JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Wednesday, residents were able to get a first look at what’s next for the future of downtown Jacksonville’s riverfront. A major part of the plan is making an extra pathway for people to access and walk over the main street bridge.
This will happen in Phase 2 of the riverfront project. Developers sought feedback at the open house; it will be considered and used to move forward.
Phase one’s main addition was a park to the riverfront. Phase two will expand at the east end of the park.
There’s also plans for a rain garden, water feature, civic stairs, a beer garden, and a bike and pedestrian connection to the Main Street Bridge.
“We’ve incorporated the path on top of the building; we have kind of an aerospace to work in, so that way we kind of can dual-use within the park,” said Micah Lipscomb, a lead developer for the project.
Residents like Rachel Harris and Larry Wakefield came out to see those plans at the open house.
They say they’re looking forward to the added walkability.
“We can then go on the main street bridge, we can walk off, then we can go right into phase 2 of the park and come over to this area, so I think the connectivity of it all is amazing,” said Harris.
Us being able to have ways to travel through this city, specifically downtown, that is one of the keys. A bustling downtown helps build the city, so that’s super important to be able to get from this side of the city to the other side. It’s literally right there across the bridge," said Wakefield.
Lipscomb says they’re expecting the project to be completed by the end of next year.
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