Construction of the first segment of the planned Emerald Trail in downtown Jacksonville began in September.
The project is named the LaVilla Link and once it is completed it will connect Brooklyn to LaVilla and the S-line Rail Trail.
It is expected to take roughly a year, but once it is finished it will mark the beginning of the proposed 30-mile Emerald Trail that was created through a partnership with the City of Jacksonville and the environmental nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville.
The estimated construction cost is $8.9 million.
“This has been a collective vision for almost a century and one of the primary goals for establishing a Groundwork Trust locally,” Groundwork Jacksonville CEO Kay Ehas said. “I am so proud of our city, and of our Groundwork staff and Board of Directors and very thankful to our generous donors.”
The 14-foot-wide concrete pedestrian/bicycle trail is designed for both active and passive recreation with abundant shade trees and native plants.
From Park and Stonewall streets in Brooklyn, the 1.3-mile LaVilla Link will cross over the Park Street Bridge and heads north along Lee Street before heading west at Church Street and meandering northward across Beaver Street until reaching the S-Line Rail Trail at Wilcox Street and State Street in the Railyard District.
The 30-mile Emerald Trail is a public-private partnership between the city and Groundwork that will eventually connect 14 historic urban neighborhoods to downtown, the St. Johns River, McCoys Creek and Hogans Creek.
The massive project is scheduled to be entirely complete by 2029. Design of the next segment along Hogan Street from the St. Johns River to Florida State College at Jacksonville began in June.
“It has taken years of hard work and commitment from many in our community to bring us to this moment,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said. “I am grateful to all who played a part, but especially to Groundwork Jacksonville, the Jacksonville City Council, and to the many private funders who continue to recognize the importance and benefits of a project like this and are investing in its success.”
The LaVilla Link will honor the LaVilla neighborhood through wayfinding, storyboards and public art installations while connecting to the historic landmarks Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park and Florida C. Dwight Memorial Playground.
It will also feature signature points of interest that are being funded by private donors, including: The Park Street Bridge overlook funded by a challenge grant from the Delores Barr Weaver Fund at the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida; the Lee Street Pond boardwalk and overlook funded by the David C. Miller Fund; and the butterfly garden along West Church Street just east of Interstate 95 being funded by the Late Bloomers Garden Club.
The LaVilla Link of Emerald Trail was designed by Pond, a full-service architecture, engineering, planning and construction firm based in Atlanta, Ga. with offices in Jacksonville. Pond has designed and implemented more than 400 miles of greenway and multi-use trail projects throughout the south including work on the Atlanta BeltLine.
Astra Group LLC, is the general contractor and site development contractor for the project. They specialize in building public spaces, trails and parks and have been involved with several high-profile projects throughout the Southeast.
“Astra has been fortunate to build similar transformational projects in other major metropolitan areas, and we understand the impact such projects can have on the community,” Astra Group President Andrew Lindsay said. “We couldn’t be more excited to be a partner in this project, as we are a huge advocate of connecting communities through more active living in beautiful public spaces.”
