Independent Drive ramp construction to begin, pedestrians & drivers re-routed

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Independent Drive ramp onto the Main Street bridge in downtown Jacksonville is set to be demolished and will close to drivers permanently starting at 10 p.m. Monday.

During construction, the west pedestrian sidewalk will be closed, and people crossing the Main Street Bridge will have to cross over to the other side from the east sidewalk.

The Florida Department of Transportation is re-routing travelers to W. Bay Street to cross over to the east side.

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In a press release, the Florida Department of Transportation said, “sidewalk users seeking to use the Independent Drive ramp will take Bay street to Newnan Street and access the bridge from Independent Drive on the east side of the structure.”

FDOT tells Action News Jax the $584,000 project is expected to be complete by fall 2021.

The city of Jacksonville requested the project.

The city said the pedestrian walkway on the westside of the bridge will be reconstructed later. An exact timeline has not yet been released.

The project is going on at the same time three construction teams are competing for the contract to re-design Riverfront Plaza, the former site of The Landing.

Agency Landscape & Planning, a Massachusetts-based company, announced it is one of the finalists.

In a post on Facebook, the company said, “Over the next three months, our team will work together with the Jacksonville community to design a bold gathering place at the heart of Jacksonville on the St. Johns River.”

The company is currently gathering ideas from locals.

You can call or text 904-539-3826 with your ideas.

Cox Media Group