| Jacksonville Transportation Authority | |
|---|---|
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 Jacksonville Transportation Authority headquarters building | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Transit type | Transit Bus,People Mover,Ferry |
| Number of lines | 30 (fixed route bus) 4 (First Coast Flyer) 2 (people mover) |
| Number of stations | 8 (people mover) |
| Daily ridership | 24,000 (weekdays, Q2 2025)[1] |
| Annual ridership | 7,501,200 (2024)[2] |
| Headquarters | Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla |
| Website | jtafla |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1971 (bus) 1989 (people mover) 2016 (ferry) |
TheJacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is the independent agency responsible forpublic transit in the city ofJacksonville, Florida, and roadway infrastructure that connects northeast Florida.[3] However, they do not maintain any roadways. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 7,501,200, or about 24,000 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025.
In 1955, the Florida Legislature established theJacksonville Expressway Authority. Its responsibility was limited to highways, bridges and tolls in Duval County until 1971, when the Jacksonville Transportation Authority was formed by a merger of the Jacksonville Expressway Authority with several privatebus companies.
The JTA is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors. The mayor of Jacksonville appoints three members who must be confirmed by theJacksonville City Council; the Florida Governor appoints three members who must be confirmed by theFlorida Senate. Each member serves a four-year, unpaid term and can be re-appointed for a second term. If a member serves eight consecutive years, they must rotate off the board. From its membership, the Board elects its own Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer for one year terms. The seventh member is the District Two Secretary from theFlorida Department of Transportation (FDOT) who serves as long as s/he is employed in the position. That individual is responsible for the FDOT activities within the 18 counties of the district, including administrative, planning and operations.[4]
As of September 2022, members included Ari Jolly, chair; Debbie Buckland, vice chair; G. Ray Driver, secretary; Abel Harding, treasurer; Greg Evans, FDOT District Two Secretary; Kevin Holzendorf, board member; and Aundra Wallace, board member.[5]
Originally, when a bridge or roadway was completed, a toll was imposed at that location to create a revenue stream to repay bonds used to fund construction. State and federal tax money was used for specific capital projects, such as interstate highways.
TheJacksonville City Council approved a 10-year, 6¢ per gallon gasoline surcharge in 1986 to pay for new roadways and other transportation projects. Prior to its expiration in 1996, the council extended the tax for 20 additional years, until 2016.[6] In 2021, the City Council approved a further extension and increase to 12¢ per gallon in order to pay for infrastructure projects including the Emerald Trail system and the Ultimate Urban Circulator project to convert the Skyway monorail into an autonomous vehicle network.[7]
J. Turner Butler Boulevard, theFuller Warren Bridge,Mathews Bridge,Hart Bridge, andTrout River Bridge were tolled by JTA until 1988, when Jacksonville voters approved a ½¢ sales tax increase to pay off the toll bonds, fund future road construction, and abolish toll collections.
JTA was the major beneficiary of the $2.25 billionBetter Jacksonville Plan (BJP), passed by voters in September, 2000. Roadway/drainage improvements, resurfacing, new sidewalks and railroad grade crossings accounted for $1.5 billion, of which half was funded by the BJP ½¢ sales tax increase and half from the existing gasoline surcharge.[8] In 2005, the JTA and city re-prioritized the projects still outstanding. The actual cost for most projects had significantly exceeded the estimate due to an 18-month lag time and an unanticipated increase in the price of construction materials. Dozens of projects were deferred to the future and removed from the BJP or left on a $320 million list of unfunded tasks.[9]
The gasoline surcharge generates approximately $30 million in revenue each year, about one third of JTA's budget of $100 million in 2010. Prior to the 1986 gasoline surcharge, tolls were the primary source of local revenue for the JTA. Federal and state highway money provided the balance. In early June, 2010, JTA announced their intentions to request an extension of the 6¢ per gallon gasoline surcharge, due to expire in 2016. They will also ask the council for an additional 5¢ per gallon tax over 30 years that would generate another $25 million per year, for a total of $55 million each year. Most council members questioned the need to extend the existing tax and were opposed to any new tax during difficult economic times, but JTA executives warned that if the gas taxes are curtailed, no road construction will occur and bus service will be slashed.
The mission of the JTA is to improveNortheast Florida’s economy, environment and quality of life by providing safe, reliable, efficient and sustainablemultimodal transportation services and facilities.[10]
The JTA develops and implements construction and financing plans for state and city roads, bridges and interchanges in conjunction with the city government and theFlorida Department of Transportation. This was the original role of the Expressway Authority.
The JTA has the responsibility to identify, plan and prepare Jacksonville'shurricane evacuation routes. The JTA and the city of Jacksonville established aHurricane Preparedness Plan that will provide emergency evacuation/patient transport and move civilians and/or emergency service personnel with mass transit.[20]
On December 1, 2014, JTA underwent a complete system redesign called Route Optimization. This was to provide more frequent, more direct, and more reliable service. The current routes as of 2025 follows.[21][22]
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| Status | Alternative Study Stage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | North Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
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| Website | https://gis.jtafla.com/portal/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=9813461a3590462892bcd0cc13d26161 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Commuter rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 91 mi (146 km)[31] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character | At-grade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Coast Commuter Rail is a proposed commuter rail system servingJacksonville, FL and northeast Florida. It is currently in the planning stages, having completed the first step of a feasibility study and currently pursuing an alternatives analysis.
Three routes were analyzed in depth, north toYulee, FL, southwest toGreen Cove Springs, FL and the southeast toSt. Augustine, FL.[32]
A feasibility study was completed in November 2009 for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). James Boyle, JTA's regional transportation planner, has since said that there are no fatal flaws in the study.[31]
JTA hired a consultant to conduct a feasibility study in early 2008 at the cost of $400,000. It was completed in November 2009.[33] The study looked into 7 routes, most along existing freight rail right of ways. Three of these, north toYulee, FL, southwest toGreen Cove Springs, FL and the southeast toSt. Augustine, FL were selected for in depth study.[32] In the Summer of 2010, JTA allocated $1 Million for an Alternative Analysis study on the proposed system. This is a required step to participate in the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) New Starts program.[34]
In May 2013,St. Augustine City Commission voted in a resolution supporting the proposal of a commuter train service on the southeast corridor. JTA says that the federal government could fund half of the southeast corridor project, estimated to cost about $193.3 million. The proposal still needs approval fromSt. Johns County, TheNorth Florida Transportation Planning Organization board, and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority board.[35]
As of 2023, First Coast Commuter Rail is still in the planning stages and no funding has been identified for its implementation.[36]
All routes in the in-depth study start in downtown Jacksonville and head out in one of three directions: North (to Yulee), South (to Green Cove Springs), and Southeast (to St. Augustine).
| North Corridor | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Planning (Alternatives Analysis) |
| Termini |
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| Stations | 15 |
| Service | |
| System | First Coast Commuter Rail |
| Daily ridership | 1020 to 2040 (Projected TBC) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 23.7 mi (38.1 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The North Corridor originates in Downtown Jacksonville, and heads North along the abandoned S-Line to the CSX Kingsland division line toYulee, FL. The Kingsland division line is a remnant of theSeaboard Air Line's mainline. The route passes two miles (3 km) fromJacksonville International Airport.
| Southwest Corridor | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Planning (Alternatives Analysis) |
| Termini |
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| Stations | 12 |
| Service | |
| System | First Coast Commuter Rail |
| Daily ridership | 1490 to 2970 (Projected TBC) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 29.3 mi (47.2 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Southwest Corridor originates in Downtown Jacksonville, and heads South along the CSX A-Line toGreen Cove Springs, FL.
| Southeast Corridor | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Planning (Alternatives Analysis) |
| Termini |
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| Stations | 13 |
| Service | |
| System | First Coast Commuter Rail |
| Daily ridership | 2410 to 4810 (Projected TBC) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 38.4 mi (61.8 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Southeast Corridor originates in Downtown Jacksonville, and heads Southeast along theFlorida East Coast Railway's main line toSt. Augustine, closely followingU.S. 1, known as Philips Highway in Jacksonville and Ponce de Leon Boulevard in St. Augustine . The proposed 38.4-mile (61.8 km) route would share the railbed with the northernmost part of a 368-mile (592 km) freight rail line toMiami. The heavily trafficked corridor already serves 17 regularly scheduled interregional freight trains per day, a figure which does not includeAmtrak service, unscheduled freight trains, and other services. The 2009 feasibility study estimated that this route could carry an estimated 5,469 passengers in 2020 on trains betweenJacksonville and St. Augustine. Travel time is estimated at 51 minutes end to end, comparable to travel time by car.[37] Notable proposed stops along the route include theJ. Turner Butler Freeway,The Avenues, Race Track Road/Nocatee, the massive mixed-use residential/commercial development at Palencia, West St. Augustine, theNortheast Florida Regional Airport (not to be confused with the much larger and busierJacksonville International Airport almost 50 miles to the north), the St. Johns County Government Complex, and its terminus inDowntown St. Augustine.[35][37]
By 2023, planning for the Southeast Corridor had progressed to the planning phase with a potential of four stations along the route: theJacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla, Avenues Walk, Racetrack Road, and St. Augustine.[38]
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30°19′51″N81°40′36″W / 30.330763°N 81.676686°W /30.330763; -81.676686
