JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If the Main Street Bridge is part of your commute, things are changing starting Monday.
Southbound traffic is being reduced to one lane, and the pedestrian walkway on that side of the bridge is closed as crews begin work tied to the next phase of Riverfront Plaza.
The changes are expected to remain in place through Jan. 30, 2027.
Northbound traffic will continue with two lanes. If you’re driving from downtown toward the Southbank, you’ll be down to one lane.
The project is about more than managing traffic. The city is removing part of the Main Street Bridge as it works toward a permanent pedestrian connection between the bridge and Riverfront Plaza, the new park replacing the former Jacksonville Landing site.
For pedestrians, the closure means a new route. People walking across the bridge should follow posted detour signs. The city’s route takes pedestrians toward Newnan Street, behind the Daniels Building and back toward the Main Street Bridge.
The work is part of Phase Two of Riverfront Plaza, which includes the new pedestrian and bike connection to the Main Street Bridge. The second phase also includes a beer garden and additional riverfront features.
Why is the bridge changing?
The construction removes the last piece of an old connection between the former Landing site and the Main Street Bridge.
Scott Carter, chief of engineering for the City of Jacksonville, told News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee and photojournalist Jesse Hanson that the old ramp once connected the Landing to the bridge.
“We all know the Landing was taken down, and part of that, there used to be a ramp that used to come behind the Landing and up to the Main Street Bridge. That was taken down, and this is removing that last piece of it where it connected directly to the Main Street Bridge. This is all part of the riverfront plaza project,” Carter said.
The Landing closed in 2019, and the city has since been transforming the site into Riverfront Plaza.
The park’s first phase is already open, with green space, a destination playground, riverwalk improvements and space for events.
Last month, the city announced European Street Cafe was selected as the first permanent restaurant planned for Riverfront Plaza. The Jacksonville staple is expected to open in late fall.
Phase Two is focused closer to the Main Street Bridge. Carter said it will also include an office, condominium and hotel tower. The goal is to make the riverfront easier to navigate on foot, connecting the Main Street Bridge, downtown and Riverfront Plaza.
Mayor Donna Deegan said the stronger connection could help bring even more people to the riverfront.
“Just think, when we have a really robust connection between the south bank and the north bank over the Main Street Bridge going to this beautiful beer garden and complex and things that are going to be happening there on the riverfront,” Deegan said.
The larger Riverfront Plaza project is part of a broader effort to make the riverfront feel less like a collection of separate destinations and more like one connected downtown district.
For now, though, there is some disruption.
“Ultimately, it’s all the price of progress, and I think we are starting to see everything getting vertical that we have seen in renderings for a couple of years now. It’s wonderful to see it all happen. I am so excited for Jacksonville,” Mayor Deegan said.
The Main Street Bridge will still operate for boat traffic during construction. Its lift span will continue to go up and down.
The city says the construction is the first step in making a permanent pedestrian connection from the Main Street Bridge to the new Riverfront Plaza, as part of Phase Two of construction for the Plaza.
Work is anticipated to be completed by January 30, 2027.
