JTA, city of Jacksonville host USDOT for BUILD grant event
A formal ceremony was held Feb. 8 to award Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and the city of Jacksonville, Fla., a $25-million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) unveiled BUILD grant award winners in December 2018.
USDOT Secretary Elaine L. Chao joined city, state and JTA officials at the event. The BUILD grant will help finance two projects: the Bay Street Innovation Corridor and Urban Core Riverfront Revitalization.
“In partnership with the state of Florida, city of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, this grant will pave the way for two important projects to revitalize transportation and commerce in the heart of the city,” Secretary Chao said.
JTA will use its $12.5 million portion of the grant to implement the first phase of the Ultimate Urban Circulator or U2C program, called the Bay Street Innovation Corridor. This project will deploy a transportation network of autonomous vehicles and incorporate smart technologies such as pedestrian sensors, dynamic traffic signaling and an integrated data exchange; from the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla, to the city’s Entertainment District along the Bay Street Corridor.
“We want to thank Secretary Chao and the Department of Transportation for this BUILD Grant, and for her recognition of the important role the Bay Street Innovation Corridor project will play in the development of the region's transportation network,” said JTA CEO Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. “This cutting-edge project, combined with the city of Jacksonville’s Bay Street Revitalization project, will lead to improved mobility and greater economic development.”
JTA is partnering with the Florida Department of Transportation, the city of Jacksonville, North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, the JEA and the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce on the Innovation Corridor project.
For its part, the city will undertake the Urban Core Riverfront Revitalization and Complete Streets project to bolster the its commitment to downtown development in and around the Jacksonville Sports and Entertainment Complex and Shipyards.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
