A roughly 800-foot stretch of Flagler Avenue on Jacksonville's Southbank is being redesigned into a festival street, with retractable bollards planned at both ends so the road can shut down for farmers markets, food-truck gatherings and other events while otherwise staying open to everyday traffic. The project, estimated at $2.5 million, would reshape the section of road between Prudential Drive and Riverplace Boulevard.
Design work on the project was 60% complete as of earlier this month, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record, with GAI Consultants telling the Downtown Development Review Board on October 8 that 90% design is expected by mid-November, per jaxdailyrecord.com. GAI Consultants is handling the design under a contract with the Downtown Investment Authority, according to Jax Today.
The plan calls for removing a turn lane north of Mary Street, narrowing traffic lanes, adding parallel parking and widening sidewalks, the outlet reports. String lighting, shade trees and above-ground electrical outlets for vendors are also part of the design, intended to make the corridor more welcoming for pop-up markets and festivals when the bollards go up and the street temporarily closes.
Funding and Timeline Still Taking Shape
The Downtown Investment Authority approved $500,000 for the project's design back in 2023, according to a board resolution cited by actionnewsjax.com. Designers now expect to finish the plans in January, with construction bids potentially going out as early as April and construction possibly starting the following summer, the station notes.
The effort is designed to let Flagler Avenue function as a normal roadway day to day while also serving as an event space when needed.
For now, the project remains in the design phase, with the next milestone being that 90% design target in mid-November. Whether the $2.5 million estimate holds as plans move toward construction bids next spring is not yet established.
