1971
FROM THE JTA SKYWAY TO THE U 2 C The Skyway opened in Jacksonville, Florida in 1989 to great fanfare. Operated by the JTA, the Skyway was one of only five elevated people-movers in the United States, an experiment of the Urban Mass Transit Administration (UMTA) to help eliminate traffic and parking congestion in the downtown urban core of bustling cities. The 2.5 mile Skyway, which received $23.5 million in funding from the U.S. DOT, traveled at a speed of 35 miles per hour. It stopped at eight stations in Downtown Jacksonville, crossing the St. Johns River and the Acosta Bridge, and became an iconic form of urban mobility for daily commuters and tourists.
The Jacksonville Expressway Authority becomes the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) as it enters the bus business.
1972
An automated people mover for Downtown Jacksonville was first proposed to deal with traffic and parking issues in the urban core.
1976
City of Jacksonville (COJ) votes to incorporate an automated people mover into its mobility plan.
JTA agrees to develop people mover and the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Appropriations Conference Committee vote to include Jacksonville among the cities selected for UMTA’s Downtown People Mover Program, joining Miami and Detroit among others.
1977
1985
The Skyway’s driverless trains were operated by an automatic train control, with one operator on board. Initial plans were to expand the Skyway to surrounding neighborhoods, but that never happened due to lack of funding and political concerns. Further, service on the Skyway never met projections of 100,000 monthly riders, which was attributed in part to the decline of a robust workforce downtown and that the people-mover did not connect to surrounding neighborhoods. In addition, the Skyway only operated on weekdays and for special events. By 2015, 26 years after Skyway service began, four of 10 Skyway vehicles were out of commission and couldn’t be repaired because parts had become obsolete. Recognizing that the Skyway had become an iconic part of the city’s history, the JTA Board of Directors pondered its future. Options included refurbishing operable vehicles, purchasing replacement cars for the four that were out-of-service, modernizing and expanding the entire system, or tearing it down altogether. Rather than make this critical decision in a vacuum, the Board created a Skyway Advisory Group (SAG) in 2015 comprised of people who were most impacted by the people-mover. The SAG included JTA customers from downtown businesses, students, and educators, as well as members of Jacksonville’s corporate, civic, and nonprofit sectors.
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awards JTA $23.5 million (total cost: $34.6 million) to build the first segment of the Skyway elevated people mover.
1989
Skyway opens, traveling .7 miles through Downtown Jacksonville.
1999
Northbound, eastbound, and southbound extensions added to the Skyway – along with five new stations – bringing the full length to 2.5 miles.
2009
Skyway ridership fails to meet projections – declining downtown workforce, lack of connectivity to other transit modes are blamed.
ULTIMATE URBAN CIRCULATOR – A CASE STUDY | 5
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