After all these years, could it be that there is a legitimate future for the much-maligned Skyway?
At times called the "Riderless Express" and the "Train to Nowhere," the Skyway's mostly empty cars have glided above Downtown streets since 1989.
In 1998, the Skyway opened an extension that crosses the St. Johns River as part of the then-newly built Acosta Bridge.
Perhaps nothing in Jacksonville's modern-day history has been as criticized or contentious as the Skyway.
Jacksonville was one of seven cities selected by the U.S. Urban Mass Transit Administration for such a project.
In its planning stages as a "people mover" under Mayor Hans Tanzler during the 1970s, the Skyway had plenty of detractors who argued the city should not accept funds from the federal government to build it.
Construction on the Skyway's first leg, starting on Bay Street near the Osborn Center, was set to begin toward the end of the Jake Godbold administration in 1987. Mayoral candidate Doug Milne garnered much public support when he sought an injunction against the Jacksonville Transportation Authority to prevent it from being built.
Milne and his lawyer, John DeVault, lost the lawsuit and construction began.
Several events recently have happened that make it appear the Skyway's promise as an efficient and useful transit tool might have a chance to finally be fulfilled.
First, the authority made the Skyway free to ride for three months beginning in February 2012, when it instituted a new card-payment system.
Once free, ridership significantly increased and prompted the authority to keep it free until October of this year.
Second, the authority hired CEO Nathanial Ford, who has brought a new vision and energy to the organization.
Finally, Downtown hosted the One Spark crowdfunding festival in April. Attendees flooded the Skyway with 40,000 riders and brought it a whole new fan base.
Combine those factors with the enthusiasm for Downtown's revitalization and all of a sudden the Skyway begins to look less like an aging folly and more like a future opportunity.
Perhaps the most important piece of all was Ford's hiring.
Just like new Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, Ford has unleashed much gusto and an aggressive leadership style.
In looking at a long-term strategy for the transportation authority, Ford told The Florida Times-Union he came to town on a mission to build a first-class transit system from the ground up, which includes an extension of the Skyway to fast-booming Brooklyn.
That makes sense, especially given the construction of apartments and retail under way on Riverside Avenue, as well as other projects on the drawing board.
Ford says running the Skyway into Riverside not only will increase Skyway ridership, it will be an economic driver to create jobs and spur new investments.
He's right.
The authority plans to apply for a federal grant in early June to pay for the extension.
Shortly after he arrived in town, I met with Ford. He has the credentials to match his passion.
He came to Jacksonville after running both the Atlanta MARTA system and San Francisco's Muni Metro light rail network.
Shortly after coming to Jacksonville, Ford dug into the authority and its culture.
He's reorganized the authority and several vice president positions, emptied its leadership ranks by eliminating a dozen people and hired, what Ford calls, "a team of professionals that know transit-oriented development."
All of this is important far beyond the Skyway.
For the past 30 years all five mayors and every City Council has maintained the 6-cent local gas tax.
It has been a relatively painless cost to taxpayers and a tremendous investment in local roads and transportation.
The current gas tax, which annually provides $26 million to the authority, is set to expire in 2016.
So far, Mayor Alvin Brown has shown no indication he favors its extension and members of the City Council have been lukewarm, at best, to vote for an extension.
Let's not forget we have local elections in 2015 and it's unlikely the mayor or any Council member running for re-election will embrace keeping the gas tax until after the votes are counted.
That means Ford and his team have time to produce results, build confidence in their leadership and create a strategic transit plan that will show the mayor and Council the wisdom of maintaining this critical investment in our transportation infrastructure.
Let me know your thoughts.
(904) 356-2466