Jacksonville CRA outlines $12 million plan for New Kings Road complete-streets improvements

The Kings Suttell Crossing Community Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday presented a phased plan to redesign New Kings Road, a 2.2-mile stretch of U.S. 1 from Suttell Drive to Trout River Boulevard, with sidewalks, landscaped medians, bus shelters, access-management changes and several proposed roundabouts intended to improve safety and spur redevelopment.

The proposal, presented by Karen Nasralla of the Office of Economic Development, calls for using tax-increment financing already allocated to the CRA and anticipates raising the project fund from a current balance of "just over $8,000,000" by adding a projected $3,000,000 in TIF at year-end cleanup, potentially bringing the total to about $12,000,000.

The plan matters because the redevelopment plan directs the CRA to work with the Florida Department of Transportation to incorporate complete-streets and context-sensitive design along this corridor, which the agency described as a gateway into Jacksonville and home to six of the CRA's 10 opportunity sites. Agency and consultant presenters said the work is intended to improve safety, walkability and attractiveness to developers.

Karen Nasralla, OED staff, told the agency board the project stems from a board resolution that created the New Kings Road Capital Improvement Project and directed staff to procure a consultant to develop a complete-streets project. "This project comes straight out of our redevelopment plan," Nasralla said. "The project will run the duration of US 1 within the CRA boundary ... approximately 2.2 miles."

AJ Tablada, the project manager in Public Works, said the city selected Aecon as the design-build firm and that the team — including ACON Construction and GAI Consultants — developed the initial list of nine capital-improvement projects to kick-start corridor revitalization.

Matt Bollier, the lead civil engineer with GAI Consultants, said the nine projects are split between those proposed for final design and permitting and those for which the team proposed 30% conceptual design and cost estimates to start right-of-way planning. The nine projects listed include:

- Sidewalk improvements, including about 4,500 linear feet of sidewalks around the I-295 interchange at the northern end of the corridor (conceptual design proposed).

- A 500-foot sidewalk on the south side of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (final design and permitting proposed).

- Crosswalk upgrades, including replacing existing RRFBs with pedestrian hybrid beacons at Lincoln Villas Senior Center and the Philippian Community Church (final design and permitting proposed).

- Landscape medians with irrigation and irrigation upgrades (final design and permitting proposed).

- Bus stop shelters coordinated with JTA (final design and permitting proposed; consultants noted current ridership is low in parts of the corridor).

- Three proposed roundabouts at Moncrief Road West, Trout River Boulevard and Gilchrist Road; consultants recommended roundabouts for reduced travel speeds and fewer high-severity collisions but said all would require FDOT approval and right-of-way acquisition (30% conceptual design proposed).

- Access-management modifications that would close several side intersections (Maddox, Teagle, Moncrief Road West), add cul-de-sacs, connect sidewalks and add lighting to improve safety (30% conceptual design proposed).

Consultants said roundabouts were suggested in coordination with FDOT because they tend to reduce travel speeds and the severity of collisions compared with four-way signalized intersections. "One of the pros of having a roundabout is they automatically reduce the travel speed through the corridor," Bollier said. He added the team will design the geometry to FDOT criteria, using a design vehicle large enough to accommodate semi-trucks.

Board members and council representatives asked about compatibility with freight traffic and whether roundabouts might cause problems for long-haul trucks. Board member Clark Murray said he applauded the safety focus but asked whether FDOT would consider lowering speed limits or using signals instead of roundabouts at some locations. Bollier responded that the roundabouts are intended to slow speeds and that the geometry will be designed to accommodate 18-wheelers; he said FDOT must approve plans and show that turning radii meet the design-vehicle requirements.

Board member Gay expressed opposition to roundabouts, saying the corridor carries heavy freight and that installing roundabouts could create problems for traffic headed to the stadium and through the city. Nasralla said FDOT and city staff have discussed rerouting truck traffic off the corridor to support a commercial and residential corridor transformation and that developers are expressing interest in vacant land along the stretch.

The presenters described a staged approach: begin final design and permitting on the more straightforward projects while advancing conceptual design and cost estimates (30%) on the more complex items to begin right-of-way acquisition and FDOT coordination. Several projects will require FDOT permitting, right-of-way purchases, and additional coordination with JTA.

Board discussion included requests to avoid interfering with an upcoming memorial sign installation near Kings and Moncrief and reminders that larger projects will take multiple years of coordination. No formal vote was recorded on the New Kings Road plan during the CRA meeting; the presentation was informational and the board discussed next steps for design, FDOT coordination and funding allocation.

Proposed next steps from consultants included advancing final design on straightforward sidewalk, crosswalk and median projects, producing 30% plans and cost estimates for roundabouts and access-management changes, and beginning right-of-way acquisition and FDOT review.