City officials announce the opening of the Stockton Street Bridge

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Thursday morning, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and City Council members Jimmy Peluso and Tyrona Clark-Murray performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Stockton Street Bridge.

The bridge is part of the McCoy’s Creek Restoration Project, an initiative stemming from a partnership between the city of Jacksonville and the nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville that aims to maintain the creek, restore wildlife, and limit flooding.

“We believe this creek corridor should be a destination, not just a drainage ditch, but a place where people want together,” Deegan said. “We want it to be a place where people walk and bike and where they can connect to the Emerald Trail and to each other.”

City officials say that the bridge is wider and elevated, so it won’t block the flow of the creek when the water is rising — something Deegan said was a major concern for local residents.

“We’re gonna save a lot of lives, we’re gonna save a lot of property, and we’re also creating a more ecologically friendly environment,” Peluso said.

Deegan said that $105,000,000 was poured into the Stockton Street Bridge, making it one of the most significant infrastructure investments in Jacksonville’s history. It’s equipped with bike lanes and sidewalks, connecting District 7 and District 9 — figuratively and literally.

Peluso says that the walkability of the bridge provides a new layer of accessibility to the neighborhood.

“You’re gonna now connect your downtown with these communities and these neighborhoods in a way we haven’t seen in years,” Peluso said. “To be able to get to different parts of our city without having to buy a car or get on a bus — that’s gonna be huge, that’s real accessibility.”