Plans for Downtown Proceeding
 

On May 23, the City hosted a public presentation of a model and drawings depicting the approved layout of the Downtown Turnaround project. Engineers were on hand at this second public forum to explain the design and answer questions from any concerned citizens. The designs, developed by Hutchison Engineers, would restore traffic around Central Park Plaza, undoing many of the changes brought by Urban Renewal in the 1970s.

Right now, funds only allow for about half of the $6 million project, however the entire design will be completed to allow progress when moneys become available. The City of Jacksonville has a plan to pay for restoring east-west traffic flow around the square, but not yet re-opening North or South Main to through traffic.

A federal appropriation of transportation funds will cover $1.74 million, while the City will add a required match, use some money from the City power plant sale years ago, and looks to reissue construction bonds from the Public Library Expansion due to expire soon, to make up the difference on the estimated total of $4.8 million. Other grant opportunities are also being explored as the planning of the project continues.

Once engineers receive required state approval, the project will enter the design phase, where details on infrastructure and streetscape improvements will be completed. Actual construction can begin once this phase is complete, according to recent estimates, in 2009 at the earliest.