The Electric 7" A Streetcar Proposal On A Shoestring

[urbanlibertarian]

The old rail right of way runs to Maxwell House at East Adams Street.  To get to Bay/Shipyards, you'll have to create a new block long link down the center of Marsh Street.

Who currently owns this ROW?

[thelakelander]

City of Jacksonville. COJ just built a curving multi use path on half it.

[Doctor_K]

City of Jacksonville. COJ just built a curving multi use path on half it.

S-Line?

[thelakelander]

Yes.

[BrooklynSouth]

Is this the south end of the abandoned railway you are talking about? Right next to Robert F. Kennedy Park?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.335954,-81.645734&aq=&sll=30.34499,-81.683107&sspn=0.836715,1.067047&vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&ll=30.335982,-81.645643&spn=0.003269,0.004168&t=m&z=18&iwloc=A

[thelakelander]

The right of way is the parallel rail corridor that runs down Palmetto on that map.  Here are a few interesting images along these abandoned rail corridors:

[thelakelander]

For the life of me, I can't figure out why this new multiuse path curves all over the right-of-way at intersections.  I guess this is a way to slow bike riders down instead of putting up signage?

[venture]

Like many others that have commented, I would gladly volunteer on such a project. The only hurdles would be the land itself. I think if that was accomplished that someone would find the money for any rail to be laid and the car itself

[thelakelander]

The land is owned by the City of Jacksonville.  Where it's not, you can use the right-of-way of nearby local streets. In this case, there shouldn't be a cost for land.  I think the major hurdle would be getting across Norfolk Southern's active Springfield line and getting a city leader to publicly push the concept.  Significant grading changes and the modification of the bike trail currently being constructed would have to be addressed as well.

[kellypope]

Let me know when it's shovel-ready.

[Ocklawaha]

The old rail right of way runs to Maxwell House at East Adams Street.  To get to Bay/Shipyards, you'll have to create a new block long link down the center of Marsh Street.

In a pipe-dream sort of world, if this rail line went to the Maxwell House vicinity, would that not also be in the vicinity of a potential Skyway stop?  Y'know - the Skyway that's extended down Bay Street to the Sports District?

On that note, could we not do some sort of multi-modal station right there?  Skyway/streetcar stop?  Skyway extends to the Stadium/Randolph while the streetcar track heads north?

Like I said - pipe dream.  But a guy can imagine, can't he?

Actually the best way to access the '7 Line' would be from Independence to Newnan to Beaver and hence east over Hogans creek and under the FREEway. A streetcar loop from Newnan to Beaver to AP Randolph to Duval and back to Newnan would access the northern part of the sports district and tie the whole thing in with the '7 Line'. With that in mind, the Skyway would be free to occupy Bay Street at some future date.

By taking the streetcar down Bay Street, we rob the Skyway of one of the few logical extensions that would make it even more viable then it has become since it went fare free.

Access from Bay to the '7 Line' is circuitous if not difficult.

Duplication of Skyway and Streetcar routes would make no more sense then the JTA scheme to build BRT under the Skyway and next to their 'professed interest' in commuter rail.

At the very least, the Skyway should connect with the streetcar at a multi-modal station at Bay and Newnan Street.

But of course the thought has crossed my mind too as you can see.

[thelakelander]

It's virtually a straight shot to get to Bay Street going south of the Mathews Bridge Expressway.  The ROW is still there.  However, you're right in that running something down to Bay would virtually eliminate the argument of trying to extend the skyway down there.  However, I'm still not on board that not extending the skyway is a bad thing, if a streecar can do the trick for a fraction of the cost. It's not duplicating if it isn't there.

Can you draw and post a map, so we can have a better idea of what you envisioning happening south of the Mathews Bridge Expressway? 

[Timkin]

Brilliant , as always, Ock!    How do we get the City on board with this?

[Ocklawaha]

GATEWAY MALL TERMINUS - BUS/BRT/STREETCAR




21ST STREET STATION AREA - BUS/STREETCAR/COMMUTER RAIL




8TH STREET STATION AREA - BUS/STREETCAR




EASTSIDE-ARENA STATION AREA BUS/PCT SHUTTLE/STREETCAR




EASTSIDE FIXED TRANSIT, INCLUDING SKYWAY ON BAY, NEWNAN MULTIMODAL STATION, BUS/BRT/STREETCAR/SKYWAY, (concept image in my post 8430)

Likewise the streetcar line on Duval would continue on to LEE ST, where it would turn south, linking up with the Water Street Line in front of Jacksonville Terminal, both lines proceed to Riverside/Avondale/King Street, either via a new Lee Street Viaduct, or via West Bay to the Myrtle Avenue streetcar subway (which is still in place since since around 1912+/-). A future Skyway route to Shand's/VA/FSCJ south to Blue Cross and south to San Marco at Atlantic Avenue along with the new BRT/MAX line would give us a dense infrastructure investment downtown with transit options for a vast majority of our citizens.

[Ocklawaha]

Just another photo to demonstrate the absolute simplicity of such a system.

To my knowledge no city anywhere has married the idea of museum and volunteerism with actual mass transit. I suspect IF the city (Mayor Brown/Council) approached CSX/NS/FEC we might get the donation of track machines or materials, as well as sponsorships.