Reconstruction of Beaver Street Underway
The Florida Department of Transportation's (FDOT) plans to reconstruct one of Jacksonville's oldest streets are underway.
View looking down Beaver Street from the King Street intersection in 1953.
Before there was an Interstate 10, there was Beaver Street. It's actually one of a few thoroughfares in the region that predates the City of Jacksonville. Once known as Enterprise Street, during the early 20th century, it was a busy industrial hub anchored by railyards, slaughterhouses, foundries, naval store yards and manufacturing plants.
After a century of wear and tear, the time has come to reconstruct one of its oldest remaining sections between McDuff Avenue and Stockton Street.
This image highlights sidewalk conditions near WhiteWave Food's dairy at Beaver and King Streets. Beaver Street is a roadway with several gaps within its sidewalk network. This project will resolve this situation, increasing pedestrian safety for the Robinson's Addition neighborhood.
FDOT's $9.2 million Beaver Street improvement project began in August and is scheduled to be complete in spring 2017.
The project includes resurfacing and pavement reconstruction, replacement of sidewalks on both sides of the street and widening travel lanes from 10 to 11 feet along one mile of roadway from McDuff Avenue to Stockton Street.
To improve drainage along the route, drainage pipes will be replaced under the road and one existing retention pond will be upgraded. An additional retention pond will be built at the corner of Carrie and Beaver streets.
The first phase of the project, rebuilding the north side of the street, is expected to take 250 days. The second phase, involving the reconstruction of the middle of the street is expected to last 130 days. It is anticipated that the third phase, reconstruction of the south side of the street, will last 160 days. An additional 125 days will be needed for wrapping the project up.
The project, which includes new traffic signals, is being constructed by J.B. Coxwell Contracting, Inc. of Jacksonville. Bicycle infrastructure is not included, due to constrained Right-of-Way and a decision to not reduce the number of travel lanes on the 4-lane thoroughfare. Here's a video of what's proposed.
Next Page: Photo Update of Beaver Street's reconstruction
Reconstruction of West Beaver Street - September 26, 2015
Next Page: What's Coming to West Beaver Street
What's Coming to West Beaver Street
The graphics below are documents illustrating the proposed plans for Beaver Street.
Typical Cross Section includes 11' wide travel lanes and 6' sidewalks on both sides of the street.
Above: Plans for the Beaver and King Street intersection. Turning radius at intersections will also be increased to aid truck movement at various industries and intersections along the corridor. Below: The design for the Beaver and Stockton Street intersection.
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com