by Bailey White
Staff Writer
A grand opening for the renovated San Marco Branch Library is scheduled for Saturday, and Better Jacksonville Plan improvements to polish the rest of Hendricks Avenue between Mitchell Avenue and Prudential Drive are beginning to take shape.
Perhaps the most noticeable change will be the elimination of one lane of traffic for a center turn lane.
“The middle lane will be a turn lane, and there will be minor medians,” said Doug Layton, project manager of roadway improvements for Better Jacksonville. “And the lane width will be increased from nine feet to 11 feet.”
Another major difference will be the elimination of most on-street parking.
“Some very limited street parking will remain,” said Layton, “but for the most part it will be similar to what we’ve done under I-95 [where off-road parking has been established].
“Parking will still be a little bit of a challenge,” said City Council member and mayoral candidate Matt Carlucci, “but we’re working on that with a variety of places for off-road parking and with our lunchtime trolley service.”
Utilities will be placed underground and there will be some sewer and water improvements.
“The final determination of what that means hasn’t been made yet, we don’t know the full extent,” said Layton, adding the JEA is still studying the issue.
Electric lines will go behind the buildings, making for a neater appearance.
The sidewalks will be widened from six to seven and a half feet and lined with trees and antique-style lighting.
Just because you can’t see construction now doesn’t mean the work hasn’t already started.
“We’re meeting individually with property owners now,” said Layton. “That’s ongoing. We’re talking to some about parking, figuring out how we can work through any concerns they might have.”
The physical work will take a little longer.
“We expect to be back to the community this summer with 90 percent drawings,” said Layton. “We’ll complete the drawings with their input and then we’ll bid the project. Then we’ll come back with a contractor in tow in early 2004 and plan to start at that time.”
Layton said the work is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2004.
What will this mean for Hendricks Avenue?
“What it’s going to do,” said Carlucci, “is make a really beautiful corridor that runs right through the heart of San Marco into the downtown area.”
“We have seen generically that when a roadway is improved the neighborhood tends to improve,” said Layton. “People start to spruce up and make improvements to their own property.”