JTA to open No Frills Brooklyn Skyway Station

[Ken_FSU]

Fantastic news.

Will use it on the reg.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/jta-applies-for-brooklyn-skyway-station-building-permit

[Steve]

800k!? So after all of the talk of needing $16M they can do it for $800k!?

Of course, just do it.

[Peter Griffin]

Fantastic news indeed. This doesn't seem to jive with their "proposed" alterations to accommodate the U2C, which gives me hope thath the U2C BS is not really something they're baking on converting the skyway for.

I'm SO glad we're expanding the current system and current tech, bringing it to that part of town will make getting downtown a little nicer and a lot cooler (air conditioning!) if you're coming from Riverside/Brooklyn

[Captain Zissou]

This is great! So much food just got put within walking distance of my office. 

[thelakelander]

A-freaking Man! Glad to see a no-frills thing many of been pushing for years in this discussion board finally getting implemented.

[Ken_FSU]

This is great! So much food just got put within walking distance of my office.

Ditto!

It can be pretty hard to park in Brooklyn even when I take my car, so it’ll be fantastic to be able to jump the Skyway into the area mid-day for lunch in Brooklyn.

It’ll also connect both the CBD and the Southbank to an actual, quality grocer in Fresh Market, which is a huge win.

Bring the bike/scooter share to Brooklyn/Five Points and the low-speed clown cars further into the Riverside/Avondale neighborhoods where they actually make the most sense and you’ve got a great first-mile/last-mile solution to feed the existing fixed Skyway.

[thelakelander]

The AVs should be tested between Brooklyn/LaVilla and Five Points via Park Street before spending millions on Bay Street. That can be done by dedicating two of the existing four lanes to them. The biggest stumbling block (assuming COJ would be on board) will be getting them through existing signalized intersections and FDOT buy-in at Forest and I-95. By linking with Five Points, you provide a logical temporary extension to a popular destination outside of downtown. How it performs will tell you all you need to know on if it makes sense to spend millions ripping up Skyway beams or running to TIAA Bank Field. This is the next no-frills options, I've mentioned in the past that I'd wish JTA pursue.

[Charles Hunter]

Is the reporter from around here?  This does not make sense.

Brooklyn Station will connect to adjacent Skyway staging tracks that JTA plans to convert to support passenger transit. The project will link the Central Skyway Station at West Bay and Lee streets in LaVilla to the Downtown Northbank neighborhood.

Central Station is not at Bay and Lee Streets, nor is it in LaVilla.

The article says the new station will use the existing tech, and then be converted to the U2C

The Brooklyn extension eventually will be adapted to support autonomous vehicles in phase II of JTA’s proposed Ultimate Urban Circulator program.

Lake, I think testing the U2C along Park Street is a good idea. But, I don't understand your concern

The biggest stumbling block (assuming COJ would be on board) will be getting them through existing signalized intersections and FDOT buy-in at Forest and I-95

Since going down Park wouldn't go through the Forest/I-95 interchange. Unless you mean two locations FDOT might have concerns about - Park at Forest and Park at I-95? But, neither Forest nor Park are FDOT roads.  FDOT would have to sign off on going through the I-95 interchange along Park.

[thelakelander]

Yes, I'd suspect FDOT would have concerns at both locations near I-95 interchanges and if it barked enough, local politicians and JTA would listen.

[marcuscnelson]

Absolutely excellent!

If only JTA would cut the crap with this U2C mess and just get normal people movers.

[Ken_FSU]

Absolutely excellent!

If only JTA would cut the crap with this U2C mess and just get normal people movers.

Bright side is that we've realistically got 5-10 years of normal Skyway useage before JTA even figures out how to make the U2C work.

Even brighter side is that if the cost of the JRTC to Jefferson test track ($32 million) is indicative of what it's going to cost to convert the entire system to U2C, we could be looking at even longer before the JTA can find a way to fund such an expensive project.

Hopefully the Brooklyn extension is successful, cooler heads prevail in the next decade, and we continue to find creative ways to apply enough duct tape to the existing system to keep it online in the interim.

[bl8jaxnative]

Fantastic news indeed. This doesn't seem to jive with their "proposed" alterations to accommodate the U2C, which gives me hope thath the U2C BS is not really something they're baking on converting the skyway for.

I'm SO glad we're expanding the current system and current tech, bringing it to that part of town will make getting downtown a little nicer and a lot cooler (air conditioning!) if you're coming from Riverside/Brooklyn

Technically, that is downtown. ;-)

[bl8jaxnative]

Hopefully the Brooklyn extension is successful, cooler heads prevail in the next decade, and we continue to find creative ways to apply enough duct tape to the existing system to keep it online in the interim.

You're more optimistic on this one than myself.  A couple years ago, JTA announced the fleet maybe had 5 years left of us.   It shows day to day with cars constantly having broken AC, parts literally zip-tied together, break downs leaving lines blocked and passengers stranded, et al.

[JaGoaT]

Now we need the skyway to go down Phillips highway down to JTB

[marcuscnelson]

Now we need the skyway to go down Phillips highway down to JTB

You're asking for light rail, not an automated people mover.