The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) has recently completed a set of "roadway and transit enhancements" along San Pablo Road South, aiming to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians, First Coast News reported. The updates, which span from Beach Boulevard to Atlantic Boulevard, include nearly five miles of new sidewalks and the introduction of nine pedestrian crosswalks equipped with flashing beacons.
Additional improvements brought by the $22.4 million project, as JTA CEO Nathaniel Ford highlighted in an interview with News4Jax, are the new roadway features including left-turn and right-turn lanes that aim to reduce queuing and enhance the flow of traffic, this along with the 89 new streetlights and over 11,000 linear feet of storm drainpipe and utility pipe installations.
The changes have also brought about the restructuring of the original two-lane roadway to a three-lane configuration, aiming to ease the previously heavy vehicular congestion, citing the addition of 89 trees along the roadway that “just makes it have that home feel,” Ford said according to News4Jax. Notably, the project was completed two full years ahead of schedule, a point of pride that was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the River City Science Academy.
These roadway and transit enhancements have been a long time coming, with Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond noting the significant community anticipation "I get tons of calls on Tuesdays and I would say about 80% of them were about what was happening right here between the two schools," WOKV reported. Along with the relief for drivers the project also signifies a step forward for pedestrian safety, which Ford emphasizes was a critical aspect in the design, "Make it safer; make it shared; shared amongst bikers, pedestrians, and automobiles; and to be able to have free flow in terms of traffic," he articulated.
