Should We Take Advantage of the ASE?
In this guest editorial, a Mandarin resident shares his vision for the Automated Skyway Express with Metro Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is making a major error in its decision to leave the Automated Skyway Express (ASE or Skyway) closed on the weekends. Providing this service on a seven day basis is more important as people come to downtown to live or as a place for work and recreation. The ASE could also make Downtown more walkable. For this article, Downtown is defined as the 2.62 square mile area under the jurisdiction of the Downtown Investment Authority (DIA).
After having a record (excluding the Superbowl) ridership during “One Spark” on the ASE, JTA did not have it available for the Jazz Festival. This hurts future ridership. It also makes it more difficult for people attending these events to navigate downtown. If JTA wants the ASE to be a success, it needs to build ridership.
The first way to help improve ridership on the ASE and help make Downtown more walkable is to restrict parking in the core business district. During the feasibility study on the “Gator Bowl” (Everbank Field) extension of the ASE which was conducted in 1988, JTA Consultant Roger Sharpe drew-up restrictions for Downtown Parking.
These restrictions would have made park-n-ride a major part of the ASE. There are 900 spaces at the Convention Center Station, 1800 spaces at the Kings Road Station and 7000 to 10,000 spaces at the Gator Bowl (Everbank Field). By adding up these spaces to provide parking for just fewer than 13,000 and having buses connect at the end points, the ASE of the 1990s could have been a very successful transit system.
Instead of embracing a walkable Downtown, the City Council of the 1990s embraced parking garages. There was not a garage that the council did not love. The overbuilding of garages drove down parking prices and allowed people to come into the Downtown Core cheaply, preventing the ASE from being successful.
Another issue with the ASE was “bus intercept.” This was a plan to have 90 percent of the buses intercept the ASE and stay out of the Downtown Core. The plan was projected to save $2 million in 1988 dollars. The plan was implemented in the early 1990s on the 0.7 mile starter line.
Bus riders were confused and complained to JTA. Rather than educate the bus ridership on the change in routes and the future advantage, JTA ended the program and the bus routes were returned to the old system. The ASE suddenly lost a major ridership base and the bus system continued to operate inefficiently.
For the next 23 years the system continued as it was, with only a couple buses requiring an ASE trip to make connections. In 2013 this changed and under the visionary leadership of JTA’s CEO Nat Ford, the concept of bus intercept is starting to return. The result is that ridership has more than doubled.
Can the ASE be salvaged? Can it play a role in mass transit?
The answers to both of these questions are yes. Specifically, the ASE should be expanded to 8 miles.
The ASE should include the following changes:
San Marco Station already serves the Prudential Building; however, a way is needed to better tie the station to the Aetna Building and to Baptist Medical Center while increasing safety by decreasing pedestrian interaction with the FEC tracks. In order to accomplish this as part of the ASE expansion, an elevated pedestrian walkway should tie these two buildings to the ASE.
After stopping at the Riverplace Station and the Kings Avenue Station, the ASE would then begin its extension on the Southbank. This extension would be as follows:
Extend the Southbank Line from the Kings Avenue Station, moving south curve to the right (west) and move across the two parking lots between the Atlantic Coast Bank and Medical Office to Hendricks. The guideway would then continue south on Hendricks using the median as a location for the supports. This would be an excellent time to bury all the overhead utilities along the ASE route on Hendricks.
The next station on the line would be cantilevered over Hendricks in front of the city’s tennis courts. The public entrance would require the loss of the two courts on the western side of the tennis complex and would require the guideway be at 30 feet.
Decreasing in height to 18 feet above the street, the guideway continues south with supports in the median until it makes a sharp turn at Atlantic Boulevard. The guideway then turns into another station on the property where the Publix and a 260 unit apartment complex is planned. This is where the example of a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) comes into play.
The developer gives a 40 foot easement to JTA and in return receives a transit station tied to its retail and residential development. This TOD will provide access by bringing almost 20,000 residents within walking distance of the expanded ASE to the retail portion of the development (including Publix) and allow the residents within the TOD access to jobs and events in Downtown.
The guideway next moves back to the median of Atlantic Boulevard and goes on to the next station near Atlantic and Perry Place. From there the guideway continues down the median and then makes a sweeping turn onto Philips Highway. There it stops at the terminal station to be sited at the old Parrish Volvo site.
This site makes an excellent location for a stop on the Southeast Bus Rapid Transit line to drop off Southsider’s who work within walking distance of the ASE. The location would also make an excellent location for a TOD. In this case an office building could be built and tied in with the station.
Across the street from the station, the Super 8 could be purchased and demolished. The site could be used for affordable medium rise housing. This ties hundreds of people into Downtown and eliminates the need to drive into Downtown on an everyday basis. All of the above should create a ridership of about 13,600 (remember, a round trip is equal to two riders).
Currently in Brooklyn, the JTA has applied for federal funding to extend the ASE to a station which would be located on land between the Sawyer Command and Control Center and the Florida Times Union Building (100 Riverside Avenue). This station will serve The Florida Times Union, Brooklyn Station, Brooklyn Riverside, 220 Riverside and other destinations in close proximity.
A possible route alignment from JTA’s 2009 Feasibility Study.
The next step is to extend the ASE down the median of Riverside Avenue to the Florida Blue parking lot across the street from Unity Plaza. The station would take up the 50 feet of the lot fronting Riverside Avenue. The next area of 550 feet by 200 feet would be moderate to luxury priced condos built over a two story parking garage. There would be a 50 foot wide public access-way and park tying Riverside Avenue at the old Number Five Firehouse to the River.
At the Riverwalk there would be a pier extending 200 feet into the river to tie the Riverside ASE into a waterborne system of transportation.
The guideway returns to the median and continues down Riverside Avenue to the parking garage facing Riverside Avenue and sitting in between the Lenders’ Processing Services Building, the Computer Power Building (formerly Peninsular Insurance Building) and the Computer Power Building on Riverside Avenue. A third level is added to the garage with an ASE station and affordable apartments built above the garage. This ASE station serves the Riverside Arts Market and the Cummer Museum as well as acting as a terminus for four Westside bus and trolley routes. The above stops and bus intercepts along with the connection of Unity Park to other parts of Downtown would add about 14,000 riders per day (one round trip equals two riders).
To the east of Central Station, where the guideway turns north on Hogan Street, there would be a Y switch added to allow an Everbank Field Line. This line would go along Bay Street to the current City Hall Annex. The first ASE station is located on the property in front of the City Hall Annex at the corner of Bay and Newnan Streets.
This station would place new housing at the City Hall Annex, a housing or office complex replacing the Old Courthouse, a marina replacing the Courthouse Parking lot, the entertainment area on the north side of Bay Street (Underbelly’s ,etc.) , the Florida Theatre, the new Jessie DuPont Trust center for charitable foundations’ offices and conference center and the Yates Building. This would connect a lot activity to other areas of Downtown as well as remote parking.
The line would then continue down Bay Street to a station just east of the Berkman II condominiums. There would be a second station on the Shipyards on a thirty foot easement which should be included in any sale of the property. This station would serve Berkman I & II, the western end of the Shipyards’ property and any development that may occur there. The line would also serve the Sheriff’s Department and Corrections Department or a development that would go in at that location if the city sells the property.
A third station would be located at the front of the Maxwell House Plant; this station would serve the ADAMS museum, the Maxwell House Plant, any development to the west of the ADAMS and the Emerald Necklace. The system would drop to street level to go under the Commodore’s Point Expressway.
A fourth station would be built at ground level on the lot on the south side of Bay Street (Stadium Place) just east of where A Philip Randolph dead ends into Bay Street. This station would use a second level entrance with a catwalk across Bay Street to provide access to the Arena and Bragan Field. The guideway remains at ground level until it reaches Broadcast Park.
A fifth station would be built at the west end of the west parking lots and a sixth station at the east end of the west parking lot. These would be ground level stations with catwalks across Bay Street to access the parking lot and the two west gates at Everbank Field. The ASE would again be elevated across the Broadcast Park Boulevard.
A rendering of the “Gator Bowl” station by Parsons Flood Brinkerhoff and Associates from a 1988 Feasibility Study.
Just northeast would be the seventh station. It would serve Channel Seven and the Southeast Gate at Everbank Field. The ASE remains elevated across Adams Street, Talleyrand Avenue and Duval Street with an eighth (end) station at Lot A serving the Northeast Gate at Everbank Field.
Between stations five through eight the ASE would access about 7,000 park-n-ride spaces on weekdays. The end station would also intercept buses from Arlington and the Southeast part of Jacksonville. This park-n-ride would add about 8,400 riders each way daily for 16,800 park-n-ride passengers with bus intercepts and residential and office traffic adding another 15,000. This would be a ridership of at least 31,800 (note each round trip is considered a rider).
The last step is to extend the Hogan Street line north from Rosa Parks Station and across the Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) parking lot toward Springfield. The skyway turns toward the northwest after passing the college’s main building. This avoids having to cross Bethel Baptist Church’s property. The first station in the extension would be on northwest corner of the FSCJ parking lot.
A Bus Advertising JTA’s Upgraded Service sits at the Rosa Park’s Transit Center/Photo from JTA Files.
The guideway continues behind the FSCJ Computer Center and across the parking lot for the Administration Building. The guideway then turns northwest across Broad Street with a second station at First Street west of Jefferson Street in the northeast corner of the state office park. The guideway then continues north along the west side of Jefferson Street.
A third station would be placed in the parking lot at 1504 North Jefferson Street in order to serve the Veteran’s Administration and Health Department. The guideway would move across the parking lot between Calhoun and Illinois Streets. The fourth and end station would be at north end of the lot at Eighth Street. This would serve the twin towers on that property and have a catwalk to UF Health.
This end station would intercept buses from northwest and northeast Jacksonville. There are two vacant parcels one is two blocks to the east at Eighth and Perry Streets and would make a good location for multi-family housing and another is a vacant lot south of the twin towers that could serve as a location for a multi-family tower. With the medical centers, bus intercepts and new housing this line could have a ridership of about 12,000.
This would add 5.5 miles to the ASE. If we add 19 stations at $152 million, build 5.5 miles of guideway for $137.5 million, add 20 vehicles for $50 million as well as extend control and command for 5.5 miles for $40 million then finally allow 20 percent for any land acquisition and 10 percent for contingencies, the total cost would be $500.94 million.
The diagram below shows a basic concept of the full ASE. Note that under the plan outlined above the Sports Complex Line, the Atlantic Boulevard Line and Riverside have more stations than in the 1988 diagram below. This gives us a general idea of the route alignment for a full system of 8 miles.
The advantages are we that we can expect a 2025 population along (within three blocks of) the routes of over 20,000 and several million square feet of office development with a value of well over one billion dollars.
This can be done using less than one-third of a one-half cent sales tax. The project would save one-third of its cost in garage construction and would leave plenty of land available for office development that would currently be used for parking. It could also eliminate 90 percent of the buses from the core city saving JTA up to several million dollars in operating expenses.
The caveat is that the system would have to be run at least 18/7/365 to make a difference. JTA would need to change that paradigm.
Bruce A Fouraker
Mandarin
After having a record (excluding the Superbowl) ridership during “One Spark” on the ASE, JTA did not have it available for the Jazz Festival. This hurts future ridership. It also makes it more difficult for people attending these events to navigate downtown. If JTA wants the ASE to be a success, it needs to build ridership.
The first way to help improve ridership on the ASE and help make Downtown more walkable is to restrict parking in the core business district. During the feasibility study on the “Gator Bowl” (Everbank Field) extension of the ASE which was conducted in 1988, JTA Consultant Roger Sharpe drew-up restrictions for Downtown Parking.
These restrictions would have made park-n-ride a major part of the ASE. There are 900 spaces at the Convention Center Station, 1800 spaces at the Kings Road Station and 7000 to 10,000 spaces at the Gator Bowl (Everbank Field). By adding up these spaces to provide parking for just fewer than 13,000 and having buses connect at the end points, the ASE of the 1990s could have been a very successful transit system.
Instead of embracing a walkable Downtown, the City Council of the 1990s embraced parking garages. There was not a garage that the council did not love. The overbuilding of garages drove down parking prices and allowed people to come into the Downtown Core cheaply, preventing the ASE from being successful.
Another issue with the ASE was “bus intercept.” This was a plan to have 90 percent of the buses intercept the ASE and stay out of the Downtown Core. The plan was projected to save $2 million in 1988 dollars. The plan was implemented in the early 1990s on the 0.7 mile starter line.
Bus riders were confused and complained to JTA. Rather than educate the bus ridership on the change in routes and the future advantage, JTA ended the program and the bus routes were returned to the old system. The ASE suddenly lost a major ridership base and the bus system continued to operate inefficiently.
For the next 23 years the system continued as it was, with only a couple buses requiring an ASE trip to make connections. In 2013 this changed and under the visionary leadership of JTA’s CEO Nat Ford, the concept of bus intercept is starting to return. The result is that ridership has more than doubled.
Can the ASE be salvaged? Can it play a role in mass transit?
The answers to both of these questions are yes. Specifically, the ASE should be expanded to 8 miles.
The ASE should include the following changes:
San Marco Station already serves the Prudential Building; however, a way is needed to better tie the station to the Aetna Building and to Baptist Medical Center while increasing safety by decreasing pedestrian interaction with the FEC tracks. In order to accomplish this as part of the ASE expansion, an elevated pedestrian walkway should tie these two buildings to the ASE.
After stopping at the Riverplace Station and the Kings Avenue Station, the ASE would then begin its extension on the Southbank. This extension would be as follows:
Extend the Southbank Line from the Kings Avenue Station, moving south curve to the right (west) and move across the two parking lots between the Atlantic Coast Bank and Medical Office to Hendricks. The guideway would then continue south on Hendricks using the median as a location for the supports. This would be an excellent time to bury all the overhead utilities along the ASE route on Hendricks.
The next station on the line would be cantilevered over Hendricks in front of the city’s tennis courts. The public entrance would require the loss of the two courts on the western side of the tennis complex and would require the guideway be at 30 feet.
Decreasing in height to 18 feet above the street, the guideway continues south with supports in the median until it makes a sharp turn at Atlantic Boulevard. The guideway then turns into another station on the property where the Publix and a 260 unit apartment complex is planned. This is where the example of a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) comes into play.
The developer gives a 40 foot easement to JTA and in return receives a transit station tied to its retail and residential development. This TOD will provide access by bringing almost 20,000 residents within walking distance of the expanded ASE to the retail portion of the development (including Publix) and allow the residents within the TOD access to jobs and events in Downtown.
The guideway next moves back to the median of Atlantic Boulevard and goes on to the next station near Atlantic and Perry Place. From there the guideway continues down the median and then makes a sweeping turn onto Philips Highway. There it stops at the terminal station to be sited at the old Parrish Volvo site.
This site makes an excellent location for a stop on the Southeast Bus Rapid Transit line to drop off Southsider’s who work within walking distance of the ASE. The location would also make an excellent location for a TOD. In this case an office building could be built and tied in with the station.
Across the street from the station, the Super 8 could be purchased and demolished. The site could be used for affordable medium rise housing. This ties hundreds of people into Downtown and eliminates the need to drive into Downtown on an everyday basis. All of the above should create a ridership of about 13,600 (remember, a round trip is equal to two riders).
Currently in Brooklyn, the JTA has applied for federal funding to extend the ASE to a station which would be located on land between the Sawyer Command and Control Center and the Florida Times Union Building (100 Riverside Avenue). This station will serve The Florida Times Union, Brooklyn Station, Brooklyn Riverside, 220 Riverside and other destinations in close proximity.
A possible route alignment from JTA’s 2009 Feasibility Study.
The next step is to extend the ASE down the median of Riverside Avenue to the Florida Blue parking lot across the street from Unity Plaza. The station would take up the 50 feet of the lot fronting Riverside Avenue. The next area of 550 feet by 200 feet would be moderate to luxury priced condos built over a two story parking garage. There would be a 50 foot wide public access-way and park tying Riverside Avenue at the old Number Five Firehouse to the River.
At the Riverwalk there would be a pier extending 200 feet into the river to tie the Riverside ASE into a waterborne system of transportation.
The guideway returns to the median and continues down Riverside Avenue to the parking garage facing Riverside Avenue and sitting in between the Lenders’ Processing Services Building, the Computer Power Building (formerly Peninsular Insurance Building) and the Computer Power Building on Riverside Avenue. A third level is added to the garage with an ASE station and affordable apartments built above the garage. This ASE station serves the Riverside Arts Market and the Cummer Museum as well as acting as a terminus for four Westside bus and trolley routes. The above stops and bus intercepts along with the connection of Unity Park to other parts of Downtown would add about 14,000 riders per day (one round trip equals two riders).
To the east of Central Station, where the guideway turns north on Hogan Street, there would be a Y switch added to allow an Everbank Field Line. This line would go along Bay Street to the current City Hall Annex. The first ASE station is located on the property in front of the City Hall Annex at the corner of Bay and Newnan Streets.
This station would place new housing at the City Hall Annex, a housing or office complex replacing the Old Courthouse, a marina replacing the Courthouse Parking lot, the entertainment area on the north side of Bay Street (Underbelly’s ,etc.) , the Florida Theatre, the new Jessie DuPont Trust center for charitable foundations’ offices and conference center and the Yates Building. This would connect a lot activity to other areas of Downtown as well as remote parking.
The line would then continue down Bay Street to a station just east of the Berkman II condominiums. There would be a second station on the Shipyards on a thirty foot easement which should be included in any sale of the property. This station would serve Berkman I & II, the western end of the Shipyards’ property and any development that may occur there. The line would also serve the Sheriff’s Department and Corrections Department or a development that would go in at that location if the city sells the property.
A third station would be located at the front of the Maxwell House Plant; this station would serve the ADAMS museum, the Maxwell House Plant, any development to the west of the ADAMS and the Emerald Necklace. The system would drop to street level to go under the Commodore’s Point Expressway.
A fourth station would be built at ground level on the lot on the south side of Bay Street (Stadium Place) just east of where A Philip Randolph dead ends into Bay Street. This station would use a second level entrance with a catwalk across Bay Street to provide access to the Arena and Bragan Field. The guideway remains at ground level until it reaches Broadcast Park.
A fifth station would be built at the west end of the west parking lots and a sixth station at the east end of the west parking lot. These would be ground level stations with catwalks across Bay Street to access the parking lot and the two west gates at Everbank Field. The ASE would again be elevated across the Broadcast Park Boulevard.
A rendering of the “Gator Bowl” station by Parsons Flood Brinkerhoff and Associates from a 1988 Feasibility Study.
Just northeast would be the seventh station. It would serve Channel Seven and the Southeast Gate at Everbank Field. The ASE remains elevated across Adams Street, Talleyrand Avenue and Duval Street with an eighth (end) station at Lot A serving the Northeast Gate at Everbank Field.
Between stations five through eight the ASE would access about 7,000 park-n-ride spaces on weekdays. The end station would also intercept buses from Arlington and the Southeast part of Jacksonville. This park-n-ride would add about 8,400 riders each way daily for 16,800 park-n-ride passengers with bus intercepts and residential and office traffic adding another 15,000. This would be a ridership of at least 31,800 (note each round trip is considered a rider).
The last step is to extend the Hogan Street line north from Rosa Parks Station and across the Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) parking lot toward Springfield. The skyway turns toward the northwest after passing the college’s main building. This avoids having to cross Bethel Baptist Church’s property. The first station in the extension would be on northwest corner of the FSCJ parking lot.
A Bus Advertising JTA’s Upgraded Service sits at the Rosa Park’s Transit Center/Photo from JTA Files.
The guideway continues behind the FSCJ Computer Center and across the parking lot for the Administration Building. The guideway then turns northwest across Broad Street with a second station at First Street west of Jefferson Street in the northeast corner of the state office park. The guideway then continues north along the west side of Jefferson Street.
A third station would be placed in the parking lot at 1504 North Jefferson Street in order to serve the Veteran’s Administration and Health Department. The guideway would move across the parking lot between Calhoun and Illinois Streets. The fourth and end station would be at north end of the lot at Eighth Street. This would serve the twin towers on that property and have a catwalk to UF Health.
This end station would intercept buses from northwest and northeast Jacksonville. There are two vacant parcels one is two blocks to the east at Eighth and Perry Streets and would make a good location for multi-family housing and another is a vacant lot south of the twin towers that could serve as a location for a multi-family tower. With the medical centers, bus intercepts and new housing this line could have a ridership of about 12,000.
This would add 5.5 miles to the ASE. If we add 19 stations at $152 million, build 5.5 miles of guideway for $137.5 million, add 20 vehicles for $50 million as well as extend control and command for 5.5 miles for $40 million then finally allow 20 percent for any land acquisition and 10 percent for contingencies, the total cost would be $500.94 million.
The diagram below shows a basic concept of the full ASE. Note that under the plan outlined above the Sports Complex Line, the Atlantic Boulevard Line and Riverside have more stations than in the 1988 diagram below. This gives us a general idea of the route alignment for a full system of 8 miles.
The advantages are we that we can expect a 2025 population along (within three blocks of) the routes of over 20,000 and several million square feet of office development with a value of well over one billion dollars.
This can be done using less than one-third of a one-half cent sales tax. The project would save one-third of its cost in garage construction and would leave plenty of land available for office development that would currently be used for parking. It could also eliminate 90 percent of the buses from the core city saving JTA up to several million dollars in operating expenses.
The caveat is that the system would have to be run at least 18/7/365 to make a difference. JTA would need to change that paradigm.
Bruce A Fouraker
Mandarin