty to,in the words of a Clay Grand Jury report,"inept' local government planning.We have 'grown' in a manner dreamed of.Sought and fought after.And always the promotions,the images of promised future "alleviation".Whether a proposed parallel to Blanding Blvd,or Brannon Chaffee (which of course is not parallel,but who knows or really cares!),Wells Road extension,many more too vast to list here and who really cares??!!..... "Regional" mantra.
I recall an era when the MPO southern boundary at Knight Box road was all that would be tolerated,or acknowledged as Clay was in the midst of the 'better place' image promotion.(That was about the time I served on the State Road 21 Citizens Planning Group,Dick Post county Plan Director-engaged with ardent boosters,abdication of responsibility,options.As a title insurance company Abstractor I was keenly capable of welding political events with official record book and page image,and even though I received 'friendly' warnings from county staff I knew it would be years before any of it would really matter to most,or any)
Well within this unfolding narrative is inter county home grown employment,'smart growth', diverse tax base and 'reduced' or modified ADT.
Clay County Brannan Chaffee & Lake Asbury Sector Plan proceedings produced a tidal wave of local employment growth center aspirations, overweighted realtive to viable future needs,much of which were filled with Cecil Field and a host of other vesting-the State DCA therefore produced Comments and Objections balancing this element.

Clay Sectors were a mirror of St.Johns.

Clay County growth empire family name Kopolousous headed up the State DOT last year-Florida Transportation Commission (our own Marty Lanahan!) late 2010 meeting minutes spoke primarily of the First Coast Beltway and....classic.....a 40 foot drop in the water table under I-4.
I believe such massive adjoining county growth aspiration and acommodation,now only barely emergent,driven in part by a militant anti Duval theme,has been and will be a factor in stiffling Downtown Jacksonville.
The "regional" narrative is telling,now moving in to the highly anticipated plot wherby pesky State oversight wanes,decades old boosterism flourishes with little traditional checks and balance,Regional = BIG
This brought to you in part by key Non grou.....er,excuse me,Civic Council players,some of which have completed many elements of future growth vesting,leaving Downtown on the plate.And we will pander to this element.

Among many interesting discussions and stage making at the Alvin Brown Memorial Park Rally Tommy Hazouri told me there would be a battle over any proposed Duval County toll facility.