by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
When ground was broken in February 2010 for the Laura Street improvements, the golden shovels went into the ground on the south end of the four-block project where the new roundabout would be constructed between the Landing and Wells Fargo Center.
Tuesday morning, following substantial completion of the work all the way to Monroe Street at Hemming Plaza, Laura Street in front of the Landing was closed again, this time for the removal and replacement of the surface in the circular roadway surrounding the statue of Andrew Jackson.
Landing General Manager Janice Lowe said she and the merchants are having a difficult time not having flashbacks to the previous phase of the construction project in front of the riverfront retail and entertainment center.
The original plan called for the streetscape to be disrupted for about 30 days. By the time the installation was complete, almost 150 days had elapsed.
Ten months after the project began, following complaints about the rough driving surface of the roundabout, City officials met with the consulting engineers who designed the roundabout and determined the “Belgian blocks,” referred to by many as cobblestones, would have to be removed, a proper foundation laid, and the blocks reinstalled properly with grout between the blocks instead of sand.
In April, the City agreed to postpone replacement of the 9-month old road surface until after July 4. That would eliminate disrupting vehicular and pedestrian traffic to the Landing during the Jacksonville Jazz Festival the last weekend of May and the Independence Day weekend.
The roundabout “redo” is expected to take 40 days, according to Lowe.
“They couldn’t get it done before the jazz festival and they couldn’t get it done between the festival and Fourth of July. Now they say they can get it done by the end of August, just before the start of football season,” said Lowe.
“This is very difficult,” she said.
At the other end of the project, merchants are more satisfied with the results. Jacobs Jewelers owner Roy Thomas said he’s noticed the change in the traffic pattern since Laura Street was converted to two-way travel.
“It has shifted some of the northbound traffic from Hogan Street to Laura Street. Having more traffic is better. When you’re in retail, the more people who see your business when they’re driving by, the better off you are,” he said.
Ron Chamblin, owner of Chamblin’s Uptown, the bookstore and café on Laura Street near the Main Library, also likes the new two-way street.
“Feedback from our customers has been good. People have more freedom to move around the area and it’s easier for people to get to the store from I-95. All they have to do now is come down Forsyth Street, turn left on Laura and we’re two blocks from there,” said Chamblin.
One improvement that remains to be completed on the north end of the project is the installation of the parking meters on the block between Adams and Monroe streets.
Thomas and Chamblin agreed that’s something they’ll be glad to see.
“Without the meters, people who work Downtown are getting in the spaces by 8 o’clock in the morning and they’re parked there all day. That will change when the meters are installed,” said Thomas.
Chamblin said he has instructed the store and café staff not to park on the street in front of the store.
“Leave the spaces for customers,” he said.
Sharla Valeski, artist and owner of The Next Gallery, said the new sidewalk on the street adjacent to Wells Fargo Center is an improvement because pedestrians don’t have to cross the street to reach the Landing any more.
One element of the project she’s not a fan of is the wayfaring kiosks that have been placed at each street corner from the Landing to the plaza.
“They are horrid. Something was lost in translation,” said Valeski.
Valeski is moving Aug. 1 to a new work and exhibition space, so she won’t see the long-term effects of the streetscape changes.
The gallery is relocating to the arts district at Rosselle and King streets in Riverside.
“I wanted to stay Downtown, but DVI wasn’t able to find another space for me,” said Valeski. DVI is Downtown Vision Inc., which facilitates the “Off the Grid” gallery initiative in partnership with the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.
“I’m going to miss my Downtown buddies,” said Valeski.
“We work with the artists to find a space that meets their needs and the needs of the property owner. I wish we could, but we can’t always find a match,” said Pamela Elms, DVI marketing director.
356-2466