Can something be done about Ortega Blvd.? Reader says it's 'like driving on a washboard'

The tree-shaded stretch of Ortega Boulevard near Stockton Park looks smooth as you drive over it past Harvard, Princeton and Oxford avenues in Jacksonville.

Then you feel the rippled pavement through your car's suspension as you hear an empty trailer rattling over them as it's towed by a pickup truck passing by.

Pull safely into the waterfront park's lot and look closer, and the 4000 block of Ortega Boulevard has a spiderweb of cracks here and there, plus some dips on asphalt patches. And one reader saw and felt those, then fired a missive to us about it.

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"The section of Florida 211 — Ortega Boulevard — is in deplorable condition and is like driving on a washboard," the reader wrote. "I have visited DOT's website trying to determine if there was a pending work order to correct and repave that section of the state road. The DOT website is not user-friendly and I abandoned my attempt to gain some information."

The reader wanted us to forward his concerns to the Florida Department of Transportation and ask whether it is planning any work to smooth out the road or how to get some results if not.

So we did.

FDOT spokesman Hampton Ray said he's contacted maintenance officials to review "and correct any deficiencies," with an inspection set for this month. But right now, the Ortega Boulevard section is not due for any work, he said.

That said, another part of Florida 211 to the north, where it is called St. Johns Avenue through Avondale, is getting a facelift.

"Florida 211 between I-95 and San Juan is expected to see a resurfacing project take place in spring of 2024," Ray said. "Typically, asphalt roadways are resurfaced every 15 to 20 years, depending on conditions including traffic counts and forecasting."

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Resurfacing plans are just part of the FDOT's Five-Year Work Program, funding "the highest-priority projects as directed by local transportation planning organizations," Ray said. This work program, which is for the FDOT's various regions statewide, includes documents and an interactive map and can be viewed at fdot.gov/topics/fdot-work-program/wp-public-hearings.

Come on and take a free ride

Sorry for borrowing a line from that 1972 Edgar Winter Group song, but the Jacksonville Transportation Authority's Clay Community Transportation Program is offering free rides during October.

Passengers can board a shuttle from designated pick-up stops and travel routes through Fleming Island, Gainesville, Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights, Middleburg, Orange Park and Penney Farms, the JTA said.

• The Red Line travels from Orange Park south along Blanding Boulevard to Middleburg Bluff Apartments 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

• The Green Line travels from Keystone Heights to the Middleburg VA Clinic 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

• The Blue Line travels from Orange Park south through Fleming Island down to Green Cove Springs 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

• The Magenta Line makes two round trips (Keystone Heights to Gainesville) Monday through Friday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

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There are also low-cost Flex Trips available for passengers within three-quarters of a mile from the main route, scheduled by calling (904) 284-5977.

Clay Express Select offers rides between Clay County and the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla in downtown Jacksonville. Passengers can board Clay Express Select shuttles at the Black Creek Park-n-Ride near Doctors Inlet and Sleepy Hollow Road, or other express select stops along Park Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard. Service is not available Saturdays, Sundays or holidays.

For more information on the Clay Community Transportation Program, visit bit.ly/3RKaQYR.

Gas tax holiday

It's not a free ride for Florida drivers, but there's been some sharp drops in prices at the pump recently. And Florida's Motor Fuel Tax Relief Act of 2022, which went into effect on Oct. 1, is part of it since the state’s 25.3-cent tax on each gallon of gasoline is suspended for the rest of the month.

Price check: Where are the lowest gas prices in Jacksonville? Here’s an updated list.

AAA said the state average price for gasoline declined 13 cents per gallon in the first week of October since the gas tax holiday began. Before October the state average declined a total of $1.50 per gallon since prices reached their peak of $4.89 in mid-June.

dscanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: FDOT has no current plans to repave Ortega Boulevard in Jacksonville