The future of transportation is taking shape in Jacksonville, FL, with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s (JTA) Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) project, a transformative initiative that’s modernizing the Downtown Jacksonville Skyway with a 10-mile autonomous vehicle (AV) system!
This cutting-edge system will create seamless connectivity across downtown Jacksonville, with dedicated AV shuttles and enhanced infrastructure.
As part of this effort, JTA is converting an underused parking lot on West Bay Street into an AV Operations and Maintenance Center, anchored by a 7,500-square-foot building designed by WGI’s Buildings Division.
WGI is thrilled to share that the project team has recently celebrated a major milestone with the topping-out ceremony for the JTA’s Autonomous Innovation Center (AIC) – This building will serve as the core hub and command-and-control center for the Bay Street Innovation Corridor (BSIC), the U2C project’s first phase.
Scheduled to launch next summer, the BSIC is a critical three-mile segment introducing autonomous shuttles, enhanced street-level improvements, and smart infrastructure to Jacksonville.
WGI is proud to serve as the lead engineer for the Vision 2 Reality Team, a partnership that includes Balfour Beatty, Superior Construction Company Southeast, and Miller Electric – As part of this collaboration, WGI’s multi-disciplinary team will be providing transportation engineering, architectural, environmental, and geospatial services.
The U2C initiative is one of Florida’s first Progressive Design-Build transportation procurements, a model that perfectly aligns with WGI’s expertise in alternative delivery.
Having detected petroleum contamination in the soil during pre-construction testing, WGI’s Environmental experts quickly took action by developing a Conceptual Site Model and conducting an expedited assessment to pinpoint the contamination. By doing so, the contamination cleanup was able to take place during the construction phase and crucially prevented any project delays.
This step was vital for project continuity and regulatory compliance and ensured that the site remained safe for ongoing construction.
The U2C project is set to set a new standard for mobility in downtown Jacksonville.
When fully operational in 2025, the system will not only reduce travel times and enhance convenience but will also introduce smart infrastructure such as flood monitoring, AV control systems, connected intersections, and intelligent pedestrian signals.
Lisa Nisenson, WGI’s VP of New Mobility and Connected Communities, shared:
“The U2C reimagines existing infrastructure, incorporates autonomous technologies, and introduces new vehicle types for convenient, sustainable downtown circulators.”
With each milestone, we get closer to realizing Jacksonville’s vision of an autonomous, connected transit system – So, stay tuned for updates as we bring this project from groundbreaking to completion!
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