City of Jacksonville planning to move forward with tearing down Hart Bridge ramps despite not getting federal grant

Jacksonville — The status of the project is unchanged.

The City of Jacksonville plans to move forward with removing the elevated Hart Bridge ramps over Bay Street in downtown Jacksonville. Removing the ramps is part of the "Talleyrand Connector" project described as a freight initiative to improve freight access in Northeast Florida. The city had applied for a $25 million federal grant to help out with the project, but didn't get it. The city says they already have $25 million funded for the project which breaks down to $12.5 million locally and $12.5 million from the state. The city says that money will be able to remove the ramps and the first phase of other early components. The city says the timeline and funding sources for later phases of the project are to be determined.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry first introduced the idea of tearing down the ramps in November 2016 when he asked Duval-area state lawmakers for $50 million to take them down. Curry said the ramps were a problem because of their age and design.