The end is in sight for nagging Gator Bowl Blvd. roadwork in downtown Jacksonville
It has been a game of cones — traffic cones, that is — for those heading into downtown Jacksonville for Daily's Place or a Jumbo Shrimp baseball game.
Yes, Gator Bowl Boulevard, changed in mid-March as its reconstruction continues, is being remolded again.
But the end is in sight, according to the Public Works Department.
Demolition begins: Elevated ramps gone (for now) at Jacksonville’s Hart Bridge
Easier access to the Hart Bridge from Gator Bowl Blvd.: Here's how it changed near TIAA Bank Field
Demolition of the Hart Bridge’s downtown elevated ramps began in April 2020 as part of a $39 million project to divert traffic onto surface streets around TIAA Bank Field. The demolition was initially done to open up the view of the St. Johns River to the stadium and Jaguars team owner Shad Khan’s then-planned $2.5 billion “urban village” stretching from TIAA Bank Field to the waterfront, city officials said.
Khan's latest now includes a Four Seasons Hotel, office building and upgraded marina on the riverfront. But ramp demolition continued, starting at the eastern end of the mile-long overhead segment across from the stadium. Contractors also took the original bridge ramps down near parking Lot E.
Earlier this year the city opened new direct, ground-level ramps on and off the bridge and Gator Bowl Boulevard. Those had temporary medians and traffic lights, no turn lanes and a different intersection with A. Philip Randolph Boulevard.
Ramps up and detours down: Jacksonville's Hart Bridge ramps ready in time for Jags first home game
What's being done now is the final reconstruction of Gator Bowl Boulevard and completion of new a bridge over A. Philip Randolph, city officials said. The work includes intersections with stadium Lot J and elsewhere along the boulevard, all to be complete in October.
Work is also visibly progressing on the overhead ramp connecting the wider four-lane boulevard to downtown. The new bridge over A. Philip Randolph will connect to the old ramps that end at Adams, Forsyth, Duval and Monroe streets, the city said.
Turn it down — it's state law — again
A note from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office — turn that car stereo down.
Starting in July, Florida State Statute 316.3045, aka "Operation of radios or other mechanical sound-making devices or instruments in vehicles," is being enforced after a legal challenge and a rewrite.
Know before you go: Where are the lowest gas prices in Jacksonville? Here's an updated list.
It means It is unlawful for anyone in a vehicle on a street to play their stereo so loud that it is "plainly audible at a distance of 25 feet or more" or louder than necessary in areas adjoining churches, schools or hospitals.
dscanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Gator Bowl Blvd. project nears downtown Jacksonville completion
