JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Plans are emerging to address safety concerns along Normandy Boulevard, with the Florida Department of Transportation considering a phased approach that could begin within several years.
During a meeting in Jacksonville City Hall on Thursday regarding the city’s “List of Priority Projects,” FDOT officials revealed that they’re looking to start improvements near Yellow Water Road as part of a larger project to enhance safety along the corridor.
The announcement comes as residents have been voicing concerns about safety along Normandy Boulevard.
“Possibly try and build on either side of Yellow Water as an initial project and that’s something that can get in that say $10 to $15 million sweet spot and something we can maybe get done in the next 5 years or so,” FDOT’s Jim Knight, Urban Transportation Development Manager, said.
In October, a serious crash near Bellbrooke Parkway involved three vehicles and left six people injured, including a two-year-old child. According to the crash report, a vehicle sideswiped a concrete barrier, overturned into oncoming traffic, and collided with two other vehicles.
“It happens every day,” Joseph Cassels, a neighbor, said at the time. “It’s too much. It’s all the time.”
Experts say the complete overhaul of Normandy Boulevard could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. However, City Councilman Jimmy Peluso explained the project will need to be broken into phases.
“That’s a $300 million project, possibly,” Peluso explained. “So the amount of money that can go into these projects is more like $20 million…So as we see it on the list, what they’re really going to do is spend the money on like the studies, the feasibility planning for how they’re going to widen the road.”
The draft of the list of priority projects will need to be approved by the city council. As of now, Normandy sits at the top.
However, it’s been on there for some time.
Residents say the improvements are becoming increasingly urgent as development continues in the area, including plans for a new fairgrounds.
“Normandy is going to be a very important road for this city for a very long time,” Peluso said. “It’s the connector between us and a bunch of different counties that really need Jacksonville, and there’s a lot of residents out there. It’s a lot of growth.”
Currently, FDOT said it is conducting a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study on Normandy Boulevard. A resolution of the priority projects will soon makes it way to the full council for review.
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