Riverside Avenue is shown on the left before any changes. On the right, a rendering shows the addition of a bicycle lane and parallel parking. | Jimmy Peluso, Downtown Investment Authority
Published on July 29, 2026 at 3:22 pm
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A City Council member is considering a proposal to reduce the number of lanes on Riverside Avenue to add bike lanes and parallel parking.
The idea from council member Jimmy Peluso also would extend to Forest and West Monroe streets.
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Peluso is proposing the update of an 8-year-old Downtown Investment Authority “road diet” proposal to redesign Riverside Avenue through the Brooklyn community, among other nearby changes.
Posting on his Facebook page, Peluso showed renderings of three segments of the updated plan that would narrow Riverside Avenue’s three lanes each direction to two, plus changes to Forest Street and West Monroe Street — including green-painted bicycle lanes.
Florida Department of Transportation statistics show that an average of 24,500 vehicles a day use Riverside Avenue between the Acosta Bridge ramps and Fuller Warren Bridge, with 2,900 vehicles per day on Forest Street. Peluso said he does not expect any traffic issues if Riverside Avenue and Forest Street are narrowed from six to four lanes.
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“There’s going to be a little bit of adjustment, but when the study was happening, we had not seen the interchange complete at I-10 and I-95. Now that it is completed, it provides access to the Fuller Warren Bridge, and you have the Acosta and Main Street bridges that people can cross over,” Peluso said. “Not everyone has to go up and down Riverside Avenue. If we want to make sure that we are making it feel more like a neighborhood and extension of Downtown, we have to connect it appropriately, and I don’t think there’s going to be substantial traffic issues that will upend this process.”
Riverside development
Riverside Avenue has seen lots off development in recent years, including at least five apartment complexes. That includes the One Riverside luxury apartment complex next to the 38,000-square-foot Whole Foods supermarket at 1 Riverside Ave.
A new Alder & Oak restaurant opened at Riverside Avenue and Forest Street, and the Burlock and Barrel Distillery is next to it. Fidelity National Information Services‘ global headquarters sits nearby on Alfred duPont Place.
The Downtown Investment Authority did propose shrinking Riverside Avenue’s lanes and other changes some years ago, in its 2018-2019 State of Downtown report.
At the time, the DIA proposed a traffic roundabout at Riverside Avenue and Forest Street, but Peluso said the roundabout is not included in this more streamlined update.
Peluso said he spoke with DIA CEO Colin Tarbert about reviving the proposal, as well as business owners in the Brooklyn community “who really want to see the neighborhood evolve and feel more like a neighborhood.”
“Then I kind of recognized that we just put a ton of money into the Emerald Trail at McCoys Creek to redo the Northbank Riverwalk,” he said. “So why on earth would we not want to make sure that we are connecting as much pedestrian access to those amenities that we just put a ton of money and attention into.”
The Emerald Trail is a 30-mile route of trails and parks connecting more than a dozen historic urban neighborhoods in Downtown, the St. Johns River, and McCoys and Hogans creeks. The plan includes a park around McCoys Creek’s new reconnection with the St. Johns River at Riverside Avenue and the Acosta Bridge.
The new proposal is actually three separate segments that would cost an estimated $100,000 each:
- Riverside Avenue from the Acosta Bridge to Forest Street
- Forest Street from Riverside Avenue to Park Street
- West Monroe Street between I-95 and Jefferson Street in Downtown
Parking would be added along both sides of Riverside Avenue from the Acosta Bridge to Forest Street, plus spots added on both sides of Forest Street from Riverside Avenue to Park Street. And one of the three traffic lanes on West Monroe Street would be eliminated as it is switched to two-way traffic, adding bicycle lanes to each side .
The plan for Forest Street would include a pedestrian crosswalk at Forest and Magnolia streets. Most of the work on the three projects would be “a paint job” to set up bike lanes and parking spots, but Peluso said some concrete buffers would be added for safety in the parking areas.
The projects would be paid for with pedestrian safety funds in the city budget and would not require specific City Council approval, Peluso said.
Peluso held a public meeting last week at City Hall to present the idea. Additional community feedback will be solicited before the city’s Public Works Department complete the design in the next few months.
