JACKSONVILLE, Fla — In early February, Ken Amaro was at Oceana Diner on Beach Boulevard for an I'm Telling Ken session where many came to share their concerns and complaints. Liz Miller was among them.
"I'm here because I want to put in a sidewalk," Miller said.
Miller, a 20-year Navy veteran, knows how to navigate the agencies within the Department of Defense, but when it comes to the city, she finds it is not that easy.
"I have not reached out to anyone," she said.
The avid cyclist lives off San Pablo road and said the growth explosion has brought so much traffic to the area that every day there is an accident waiting to happen.
"There have been many close calls," Miller said.
San Pablo between Beach and Atlantic Boulevarda is a narrow two-lane road without shoulders, sidewalks or bike lanes, yet the area has a number of school bus stops.
"It is dangerous for the kids when they are getting on the bus," she said.
She has captured a number of pictures to underscore her concerns.
The Jacksonville Transit Authority is preparing for extensive work on San Pablo Road starting December 2020.
From Crystal Cove Lane to Osprey Point Drive, shoulders, turn lanes and sidewalks will be added. From Beach Boulevard to Crystal Cove and from Osprey Point Drive to Atlantic Boulevard, the project "will include raised medians, utility improvements, closed drainage system, bike lanes, sidewalks, and stormwater ponds."
Information from JTA, as well as a link to a presentation from a public meeting last year, can be viewed here.
First Coast News reached out to District Councilman Aaron Bowman who said he has held a number of town hall meetings to keep the community informed.
Bowman told On Your Side:
"The city working with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) have a twenty million dollar plan to address the concerns. The project is now in the land acquisition phase."
Bowman added," the plan calls for bike lanes, a walking path, a third lane and they hope to break ground this fall."
Miller has lived in the neighborhood since 2013 and has seen how it has transitioned.
"It has gotten worse over the years," she said, "because of the traffic."
She came looking for answers and we found them and provided her a contact to keep her informed.
What we learned is that the city is currently addressing the problem.