Getting between downtown and the Beaches will be faster for mass transit commuters in about a year with work getting underway on the First Coast Flyer East Corridor/Red Line.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority expects to open the next phase of its bus rapid transit system in late 2018.
The 18.5 mile route is being built with 12 new stations and transit signal priority at 32 intersections.
Dedicated bus lanes and signal priority will allow the buses to move through the intersections without stopping.
The East Corridor/Red Line will also have mobile ticketing, on board Wi-Fi and real-time bus arrival information at each stop.
It comes with a $33.9 million price tag that’s being paid for with a combination of federal, state and JTA funding.
The Flyer system makes fewer stops with buses arriving every ten minutes during peak commuting hours and every 15 minutes during other times.
The buses are also cleaner, using compressed natural gas instead of diesel.
A public hearing has been scheduled to discuss the East Corridor/Red Line. It will be held Thursday, Nov. 16, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Florida State College Jacksonville South Campus in the Lakeside Room of the Wilson Center, located at 11901 Beach. Blvd.
JTA has been rolling out the Flyer system in stages since 2015, with the North Corridor/Green Line and Southeast Corridor/Blue Line already in operation. The five phase project is scheduled to be completed in 2019.
More information about the First Coat Flyer is available on JTA’s website.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
