The Main Street Bridge. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on August 7, 2026 at 5:17 pm
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Construction on the next phase of Jacksonville’s Riverfront Plaza will close some lanes and a pedestrian walkway on the Main Street Bridge, beginning Aug. 24.
The closures could remain in place for up to five months, a city official said. The second phase of Riverfront Plaza will include a bike and pedestrian connection to the west side of the 85-year-old bridge.
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The bridge’s southbound lanes, heading to San Marco, will be reduced to one lane as the walkway is erected. The bridge’s southbound pedestrian sidewalk will be closed for the duration of construction, expected to conclude by late January, the city said.
Riverfront Plaza is the first in a series of parks and other amenities planned for the Northbank of the St. Johns River, on land once occupied by the former courthouse, City Hall, jail and the Jacksonville Landing.
The first phase of Riverfront Plaza opened last winter with curving walkways, native plant gardens in a large greenspace and a cafe space with a playground on top of it.
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The first phase also rebuilt the bulkhead and riverwalk along the entire length of the plaza to improve flooding resilience and transform part of Hogan Street into a pedestrian plaza connecting the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts with the park. The first phase cost $33 million, city officials said.
The second phase also includes a beer garden, winding pathways with native landscaping and a water feature, all estimated to cost $46 million.
When the sidewalk on the Main Street Bridge is shut in two weeks, pedestrians should follow posted detour signs for rerouted access, the city said.
As for northbound vehicle traffic, those two lanes will remain open throughout the project, city officials said. But southbound drivers may want to detour to the Acosta Bridge nearby to avoid backups or use the Mathews Bridge and its Interstate 95 connections.
The entire plaza is adjacent to the new Northbank Riverwalk and Music Garden, which was unveiled recently near the performing arts center.
Full information about the Main Street Bridge closure and detours is available here.
