Thread by @marcuscnelson

I want to start a conversation about something.

Jacksonville is quietly beginning one of the most ambitious transportation projects in its history, and the way that project is built could define the city’s transportation future, but only if we want it to.

Here’s how. #jaxpol 🧵

The Mathews Bridge, Union Street Expressway, & Arlington Expressway represented Jax's entry into the highway era. Completed in 1953, the bridge was the first fixed link between what was then Jacksonville and Arlington, in unincorporated Duval County across the St. Johns River.

The bridge & expressways on either end made it possible for thousands of cars to cross the river, enabling the development of new suburbs with thousands of single family homes and dozens of shopping centers for residents to live in and shop at while commuting to work Downtown.

In 1967, Regency Square Mall would be built at the end of the Arlington Expressway, creating a regional hub that could pull shoppers away from Downtown stores. This would set an example for the car-centric suburban growth of Jacksonville, now legally mandated in much of the city.

The Mathews is over 70 years old now. It will take years to plan, fund, & build replacements. Those could stand for a century, meaning what is built could define how Jax lives and moves for decades to come. @MyFDOT is beginning the first steps to reimagining this corridor.

Early planning is underway to replace the Union Street Expressway with a new bridge that makes more room for a restored Hogan’s Creek. But that is where we have a choice to make. Tampa has shown a possible path.

In the 2010s, FDOT began studies to rebuild the Howard Frankland Bridge & the expressways that carry I-275 over Tampa Bay. At this critical moment, the people of Tampa and their representatives pushed FDOT to ensure that the highway project could support light rail in the future.

$25 million paid to strengthen the $850m bridge for future light rail.

A Jax example: when FDOT replaced the Acosta Bridge in 1994, it was designed to bring the Skyway to the Southbank. More recently, the expanded Fuller Warren Bridge included a trail across the St. Johns River.

So this brings me to a big idea: The replacement of the Mathews Bridge & its expressways could build the foundation for a rail line that stretches across Jacksonville, finally realizing the dream of connecting Downtown to the Beaches & transforming the city along the way.

Today, if you get in your car Downtown and drive to Beaches Town Center at rush hour, it could take up to 50 minutes. You’d sit in traffic, passing dying strip malls. You’d have to focus on the road, eyes peeled for threats from other drivers. JTA’s bus is as slow or slower.

But with a new bridge & a modern train, you could make that trip in under 30 minutes, all day, every day. Instead of asphalt, you’d watch as you soar over the river, glide past the urban neighborhood at what was Regency Square Mall, & arrive comfortably just steps from the sand.

The part of the Union Expressway planned for replacement by FDOT will cost over $120 million. The Mathews could cost a billion dollars. A little more would lay the groundwork to change how people move in Jacksonville, to introduce travel that suits the motto, “It’s Easier Here.”

I’m sure your very first question is “how on earth would we pay for that?” and I’m glad you asked, so share this, hit the follow button and stay tuned because the money is out there if we want it and I’ll explain how soon. If there are other questions in the meantime, ask away!

Oh, and TL;DR: A bridge & highways are probably being replaced within about a decade, we should take advantage of that to help build the train to the beach people have wanted since forever! It'd transform how we live and move along the way, and it's worth at least considering.