Workshop scheduled for Bartram scenic highway

Historic City News was informed that the public is invited to participate in an upcoming public design workshop regarding the creation of a master plan for the William Bartram Scenic & Historic Highway Corridor Management Council.

The Council, St. Johns County and consultant Glatting Jackson will hold the workshop January 13-16, 2009, at the St. Johns County Northwest Annex, located at 725 Flora Branch Boulevard in St. Johns. Two evening public meetings will be held to solicit input: Tuesday, January 13 and Friday, January 16, both from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. In addition, the public is invited to stop by Wednesday through Friday, January 14 -16, between 9:00 and 11:00 am or 2:00 and 4:00 pm to meet with the design team to share their ideas.

The citizen-led William Bartram Scenic & Historic Highway (WBS&H) Corridor Management Council (CMC), St Johns County and Glatting Jackson will be working together to solicit neighborhood feedback in the development of the WBS&H Highway’s Master Plan. The State Scenic Highway, as previously designated by the Florida Department of Transportation, includes a 17-mile section of State Road 13 from the St. Johns / Duval County line south to the intersection of State Roads 13 and 16.

The WBS&H Highway Master Plan will address the creation of new facilities and improvements along this section of the Scenic Highway, including park improvements at the Shands Pier, Alpine Groves Park, the Bartram Trail Branch Library, Trout Creek Park and Beluthahatchee Park. Additionally, preliminary sketches will be drawn for the future interpretative museum. The Master Plan will also address signage and way-finding, including gateway features, directional and interpretive signs and the corridor logo design. Another Master Plan component will be transportation improvements, such as traffic calming measures and pedestrian and bicycling improvements. Such improvements will help communicate WBS&H Highway’s grand story and will inform the citizens and visually connect the resources along the corridor. The various portions of the public workshop are an ideal time for the public to share their ideas about each of these components with the design team.

The William Bartram Scenic & Historic Highway was designated as a Florida Scenic Highway in 2005 and received a National Scenic Byway grant in 2006. The Federal Highway Association’s National Scenic Byways Program recognizes designated Scenic Highways, Byways and All American Roads that preserve, protect and enhance intrinsic resources. These intrinsic resources include scenic, archeological, historical, cultural, natural (environmental) and recreational characteristics.

For more information about the William Bartram Scenic & Historic Highway, the development of the Master Plan or the Public Design Workshop, visit www.glatting.com/williambartram or contact St. Johns County Principal Planner Vickie Renna at (904) 209-0615.