JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Bicyclists, joggers and walkers who travel along Heckscher Drive could soon have a safer way to get through a stretch where the walking and biking path currently ends.<\/p>\n
The Florida Department of Transportation is building a 12-foot-wide shared-use path designed to connect the trail at Huguenot Memorial Park to the trail near the Fort George River Bridge, creating a continuous route where people have long had to share the road as a bicyclist or drive over.<\/p>\n
FDOT says the project will close a gap between two ends of the Timucuan Trail, a connection that many in the cycling community have asked for.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now FDOT is building a shared-use path, which is a paved path, and it\u2019ll stretch from Huguenot Memorial Park \u2026 up to the Fort George River Bridge,\u201d said Renata Di Gregorio, FDOT\u2019s communications officer for the Heckscher Drive project. \u201cA lot of the cycling community is actually really excited about this because it\u2019s connecting two ends \u2026 on either end of the Timucuan Trail.\u201d<\/p>\n
FDOT says the new path is expected to improve safety along a corridor where cyclists and pedestrians have had limited options.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really expecting this project to enhance safety,\u201d said Di Gregorio.<\/p>\n
People who spend time in the area told News4JAX they believe the project could help residents and visitors \u2014 especially those who don\u2019t have reliable transportation \u2014 move around more safely.<\/p>\n
Sherry Gladwin, who said she fishes in the area several times a week, said the path could provide a safer alternative for people who currently travel the road by bike or on foot.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of them don\u2019t have transportation, and that would give them another avenue \u2026 and it\u2019d be safer,\u201d Gladwin said. She added that people often fish near bridges because they feel safer there, but a dedicated path could help them reach other spots without being so close to traffic.<\/p>\n
FDOT said the project has been a long time coming.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has actually been in the works for a really long time,\u201d Di Gregorio said. \u201cThere\u2019s been plans that have been going now for more than a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Di Gregorio said FDOT hopes the completed path encourages more people to spend time outdoors in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis area is really beautiful,\u201d she said. \u201cSo people can come enjoy it and, of course, be safe and comfortable walking and biking doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n
The $5.6 million project is expected to wrap up early next year.<\/p>\n