by Joel Addington
Contributing Writer
The top executives from Jacksonville’s three transportation authorities welcomed the state’s Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Kopelousos for a luncheon yesterday and let her know about the growth challenges each agency currently faces.
The City’s port, aviation and transportation authorities all receive funding and regulatory guidance from the Florida Department of Transportation for their respective growth and improvement projects.
After giving an update on the ongoing work at the Jacksonville International Airport, Jacksonville Aviation Authority Executive Director and CEO John Clark said he was concerned about the failing level of service on Interstate 295 in light of the airport’s growing load, which now stands at 6.3 million passengers each year. In addition he cited the 1,500 new homes expected just north of the airport.
“It’s great to have modern facilities, but without access to them, it’s all for naught,” he said. “It (I-295) will bring our growth to a halt if it’s not addressed. It’s a critical piece to growing north Jacksonville.”
Rick Ferrin, executive director and CEO of the Jacksonville Port Authority, spoke about the need for both short-term and long-term improvements to the intersection of Route 9A and Heckscher Drive. He said plans are in the works for a short-term fix to handle the surge in tractor-trailer traffic expected from completion of the Mitsui terminal at Dames Point next year.
In the long-term, he said, a rail connection to the CSX railroad north of Dames Point is being studied by the port in conjunction with FDOT.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority expects a number of improvements in the next few years included a Bus Rapid Transit system, road projects like the further widening of Heckscher Drive and the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center.
JTA’s Executive Director and CEO Michael Blaylock said the major challenge the authority faces is coordination among other agencies in Northeast Florida to create a functioning regional transportation system that encompasses the surrounding counties.
“We’re concerned with what’s happening in Baker, Nassau, Clay, St. Johns, Putnam and even Flagler County,” he said. “We don’t want to be the 800-pound gorilla in the room...It’s about how can we coexist.”