FDOT: Main Street expansion cost rises to about $100 million; south segment set for Sept. 2026

Florida Department of Transportation officials told a community meeting that the two-mile Main Street expansion in Jacksonville has grown from an initial estimate of about $50 million to roughly $100 million, and that the south segment from New Berlin Road to Airport Center Drive is scheduled for construction in September 2026 and is "fully funded," FDOT Planning representative Jim Knight said.

The project matters to residents and businesses along Main Street because it aims to add capacity and improve intersections on a route several speakers said is seeing worsening congestion. The meeting brought FDOT project staff together with city public-works representatives and local council members to review costs, timelines and remaining funding gaps.

"As we've worked through, we've seen dramatic price increases. The project cost has ballooned to around $100,000,000 for the 2 miles," Jim Knight said during the Oct. 27 meeting. He added that the portion from New Berlin to Airport Center Drive has a total project cost of about $50 million and is "fully funded." Knight said that letting for that segment is on schedule for September 2026, and that awarded contractors will take additional time to mobilize, so visible work could begin several months later.

FDOT staff described the north segment (Airport Center Drive to Max/Matt Leggett) as fully funded for design and right-of-way acquisition but not for construction. Knight said the program has spent roughly $61 million so far on design and right-of-way for the two segments and is short about $39 million to build the second mile. He said district-controlled funding can likely cover roughly $15 million a year, and that the project will need approximately $20 million to $25 million in additional local, state or federal assistance to proceed to construction.

Officials described both schedule and legal risks. Knight said FDOT believes much of the work can be done within existing DOT right-of-way but that the agency lacks deeds for portions of U.S. 17; instead there are plats and maps dating to the 1940s that conflict. "If we get a court challenge to that, that could slow that letting down," Knight said, adding that a court challenge over an 85-year-old plat could cause a delay of about two years if litigated.

When asked about how long construction would take, FDOT staff said each one-mile segment is expected to require about three years of work once construction begins, with contractors keeping lanes open for peak travel and performing some nighttime or late-hour closures for major crane or signal work.

Council members and attendees pressed FDOT on the project schedule, the scope of what could be built without additional right-of-way purchases, and traffic movements at the New Berlin intersection. FDOT staff said some design changes were made after discussions with business operators including Bacardi and Crowley to preserve key truck movements; FDOT confirmed it will provide a shareable PDF of the current concept and lane-movement diagrams to council offices and the public.

Local business owner Winfield Phillips, who said his shop is on Stockton Street, raised concerns during public comment about how simultaneous construction on nearby projects and proposed bridge work could affect customers and access: "we also have construction being done right in front of the business, which is affecting work and customers being able to show up to the business," Phillips said.

FDOT staff and council members discussed options to close the funding gap, including pursuing state-central-office or federal funds under programs that require nomination through the district. Knight said the project is the district's top priority for any centrally controlled funds and that the local design and right-of-way investments strengthen the case for additional central-office funding.

Council members at the meeting agreed to pursue further conversations with the city administration and the area's state representative about appropriations and grants to cover the remaining construction shortfall. FDOT said it will continue design work and right-of-way acquisition on the north segment while funding is sought for construction.

The meeting materials and FDOT's current concept diagram were promised to the council for distribution to residents and stakeholders; FDOT staff said they would email a PDF of the concept and movement diagrams to council offices. The agency and council members urged residents to watch for updates as funding and letting dates firm up.