The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is about to embark on a search for a new executive director. But it also may be about to ponder its future identity.
JTA is unusual in that it fulfills two transportation roles, road building and mass transit, while most transportation authorities oversee one area or the other.
For the last decade, JTA has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on Better Jacksonville road projects like the Beach Boulevard Intracoastal Bridge, the flyover at Atlantic and Kernan boulevards, improvements at Interstate 95 and Butler Boulevard and the widening of Heckscher Drive.
The JTA receives about $25 million to $30 million a year to supplement its transit system from the local gas tax, freeing up other money for road construction, but the gas tax expires in 2016 and that will likely force JTA to move sales tax money it receives over to fund transit.
But several City Council members say the road construction money is going away, and JTA needs to factor that in when it chooses a new leader to replace Michael Blaylock, who is leaving at the end of September.
“JTA [board members] should take this opportunity to look at where they are going,” said council Vice President Bill Bishop. “I’d suggest they look at themselves as a transit organization and not road builders.”
City government, not JTA, should be in charge of road building, Bishop said.
You need to be a member of First Coast Tea Party to add comments!
Join First Coast Tea Party