The I-95 Overland Bridge Project

[Metro Jacksonville]

The I-95 Overland Bridge Project



The I-95 Overland Bridge replacement project will snarl urban Jacksonville traffic until 2017.  Here is a detailed look at the project's overall purpose and individual components.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/1072

[BridgeTroll]

Which FEC tracks are being removed?

[heights unknown]

I am just wondering; is the traffic that heavy, or the interchanges so outdated and/or overloaded, that they really need to do this?  Or are they just spending money so it won't get lost or maybe they're doing it to put people to work.  It just seems to me that that current section of I-95 is o.k.; now if there were always traffic snarls or continued around the clock congestion or major problems with the interchanges, I'd say yeah this is needed.  Worse case scenario?  8 years of headaches and people being put to work.

Heights Unknown

[thelakelander]

Bridgetroll,
The FEC tracks were removed a long time ago.  When the Overland Bridge was constructed, there was a railyard serving a shipyard and the old JEA Southside Generation Station.

Heights,
I was told the bridge is over 50 years old and is deteriorating. So its a matter of biting the bullet and replacing it or spending money to keep it up and then replacing it anyway.

[BridgeTroll]

there was a railyard serving a shipyard and the old JEA Southside Generation Station.

As I thought... Thanks Lake.

[Beloki]

If you spend this kind of money, how about putting in some I 95 tunnels to enhance connectivity on the southbank??

[Doctor_K]

Good idea, but where's the bedrock/water table?  Can we do tunnels, in regards to those?

[reednavy]

Tunnels?! Do you know how expensive it would be to relocate sewer, water, power, and fiberoptic lines? Not to mention completely having to remove street in order to do so, you'd do more harm than good IMO. It also wouldn't make sense to build a tunnel on reclaimed river and swamp.

[zoo]

I hear water table is 4-7 ft.

[Doctor_K]

No chance for a tunnel.  And Reednavy raises a good point about the reclaimed swamp.

Welp.  Nothing left to do but to sit back, try to relax, and let the next 8 years be filled with more I-95 construction.  Hooray highways being the only answer in this town!

[Jason]

Not sure if Beloki meant that I95 should be a tunnel or if there should be tunnels running beneath I95.  The latter, I agree with.  Especially if portions of the proposed raised earth section will be blocking roadways.

[JeffreyS]

As Lake mentioned on an earlier thread use this as a catalyst for commuter rail to mitigate the impact of construction.  How about we leave a little room for possible skyway expansion and with JTA's streetcar plans in consideration.

[Ocklawaha]

Same MISTAKES different day Jacksonville!

No Southbound ACCESS either way from:

ATLANTIC/BEACH
KINGS

= Bad Plan, Big Mistake, HUGE!

We got a multi-million dollar garage and a monorail terminal + a bus (future BRT multi-modal Kings Av Station) with NO ACCESS FOR COMMUTERS.

FDOT, PULL YOUR HEADS OUT! @^&!%^#$%^@!

Soco time.

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Has ANYONE at JTA or DOT thought about using this as a springboard into the Southbank Commuter Rail Line?
Hey, they did Tri-Rail in Miami when they tore up the 95 expressway... and it took hold and LIVES. Now what about us?

Oh I forgot, Cowford SYNDROME.

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

Ock, it doesn't appear the FDOT is willing to spend millions to correct a mistake made by JTA (skyway garage location and access).  From what I've been told, this is strictly a bridge replacement project.  All of the associated improvements must be done because they have to keep I-95 open.  Anything involving the skyway and new highway interchanges will have to be apart of another project.