JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Residents in Arlington are asking questions about traffic changes planned for the University Boulevard Complete Streets Project, a 1.6-mile project by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and the City of Jacksonville.
The project includes changes on and around University Boulevard North, including adding roundabouts, creating shared-use sidewalks, and reducing some lanes on Arlington Road from five lanes to three.
The plan was presented to residents at a community meeting Wednesday night, where some of the concerns centered on how the roughly $32 million project will be funded.
“So I need to know how they’re funding what they’re doing here on University Boulevard,” resident Marlys Cassidey said.
Cassidey, who has lived in the area since 1989, said one of her concerns is whether the project could affect property taxes.
“Because it’s going to affect, perhaps, property taxes,” Cassidey said.
Nina Sickler, the City of Jacksonville’s public works director, said the funding for the project is fully available.
“The funding for the project is fully available. It’s in the CIP on the city side and as well as JTA. There’s also some grant money that was obtained for the project. So, it’s funded for the scope that we’re showing today,” Sickler said.
Sickler said the area sees about 28,000 travelers a day, and the goal is to create a safe and inviting corridor.
JTA and city leaders said 44 people attended an August meeting on the project, and the plan presented Wednesday reflected feedback from those residents.
Cassidey said she was not at the August meeting and questioned whether enough people knew about it.
“The fact that there were only 44 responses in the August meeting tells me that either people didn’t know or people didn’t care, and it might be some of both,” Cassidey said.
Still, Cassidey said some of the proposed changes could be useful, including a proposed roundabout at Gable Lane and Wiltshire Street.
“They don’t know how to get on the wire to let the equipment know that somebody’s waiting to turn. So it probably will improve as a result of putting in a roundabout,” Cassidey said.
The proposed changes also include added traffic signals and widening a sidewalk from 6 feet to 10 feet so pedestrians and bicyclists can use it together.
The city says design is expected to begin in early 2027, with construction starting in 2029.
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