JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Councilmember Rory Diamond wants to strip about $247 million from funding that was promised to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority for phases two and three of the Ultimate Urban Circulator project.
According to a lengthy report from News4JAX news partner the Jacksonville Daily Record, the change would potentially leave JTA scrambling for money to finish the project after fewer than 4 miles of development.
Recommended Videos
The U2C launched in June with the $65 million Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (NAVI) pilot, a 3.5-mile route mostly along Bay Street intended as the first leg of a broader autonomous shuttle network that would eventually adapt the Skyway and expand into surrounding neighborhoods.
But Diamond argues that $247 million earmarked for the project would be better spent on traditional infrastructure like street repairs or on subsidizing rides from rideshare companies.
JTA has pushed back, saying the funding is part of a bilateral interlocal agreement that the city cannot unilaterally revoke.
Critics of the NAVI system point to weak early ridership numbers: NAVI carried about 6,400 riders from its launch in June through October—an average of 76 riders per day, well below JTA’s 280-per-day projection.
But supporters, including JTA CEO Nat Ford and Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, say it’s too early to judge long-term prospects, pointing to pending downtown developments (hotels, museums, a UF campus) that should increase demand.
Read the full story by Ric Anderson and Joe Lister at JaxDailyRecord.com.