The walk down Bay St is fine other than the fact there's nothing there of interest for half a mile between Liberty and APR. Monroe/Adams is a shit show though between the jail and Sulzbacher. Duval is practically an elevated expressway. If the city really wants to connect DT to the Sports District they need to start by getting those stupid ramps out of the way once Sulzbacher moves and fix the street grid through there. Then do something with Hogan's creek restoration.
It's always going to be nuts that they decided to ramp the expressway to street level instead of just tearing it down and trucking it away. Surely the money they spent rebuilding that part could have paid to demolish the rest.
I wonder, are we federally committed to that structure now, like we are with the Skyway?
SR-228 over the Hart Bridge is apart of the National Highway System so I would bet that severing that connection in anyway to DT is likely against "the rules" somewhere.
When FDOT removed the elevated portion between A Philip Randolf and the Hart Bridge, the (probably) designated that stretch of Bay Street (formerly Gator Bowl Blvd.) as SR 228. There's no reason, if all the remaining elevated ramps were removed, they couldn't redesignate the appropriate surface streets to keep the connection.
Forsyth Street already carries SR 228 between Main and Liberty. Add Liberty between Forsyth and Bay, then Bay Street to join existing SR 228 on Bay at APR.
Coming off the Hart Bridge, stay on Bay Street to Ocean, and add the two blocks of Ocean between Bay and Adams, joining existing NB SR 228 on Ocean. Remove SR 228 from Adam, between Liberty (Hart Ramps) and Ocean.
There's some paperwork for FDOT to complete, and maybe a public hearing (although that might only apply to US numbered routes.
About a decade ago, FDOT removed US 17 / SR 228 from College and Post, from Riverside Ave. through Brooklyn, and Water Street, and moved them up to I-10 and I-95, then to the State/Union pair.
I think thelakelander's is correct about concerns over the potential for industrial contamination at the bases of all those bridge piers holding up the overpasses. I am surprised this wasn't a problem for the stretch along Bay Street.