The Downtown Independent Drive ramp leading to the southbound lane of the Main Street Bridge will close permanently April 15 in preparation for demolition.
The Florida Department of Transportation said in a news release that motorists on Independent Drive that want to travel south on the bridge will continue past the ramp, turn left on Bay Street and left onto the Main Street Bridge.
The bridge’s west pedestrian sidewalk will be closed during construction and users will be detoured to the east access, according to FDOT.
FDOT contracted with Superior Construction Co. Southeast LLC for the $584,000 demolition, which is expected to be completed in the summer.
The bridge ramp removal comes as the Downtown Investment Authority plans for a 4.5-acre public park and private development at the adjacent former Jacksonville Landing site.
The demolition will give the DIA another 1.67 acres for what now is Riverfront Plaza, using the public parking lot to the east of the Main Street Bridge Ramp.
DIA CEO Lori Boyer told members of Mayor Lenny Curry’s Downtown Working Group on March 30 that the parking lot parcel could be used for residential development but no plans are definite.
The DIA selected three national firms as finalists March 18 in its competition to design the public park space at 2 Independent Drive.
DIA officials want construction to start on the public park before private development begins on what city documents show as the northwest and northeast corners of the site.
The working budget for the park is $12 million, according to Boyer.
