JTA seeking public input on Skyway, U2C plan

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority will hold eight community meetings beginning Feb. 25 to gather public input on plans to convert the Skyway monorail into part of the Ultimate Urban Circulator, or U2C, as reported by our news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.

The sessions will focus on a planned conversion of the Skyway into an elevated roadway for electric vehicles, with ramps connecting the elevated structure to surface streets downtown.

Attendees can review the U2C Phase II Project Development and Environment Study, evaluate project alternatives and give feedback. Additional meetings planned for May will concentrate on alternatives analysis and project recommendations.

The U2C debuted in 2025 as the Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation system, with vehicles operating along a 2.5-mile stretch downtown, mostly along Bay Street.

Phase II would connect the Skyway, described in JTA materials as a 27-year-old structure, to ground-level streets. JTA estimates the Phase II project will cost $246.84 million and says the funds would come from local option gas tax revenue.

The Skyway runs from State Street to the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center in LaVilla, and crosses the St. Johns River to the Downtown Southbank.

Meeting schedule

• Feb. 25: Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center, Board Room 341, 100 LaVilla Center Drive, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Feb. 25: Jacksonville Marriott Downtown, Duval Ballroom, 245 Water St., 5-7 p.m.
• March 5: Conference Center at the Main Library, 303 N. Laura St., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• March 5: Conference Center at the Main Library, 303 N. Laura St., 5-7 p.m.
• March 24: FSCJ Advanced Technology Center, Room T140, 401 W. State St., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• March 24: FSCJ Advanced Technology Center, Room T140, 401 W. State St., 5-7 p.m.
• March 26: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Jacksonville Riverfront, 1201 Riverplace Blvd., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• March 26: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Jacksonville Riverfront, 1201 Riverplace Blvd., 5-7 p.m.