Old Middleburg Road widening is among nine unfinished Better Jacksonville Plan projects

John Draper hasn't forgotten that back in 2000, the Better Jacksonville Plan's long list of road projects included widening Old Middleburg Road in the southwest part of the city.

"It's been a long road," he said as the city finally is ready to start building the first phase of the widening.

Draper, a longtime Argyle Civic Council leader who served on Jacksonville City Council from 1991 to 1995, said he never thought it would take 24 years to get the work under way after voters backed a half-cent sales tax in 2000.

Old Middleburg Road isn't the only Better Jacksonville Plan project that's been on a "long road" toward delivering the traffic relief promised to voters when they raised the sale tax. Eight other road projects still need to be done by the city's Public Works Department and have a total estimated completion cost of $271 million.

A tenth Better Jacksonville Plan road project is nearing completion in the Intracoastal West side of town. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority took over the widening of San Pablo Road between Atlantic Boulevard and Beach Boulevard and is on track to finish in November. The current cost to complete construction is $22.6 million. It is the last of the Better Jacksonville Plan road work that JTA has done through its citywide Mobility Works program.

Mayor Donna Deegan said Thursday at the ground-breaking ceremony for Old Middleburg Road she's committed to following through all the other remaining projects.

"One of the things I said when I took office is we need to get moving on these things," she said. "Everything takes longer than it should. So my hope and my expectation is we're going to get these done."

City Council member Rahman Johnson said he got an earful about Old Middleburg Road when he met with residents at the Argyle Branch Library his first day in office a year ago.

"They took a whole pound of flesh," Johnson said. "I left with my head down. But I believe that the work we did, this is the fruition of it."

Old Middleburg Road is particularly bumper-to-bumper during the school year when Enterprise Learning Academy lets out. The school is near the Argyle Branch Library and Oakleaf Town Center . During high-traffic times, it's difficult for fire trucks at Fire Station 61 on Old Middleburg at Collins roads to get through because the two-lane road has no shoulders.

The vast majority of the $2.25 billion Better Jacksonville has been completed for years: the new county courthouse, arena, baseball stadium, main library, branch libraries, purchase of land for the Preservation Project and dozens of road and drainage projects.

Former mayor John Delany, who was invited to the Old Middleburg Road ground-breaking because he was the architect of the Better Jacksonville Plan, said in today's dollars, the investment would be on the scale of more than $5 billion "which is an incredible investment in the community."

"And I said at the time that Jacksonville voted to invest in itself," he said.

Here is the status of the road projects that haven't yet been built, based on budget documents and reports to the Better Jacksonville Plan Finance and Project Administration Committees.

Broward Road widening

On the Northside, the city will widen part of Broward Road on the Northside to three lanes with a closed drainage system, curbs and gutters and bike lanes. The project is in design. The estimated cost to complete is $5.6 million. The work will start at the intersection of Broward Road and Interstate Center Drive and continue north for about 1,250 feet including a new bridge.

Cahoon Road

The second phase for Cahoon Road on the Westside will reconstruct a two-lane section into a curb-and-gutter road with closed drainage, bike lanes and sidewalks between Lenox Avenue and Beaver Street. The estimated cost to complete is $13.2 million. It is in the design stage.

Cecil Field Connector

The city will build a new four-lane road from Branan Field-Chafee Road to the southern boundary of Cecil Commerce Center, the industrial park and airfield that is driving growth on the Westside. The city completed the design and has worked with KB Homes for the transfer of right of way and pond property. After obtaining permits and needed property, the city will seek construction bids. The estimated cost to complete it is $13 million.

Collins Road

In southwest Jacksonville, the city will add lanes to Collins Road between Blanding Boulevard and Pineverde Lane. Collins will become a five-lane road with a landscaped median. Other work will entail a new bridge, roadway lights, improvements for bicyclists and walkers, and drainage work. The project is in design and will require $29.5 million to complete.

Eastport Road

The city will add lanes to Eastport Road from Pulaski Road to Zoo Parkway on the Northside while installing roadway lighting, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and drainage work. The construction will convert that part of Eastport Road from a two-lane rural road into a three-lane urban road with curbs and gutters. The project is in design and has a an estimated $30 million cost to complete.

Hartley Road

Hartley Road in Mandarin will be widened to a three-lane, curb-and-gutter road between San Jose Boulevard and Old St. Augustine Road. The road will have bike lanes and sidewalks. The project still must go through design and will require $21.2 million to complete.

Old Middleburg Road

The city will turn Old Middleburg Road in southwest Jacksonville into a four-lane road from 103rd Street to Branan Field Road with a close drainage system, curb and gutter design, bike lanes and sidewalks. The groundbreaking ceremony Thursday was for the first phase of the widening between 103rd Street and Parman Road.

The second phase covering a longer stretch of Old Middleburg Road from Parman Road to Argyle Forest Boulevard is in design. A key for its construction timetable will be how long it takes the city to obtain property needed for the right of way. The estimated cost for completing both phases is $73.1 million.

Ricker Road

Another key southwest Jacksonville road construction project will widen Ricker Road to three lanes with curbs and gutters between Old Middleburg Road and Morse Avenue. The city has been considering a road design that wouldn't have bike lanes but would build a 12-foot wide path on one side of Ricker Road for walking and bicycling. The project is in design and has an estimated completion cost of $39.1 million.

Shindler Drive

Another southwest Jacksonville road would be widened to three lanes with a closed drainage system, curbs and gutters, bike lanes and sidewalks from Collins Road to 103rd Street. The city is in the design phase. The estimated cost to complete is $46.7 million.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Old Middleburg Road widening is among nine unfinished Better Jacksonville Plan projects