JTA shifting towards mass transit?

[Anti redneck]

The Hart Bridge Expressway, the skyway, the Kings Avenue Garage, and the Outer Beltway.  I'm picking up a theme here.

Instead of "The Bold New City of the South" or "Where Florida Begins" we should call ourselves the home of half-baked transportation projects.

Sad, but agreed.

[thelakelander]

If you think about it, it would not be that much to connect Hart Bridge Expressway to JTB. While you're at it, connect it to 9A as well. At least finish the job.

It would cost a ton in ROW acquisition costs and you just can't take people's land for the hell of it anymore.

9B and Outer Beltway, I haven't even heard about that in a while. Have they even done anything with that?

9B is under construction and a short segment of the Outer Beltway is supposed to start construction soon.

Furthermore, is the Outer Beltway and 9B really necessary? To me, those look like projects that can be put off for a while until the very end.

Imo, neither is but those who make their money in road construction would tell you otherwise.

[Anti redneck]

^ That would be the only tricky part is how to build it and keep people living around the area happy. If you can master that, the rest should be simple. I'm not saying it would be totally simple, but I think there's always a way when enough minds come together. Besides, IMO it probably would've been cheaper to do all of that than to build 9B and the Outer Beltway, which I don't really see much use out of those roads (<-- thank you, Peyton).

[tufsu1]

Just curiosity, but what kinds of qualifications does a person need to direct an organization like JTA? Are these guys mostly engineers or something like that? Are there specialized degrees that are applicable to the mass transit field and others that more applicable to road construction and city planning? It's something that I have no background in, so I was just wondering.

ideally, you'd want someone who had experience with management, planning and engineering, transit operrations, budgeting, and public relations....of course you'll never find someone who is experienced in all those.

[jcjohnpaint]

If you think about it, it would not be that much to connect Hart Bridge Expressway to JTB. While you're at it, connect it to 9A as well. At least finish the job.

It would cost a ton in ROW acquisition costs and you just can't take people's land for the hell of it anymore.

9B and Outer Beltway, I haven't even heard about that in a while. Have they even done anything with that?

9B is under construction and a short segment of the Outer Beltway is supposed to start construction soon.

Furthermore, is the Outer Beltway and 9B really necessary? To me, those look like projects that can be put off for a while until the very end.

Imo, neither is but those who make their money in road construction would tell you otherwise.

I thought the Outer Beltway was dead. 

[thelakelander]

Lawmakers Wednesday released a county-by-county breakdown of how next year's $70 billion state budget will by divvied up.

In Northeast Florida, $283 million will flow to Duval and Clay Counties the First Coast Outer beltway. The project will allow drivers to drive between Blanding Boulevard and Interstate 10.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/457554/matt-dixon/2012-03-28/lawmakers-release-county-county-budget-numbers-outer

[jcjohnpaint]

Thanks Lake.  What a waste of money.

[Dog Walker]

Just curiosity, but what kinds of qualifications does a person need to direct an organization like JTA? Are these guys mostly engineers or something like that? Are there specialized degrees that are applicable to the mass transit field and others that more applicable to road construction and city planning? It's something that I have no background in, so I was just wondering.

ideally, you'd want someone who had experience with management, planning and engineering, transit operrations, budgeting, and public relations....of course you'll never find someone who is experienced in all those.

I know someone with those exact qualifications who is thinking about applying for the position, but won't if he is required to move to Duval County.

[cline]

Just curiosity, but what kinds of qualifications does a person need to direct an organization like JTA? Are these guys mostly engineers or something like that? Are there specialized degrees that are applicable to the mass transit field and others that more applicable to road construction and city planning? It's something that I have no background in, so I was just wondering.

ideally, you'd want someone who had experience with management, planning and engineering, transit operrations, budgeting, and public relations....of course you'll never find someone who is experienced in all those.

I know someone with those exact qualifications who is thinking about applying for the position, but won't if he is required to move to Duval County.

So this person wouldn't move to Duval County for a 300k per year job? 

[Dog Walker]

Nope.  It wouldn't be a huge raise for him, but he would be willing to commute for it.

[simms3]

^^^Please by all means keep this person anonymous, but are there any underlying reasons why he/she would not live in Duval County?  I suspect a reason may have to do with a much more serious underlying issue afflicting Jacksonville than the lack of public transit.  It couldn't possibly be schools - Jax housing is cheap and private schools are cheaper than in larger cities and $300K goes a LONG way in Jax.  Could it be crime?  I wouldn't think so - the city is not "that" dangerous and is much better than it has been and much better than in the 90s, plus crime is isolated in areas, not city-wide.  Could it be traffic?  Obviously not if the person would actually rather commute in from the burbs.

Just breaking down possible 1st reasons for not moving somewhere.  If this person were in his/her 30s, single or married without kids, I wouldn't blame the person for wanting to live in PVB if the salary were $300K.  You have the club, other young people, a place where in the future you can raise kids, the beach, good restaurants, biking, beautiful scenery, etc.

[cline]

Nope.  It wouldn't be a huge raise for him, but he would be willing to commute for it.

So how many major public transit agencies has this person been in charge of before?

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Just curiosity, but what kinds of qualifications does a person need to direct an organization like JTA? Are these guys mostly engineers or something like that? Are there specialized degrees that are applicable to the mass transit field and others that more applicable to road construction and city planning? It's something that I have no background in, so I was just wondering.

ideally, you'd want someone who had experience with management, planning and engineering, transit operrations, budgeting, and public relations....of course you'll never find someone who is experienced in all those.

I know someone with those exact qualifications who is thinking about applying for the position, but won't if he is required to move to Duval County.

Does this person already own a residence on the Southbank? 

In the world of politics, if you have a house somewhere, you must live there.

[Anti redneck]

What's the update on this?

[tufsu1]

patience...this will not happen overnight....we'll know a lot more when JTA advertises the Exec. Dir. position