$5.5 million Riverplace Blvd. reconstruction seeking more funding

Jacksonville, FL — The City could soon shift more funding to a Southbank project, to deal with a budget shortfall and get the project up and running.

The Downtown Investment Authority recently approved moving $798,663 in to their project to rework Riverplace Blvd between Museum Circle and Prudential Drive, on the Southbank of Downtown Jacksonville. The DIA had already set aside $5.5 million, and pre-construction costs totaled around $775,000 of that sum.

“The bids came in higher than the $4.7 million that we have left,” says DIA CEO Aundra Wallace.

Wallace tells WOKV it’s more “practical” to move the dollars, as opposed to re-bidding the project.

“This was the lowest bid that we got. The other bids were much higher,” he says.

Wallace says there was no particular area in the bid that exceeded estimates, rather it was across the board.

The project would encompass a lot of changes for Riverplace Blvd., including reducing the number of travel lanes.

“You have more on-street parking, you’ll have pedestrian as well as bike paths, bike lanes along Riverplace Blvd. itself, as well as landscaping,” Wallace says.

If the funding is approved, Wallace expects the project to be completed by the first or second quarter of next year.

The funding would be shifted from four sources which actually reflect several budget years- $194,210 in project earning costs, $172,000 from the previously appropriated South Bank Retail Enhancement Program, $276,653 from the previously appropriated South Bank Parking Programd, and $155,800 from the previously appropriated South Bank Professional Services line item. Wallace says he doesn’t expect the funding shift to have any impact on the sources of the money.

The bill has been introduced for emergency consideration, meaning the City Council could vote on it after just one cycle, or two weeks from now.

“This project has been dragging on for years. They’re ready to go with the contract, now they’re just waiting for some additional money so they can sigh the contract,” says Councilwoman Lori Boyer, who is sponsoring the legislation.

Wallace says it’s something that Southbank residents support and want to see.