2. It misses key neighborhoods

Durkeeville’s Myrtle Avenue

Another major problem of the U2C expansion is the routes being considered. Current plans show the extensions focus on a few popular neighborhoods (Springfield, San Marco, Brooklyn and Riverside) and sites where major developments have been proposed but not broken ground (the Stadium District and “The District” on the Southbank). Of the neighborhoods on the list, all but Springfield are relatively affluent, majority white neighborhoods with lower rates of transit use than nearby Urban Core neighborhoods (and Springfield is gentrifying rapidly).

While this could make for a nice circulator for shuffling urban bobos between rooftop bars and Jumbo Shrimp games, the plan misses a major opportunity to reach people who already rely on JTA to get around. On either side of Springfield are Durkeeville and the Eastside, two dense, working class, majority African-American neighborhoods with comparatively high rates of public transit use and dependency.

These neighborhoods aren’t as sexy as the hotspots on the U2C routes, but they’re full of current JTA riders who’d benefit tremendously from infrastructure investment, enhanced mobility and connectivity. Durkeeville’s main thoroughfare, Myrtle Avenue, is just 3/4 mile up 8th Street from the proposed Springfield routes. The Eastside could be easily reached from both the Springfield and Stadium District routes. Including these neighborhoods is a no brainer for any urban transit proposal.

1. The numbers don’t add up

Completed in December 2018, Oklahoma City’s new 4.8 mile modern streetcar system cost that city’s taxpayers significantly less than what is being requested of Jacksonville taxpayers to implement the unproven U2C concept.

The biggest problem with the Skyway plan is the pricetag. In March 2021, Mayor Lenny Curry and JTA pitched a proposal to increase Jacksonville’s gas tax to fund a variety of infrastructure projects. The increase is projected to raise about $30 million a year for the next 25 years, for a total of $930.2 million. While most of the projects are badly needed, the U2C would gobble up a whopping $379 million, or 40% of the total increase over the next 25 years. This is in addition to $44 million already funded for the Bay Street Innovation Corridor extension, bringing the U2C’s total estimated cost to $423 million. The estimates have shot up by 40% since 2019, suggesting they’ll rise even more by the time the project wraps up.

One way to think about it is the cost per mile of transit. At $423 million for an 8.5 mile system, JTA will spend $50 million per mile on the U2C. A number of cities have launched (and completed) new transit systems including bus rapid transit, streetcars and even light rail for far, far less than JTA is asking Jaxsons to spend. Richmond, Virginia built a 6.8 mile bus rapid transit system for $9.6 million a mile. Cincinnati added a 3.6 mile modern streetcar system for $42 million a mile, while Oklahoma City’s 4.8 mile streetcar cost only $28 million a mile. In 2011, Norfolk, Virginia added a 7.4 mile light rail line for $43 million a mile.

These technologies are not only cheaper than the U2C, they’re also faster, hold more passengers, and most importantly, they’re proven and available now. This hasn’t gotten enough coverage, but JTA doesn’t expect to have completed the U2C until mid to late 2030s. That’s not a typo. Despite the flashy renderings and claims that autonomous vehicles are right around the corner, JTA’s documents reveal that they don’t expect you to be able to hitch a ride from Springfield to Downtown for another decade.

The solution: Just cut bait

We’ve written up a list of four possible solutions to the U2C’s various problems, but the bottom line is simple: simply remove some or all of the gas tax money going to the Skyway and put it toward other more impactful projects. That would take the exorbitant cost and substantial risk off the back of Jacksonville taxpayers, and it won’t necessarily kill the Skyway retrofit, as JTA can seek out other funding pots or reconfigure their plan to reduce the cost.

Just cutting bait now, either partially or entirely, will allow us to take a more intentional look at what Jacksonville’s transit needs really are and determine the best technologies to meet them, rather than going all in on a magic techno-fix like the U2C.

Editorial by The Jaxson. Contact The Jaxson staff at editors@moderncities.com.