A RAIL WAY TO THE BEACHES?

[Ocklawaha]

Having chatted with JEA (and obtained some cool maps) I discovered the old JTA line "We can't do rail to the beach because it would be too expensive. We'd have to buy ALL new right of way, and electric transmission lines and... and... and... etc..."

NOT SO!

This is possible with what we ALREADY HAVE! There wouldn't be more then 2-3 blocks of right-of-way to buy and it's on the strip between the FEC and Just East of Phillips. There is already a easement so it's most likely a city property anyway. Darn the luck JTA, but I have the goods on this. There is ALSO a line that runs straight from the beach to the Southside near Beach and Atlantic, but haven't checked it out as to clear easement (so I didn't post it). This map shows a couple of new ideas:

Commuter Rail on the FEC, at least one track City owned, and under wire, as far as the Beach Interurban Railway jct. just south of Butler Blvd.

A true LRT-Interurban pseudo-high speed 70-90 MPH abilitys from the FEC to Jax Beach.

A stop at Deerwood/Baymeadows/Town Center with a micro-Skyway connecting every office and park with apartments and parking throughout, which would turn the whole darn place into a TOD. I'll dig up and post a photo of this new concept-hybrid between a roller coaster-Skyway-LRT Tram, so if you don't see it here, check back to this spot later.

Meanwhile here is the map - Not an acre to buy - NOT a building to vacate... LRT for Under $30 Million a mile? Maybe so Jacksonville:



This is a REAL CHOICE:



Of course it could be this:



And for Town Center/Bay Meadows/Deerwood something "Cheap" but very easy to love:


This of course is just one of about 30 offered...



Or if we like we let JTA, FDOT and City Hall dictate more of this to their minions:



Okay, argue all you want, but we better move or WALK!

Ocklawaha
Riding rails around Metro-America! Yippiee!

[thelakelander]

Interesting.  I don't know how viable such a line would be, but it hits some decent destinations all the way up to FCCJ's campus on Beach.  These include Baymeadows Way, Deerwood Park South, Gate Parkway, St. Johns Town Center, UNF (about a mile west) and FCCJ.  After that there's little density and a lot of wetlands between FCCJ and Hodges.  Once it gets to San Pablo, its out of gas.  There's no logical way for it cross the Intracoastal to get to Neptune Beach.  Here's a couple of quick observations from looking at Google Earth and the property appraiser's site.

A. On Southbrook Drive, it appears to go through the middle of an apartment complex.  Looking at the property appraiser's map for the most part, JEA's utility easement is an easement running over private property.  ROW costs would still be necessary.  For example, all of the land between FEC's track and Southside Blvd is private property (excluding small JEA substations).

B. The path goes through some serious wetlands.  There would be some major concern plowing through environmentally sensitive areas.

Overall, the best thing going for it is that there are no buildings on the utility easement.  However, it would cost more than $30 million per mile to build and it would not reach the beaches.  But it may be the best option Jacksonville has at getting close to the beach with rail, without ripping up JTB.

[Ocklawaha]

Agree that the right of way is pretty darn clear all the way. I think the San Pablo is easy, it get's bridged on a long approach double track span. All I can say is certain Beach Governments are quite interested. As downtown has lost steam and more folks work in Baymeadows/Town Center area's, this line addresses a whole new commute pattern then the traditional Beach-Atlantic-JTB corridors. Also I don't see two railroad tracks near as hard to push through these wet-lands as another 6 lanes of freeway (I-795 which you can bank on WILL BE BUILT...It's a federal thing). The new larger LRT is as quiet as Medellin's metro, here in Dallas you could hold a prayer meeting on a station platform and nobody would have trouble hearing.

But JTA and the Peytons are stuck on DIESEL... Bus...DIESEL...Bus...DIESEL...Bus...DIESEL...etc... So not much chance anything will happen until we see a progressive take office. We've had what? Maybe 3 since 1968? Tanzler, Godbold, Delany? Sad state of our city.

The Mini-Skyway could be built for little more then carnival ride cost, not too bad for transit. There is also that line that runs into the near Southside, it is a 160KV from around Saint Nicholas to Kernan. Also the Kernan lines run north as 240KV's all the way over the river to northside generators, then around the north in a giant arch, South of Airport, Westlake and on down to Normandy. Lots of freight railroad opportunities for FEC and NS in that "belt" NW of the City. Maybe some transit opportunity on the Kernan-Ft. Caroline area.
It sure would make an interesting multi-modal study.

Ocklawaha

[RiversideGator]

Who owns this easement now?  COJ?

[thelakelander]

Hundreds of different property owners.  JEA is just running a utility easement on top of private property.  To run rail down the same line, ROW purchases are a must.

[RiversideGator]

If it is ever to be done, the time is now before the area is totally built out.