JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Construction is underway on the City of Jacksonville’s newest parks project in Riverside.
The Artist Walk will be a place for the community to appreciate local artwork and will include a landscape for skateboarding.
Mayor Donna Deegan said she hopes it will become a place for people to create, play and meet neighbors.
Crews breaking ground on Jacksonville’s $8.8 million dollar Artist Walk project, funded by city dollars and the Department of Transportation.
The public plaza will stretch three blocks west of Riverside Ave. under the shade of the Fuller Warren bridge.
It will also be part of the city’s 30 miles of parks and green ways known as the Emerald Trail.
“This location directly across the street from the Riverside Arts Market will further cement this rich hub of local artists, makers and artisans right here in Jacksonville,” Deegan said.
The Artist Walk’s artificial turf will provide a site for flexible use and allow local artists to display their work.
District Council Member Jimmy Peluso is looking forward to the project and its endless possibilities.
“I’m so excited for the residents of Riverside and for the city at large for having such a cool project right here under this behemoth structure,” Peluso said. “Only in Riverside could we take something as bland as this concrete and turn it in to something special and creative.”
Deegan said there will also be green space and it will be pedestrian and bicyclist friendly. Plus, there are plans for an artistic skateboarding facility with spaces for beginner, intermediate and expert-level skaters.
“Kids love a skatepark and I think certainly keeping them off the streets is important but giving them something to do that is so activating and helps them to move their bodies and all those things, just a great addition, I think,” Deegan said.
Mayor Deegan said they expect the project to be complete in about two years.