JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Travelers in Riverside or Avondale likely notice the delays from active construction. Crews are actively working there on a resurfacing project for State Road 211, better known as St Johns and Riverside avenues.
“St Johns Avenue, right there at San Juan, is where the project begins. We are resurfacing the roadway all the way until it turns into Riverside Ave at King Street,” said Jacob Pickering, a public information specialist with the Florida Department of Transportation.
Pickering said this is more than a resurfacing project; it’s a safety project for pedestrians. We are installing pedestrian bulb-outs in the Avondale shopping center. We are installing traffic calming features, new bike lanes, and new sharrows," he said.
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“Sharrows” are the painted signs on the roadway that show that the lane is shared with bicyclists. “Bulb-Outs” are pieces of cement that jut out from the sidewalk so drivers can more easily see pedestrians trying to cross the street. All of these safety measures are something FDOT says it takes seriously.
Pickering told Action News Jax you won’t see this working being done down the line. “You’ll see that a lot of the project will be built piece by piece as we work to bring the project to fruition while working within our restrictions and keeping the noise down for those sleeping next to the state roadway.”
To combat sound and construction concerns, FDOT will work near businesses at night between 10 pm and 6 am and perform most of the work in front of residential neighborhoods during the day. They are working closely with Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside personnel to ensure those needing access to the hospital and the emergency room aren’t seeing a major impact.
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A big complaint for some is that they see their favorite parking spot removed. Pickering said they are removing some parking spaces but for safety reasons only. “If there’s a big SUV and you can’t see if anyone is coming,” Pickering started, “That is a problem that FDOT is trying to address in this project as well. So, we are eliminating some on-street parking as part of this project.” He added that the spaces they choose to eliminate are essential for safety reasons.
If you go to the Riverside Arts Market, don’t worry. “Folks on Saturday morning will have no problem getting to and from Riverside Arts Market. Thankfully, our work is not being performed on the weekend,” Pickering said, adding that he knows the Riverside Avondale community is a big weekend community. So, FDOT doesn’t want to add construction to the weekend fun.
FDOT should complete the 211 Resurfacing project by late 2025 to early 2026.
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