More bike paths, 8th Street resurfacing on drawing board for Fernandina Beach

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst

Corrections added following article on May 22, 2017

 

Proposed route of 4-phase bike path/trail connecting A1A/SR200 with South Fletcher Avenue as provided by North Florida TPO

The North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) is the independent regional transportation planning agency for Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties. Each year a List of Priority Projects is created to be funded in the new fifth year of the TIP.

On May 16, 2017, Wanda Forrest, North Florida TPO Transportation Planning Manager, briefed the Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) on two city projects to be considered in the FY 2017/18 through FY 2021/22 plan: a bike path/trail that will connect A1A SR200 to South Fletcher Avenue and the resurfacing A1A/SR200 from the Amelia River Bridge to Centre Street. The bike path/trail phase connecting Bailey Road to Via Del Ray is scheduled for construction in FY2017/18, the same time frame for A1A/SR200 resurfacing.

The entire draft plan is available on the TPO website at: http://northfloridatpo.com/images/uploads/April_25_TIP.pdf

A public hearing on the draft multi-year plan covering all the counties in the region is scheduled for May 24, 2017 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the North Florida TPO building at 980 North Jefferson Street in Jacksonville, FL. Formal approval is scheduled for June 8, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at the same location.

Correction provided by Mike Pikula:  

The graphic used correctly depicts the next 4 phases of the Amelia Island Trail, which will run alongside the Amelia Island Parkway from S. Fletcher Av northwest toward A1A (DOT # 437334-1 thru 437337-1) .  The first phase of the AIT from Peters Point Park to Amelia Island State Park, was completed in 2013 and it will connect with the next segments.

The next major trail project on Amelia Island to be completed will be the “Amelia River-to-Sea Trail” (called the Bailey + Simmons Trail in article(FDOT # 4339871)).  It will run from S. Fletcher Av westward along the Simmons Rd ROW, then south along Bailey Rd to the City ball fields, connect there with the Crane Island developer’s trail and terminate at a park on the Amelia River.   Design is underway, and we hope construction will start this year.

I think the comments about a “Bailey Rd-Via Del Ray” (sic) trail to be constructed this year got the projects mixed up.  The only Bailey-Via Del Rey segment is part of the four planned segments along the AIP to be done in about 2020.

Thanks, Mike,  for your input!