Touring Jacksonville's S-Line Urban Greenway

Map of S-Line Urban Greenway.  Greenway multiuse trail illustrated in green.

The Urban Pathways Initiative links community-based advocates and professionals across the nation working to encourage physical activity, active transportation and recreation options in neighborhoods surrounding urban pathways.

The S-Line Urban Greenway is a 4.8-mile rails-to-trails multiuse path that connects New Town and Durkeeville with Springfield and Brentwood.  It runs from Myrtle Avenue, just north of Beaver Street, to Norwood Plaza, near Gateway Mall, at the intersection of Norwood Avenue and 44th Street. The opportunity to create this multiuse trail came as a result of the City of Jacksonville gaining possession of an abandoned length of CSX railroad Right-of-Way, appropriately in the shape of an "S".


Kings Road crossing the S-Line in 1942. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida.

Partners of the project included the City of Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Department, the Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida and the Durkeeville Historical Society. Funding was provided by the Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida and the Kresge Foundation. The goal was to create an linear urban park that could serve as a catalyst to improve the surrounding neighborhoods by connecting schools, parks and other community assets.  If future local transportation initiatives become reality, a commuter rail line connecting downtown to the airport will one day be added, offering many Northside communities true access to economic revitalization.


Looking towards the Aetna Iron & Steel Company from the Liberty Street S-Line railroad crossing in 1943. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/52953

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