A conceptual map of the proposed Emerald Trail system. Labeled #1, the LaVilla Link is highlighted in blue. (Groundwork Jacksonville)

When complete in early May 2024, the LaVilla Link will connect Brooklyn and LaVilla with the S-Line Urban Greenway Trail in New Town. The $4 million, 1.3-mile pedestrian and bicycle trail will serve as the “Model Mile” of the proposed Emerald Trail network.

An ambitious plan to link Jacksonville’s urban core neighborhoods, the Emerald Trail is a public/private partnership between the city of Jacksonville and the nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville that is scheduled to connect fourteen urban neighborhoods to Downtown, the St. Johns River, McCoys Creek, and Hogans Creek.

The project was recently awarded $147 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to advance the construction of the full proposed 30-mile system.