Design team unveils renderings of section of Jacksonville’s planned 30-mile Emerald Trail

Action News Jax told you when construction began on the first section connecting Brooklyn and LaVilla to the S Line trial in the Railyard District.

The Hogan Street section, a one-mile link, will connect the St. Johns River to Springfield, just north of FSCJ.

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“The opportunity that we have here with the Emerald Trail is honestly a game-changer for the city, and it’s transformational,” Wiatt Bowers said.

Bowers lives and bicycles in downtown Jacksonville.

“If you look at what’s happening in Atlanta with the Beltline, and now in Miami with the Underline and New York City with the Highline, this is our opportunity to have our project,” he added.

Bowers is excited about the bicycle tracks, additional parking and innovative landscaping that uses storm drainage to water plants and trees.

Groundwork Jacksonville is heading the project.

“The ultimate goal of the Emerald Trail is connecting neighborhoods and the urban core,” project manager Monty Selim said.

Selim says the Emerald Trail will eventually connect 24 neighborhoods.

The project is set to cost about $184 million altogether, with $132 million covered by the Local Option Gas Tax approved by city council in May.

Groundwork Jacksonville says it’s looking for public and private funding to bring the trail to life.

Bowers is excited for Jacksonville’s future.

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“It can really also help with revitalization and additional development in the urban core,” he said.

Construction on the Hogan Street section is expected to begin in October 2022.

The first part of the Emerald Trail is already underway -- the 1.3 mile LaVilla Link. Construction started in August, and Groundwork Jacksonville says it’s expected to be done around next fall.

PHOTOS: New renderings of Jacksonville’s planned Emerald Trail