Above Jacksonville's Southside

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The Beach/Kernan Boulevard overpass was constructed in 2009 for $43 million.  By comparison, recent commuter rail start up costs have ranged from $1.3 million per mile for Nashville's Music City Star (a line which is mostly single-tracked) to a high of $26 million per mile for the Seattle Sounder.

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Flying over the proposed Tamaya development site near Beach Boulevard with Jacksonville Beach skyline in the distant background.  Proposed by Daytona Beach-based ICI Homes, the 780-acre project would include 2,400 residential units.  As a part of the project's 2005 approval, the developer was required to construct a four-lane boulevard connecting Kernan and Hodges Boulevards along the JEA utility easement shown in the image.  In September, the developer requested an end to the roadway requirement based on an argument that constructing the roadway would make the development cost-prohibitive.  Instead, ICI seeks to direct traffic generated by its 2,400 residential units onto Beach and Kernan Boulevards.

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Kensington Lakes subdivision.

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The Atlantic/Kernan Boulevard overpass was completed in 2010 at a cost of $47 million. Both the Atlantic/Kernan and Beach /Kernan overpasses were funded through the Better Jacksonville Plan.  By comparison, Milwaukee's proposed 2-mile modern streetcar is expected to cost $65 million and generate $3.35 billion in new tax base over a 20 year period.

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Preparing to land at Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport.  The airport covers an area of 1,342 acres at the intersection of St. Johns Bluff Road and Atlantic Boulevard. Owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, it is named after James Craig. Craig was a Jacksonville native who lost his life at the Pearl Harbor attack. Of interesting note, the Navy's Blue Angels performed their first airshow at Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport on June 15, 1946.


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Article by Ennis Davis