Contractors install construction fencing Friday around the city's planned Riverfront Plaza. | Dan Scanlan, WJCT News 89.9
Published on January 26, 2024 at 1:45 pm
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Construction will start soon on the initial round of amenities that will revamp what used to be the Jacksonville Landing.
Work began six months ago to prepare roads for the city’s Riverfront Plaza project. Contractors continue to realign part of Independent Drive to make space for the new park.
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Now workers have installed construction fencing to herald the first phase of the transformation of the former shopping mall on the Northbank Riverwalk.
That means work on the Riverwalk and bulkhead, as well as construction of a café and children’s playground, is on its way, Mayor Donna Deegan said.
“It is exciting to see continued progress being made at the Riverfront Plaza site,” Deegan said in a news release. “I look forward to watching this vital project move forward over the coming months and eagerly await the day it is ready for the citizens of Jacksonville to enjoy.”
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Riverfront Plaza is the first in a series of parks and other amenities planned for Downtown’s St. Johns Riverfront. The plans include spaces that once held the former courthouse, City Hall, jail and the Landing.
The new plaza was designed by Perkins & Will two years ago. Its western half will focus on the Northbank Riverwalk, with curving walkways, native plant gardens in a large greenspace and a cafe with a playground on top of it.
The first phase started with the closure of some Downtown streets in July. Part of Independent Drive has been removed to clear space for park amenities. Ultimately, Independent Drive will be rerouted to Hogan Street.
Other first-phase work will include rebuilding the bulkhead and riverwalk along the entire length of the plaza to improve flooding resilience. That includes transforming part of Hogan Street into a pedestrian plaza connecting the Performing Arts Center with the park.
The first phase will take two years and cost $13 million, with $25 million set aside for the entire plaza project, city officials said. That phase should be done in mid-to-late 2025, with pedestrian traffic on Newnan Street, Bay and Pearl streets rerouted, the city said.
Construction will not affect vehice traffic on Independent Drive. The Hogan Street alignment project is almost done, and Water Street is scheduled to reopen to traffic in late March.
The city said the Jacksonville Water Taxi’s floating docks underneath and east of the Main Street bridge will not be affected.
The plaza’s second phase will focus on the eastern side of the site next to the Main Street bridge. That work includes a pedestrian ramp from the bridge and the beer garden beneath it, along with a fountain and other elements. That construction could begin in 2025 or 2026, and be completed in 18 months.
The plaza’s second phase construction would also be planned to match the FDOT’s planned $108 million renovation of the 82-year-old Main Street bridge, scheduled to close some time in 2027, and reopen in 2028, city officials said.
Lead image: Contractors install construction fencing Friday around the city’s planned Riverfront Plaza. | Dan Scanlan, WJCT News 89.9
