<h1>Future Plans</h1>
Riverside/Memorial Park
In 2006, Mayor John Peyton had planned to extend the Riverwalk roughly one half mile south of the Fuller Warren Bridge. This extension would result in a direct pedestrian/bicycle connection between Riverside’s Five Points, Memorial Park, the Cummer Museum and downtown. At the time, the $25 million project was to be a part of a five-year capital improvement plan and construction was anticipated to begin in 2008. This connection to Riverside’s Memorial Park remains a dream a decade and two mayoral administrations later.
Condominiums in Riverside tower over the tree line just south of RAM and the Northbank Riverwalk’s Fuller Warren Bridge terminus.
Fuller Warren Bridge Shared Use Path
While many projects and proposals have struggled to get off the ground, the addition of a shared use path connecting the Northbank Riverwalk with San Marco and the Southbank appears to be rapidly moving forward. This project materialized in 2014 as a result of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) working to gain community support in its plan to widen the Fuller Warren Bridge. Anticipated the break ground in 2018, the $125 million project will include a 12-foot wide pedestrian/bike path on the south side of the expanded bridge.
The Fuller Warren Bridge
The Shipyards / Metropolitan Park
Additional long term plans for the Northbank Riverwalk include an extension through the Shipyards to tie into Metropolitan Park. For this plan to materialize overcoming the challenges of cleaning the contaminated Jacksonville Shipyards site sitting between Berkman Plaza and Metropolitan Park.
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com