Jacksonville Road Meet-February 26, 2022

[kevinb1994]

Meet lunch location-slated for the "˜60s-"˜70s era Blue Boy Sandwich Shop location at 6514 Norwood Avenue (SR 117), Jacksonville, FL 32208 at 11:30 A.M.

Post-meet dinner location-slated for the original (1949) Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q location at 4907 Beach Boulevard (US 90), Jacksonville, FL 32207 (exact time TBD).

Beach Boulevard was built westward from Shetter Avenue and Third Street (aka Pre-1945 FL 140, which was renumbered as SR 1 during the 1945 renumbering, only to be renumbered again the following year as SR A1A in order to avoid confusion with US 1) in Jacksonville Beach to the old post-Civil War Hogan Road (which ran from Hendricks Point in South Jacksonville towards Saint Augustine) between 1937 and 1949 (construction was suspended between fall 1941 and 1945 due to World War II), was originally legislated as SR 376, was built on the right-of-way of the Florida East Coast Railway's Mayport Branch (also known as, and originally built as, the Jacksonville and Atlantic Railroad) to relieve traffic on parallel Atlantic Boulevard (originally legislated as SR 140), and was finally dedicated on December 17, 1949, along with the original B.B. McCormick Bridge (which was a four-lane drawbridge, replaced in 2009 by a two-span, six-lane fixed bridge) over the Intracoastal Waterway.

Stop #2: Race Track Road Connector and Interchange at SR 9B (I-795) (this connector is actually called Peyton Parkway, presumably named after the same Peyton family that founded Gate Petroleum in 1960, and will eventually connect with a massive development area off of CR 210 and Race Track Road to the west of US 1-FL 5-Philips Highway)

Stop #3: Saint John's Parkway stub-end south of CR 210 (current plans call for Saint John's Parkway to extend all the way down to CR 208 to the west of the Saint Augustine (Premium) Outlets, with a spur/connector to SR 16 and SR 16A)

On the way from Stop #3 towards Stop #4, there is a (at least partially) graded ROW north of the CR 210 intersection with Greenbriar Road; this is where CR 210 turns to the south in order to head towards the intersection with SR 16A and Longleaf Pine Parkway. The ROW heads north from this intersection towards the intersection of Longleaf Pine Parkway and Veterans Parkway (this ROW may/may not still be planned as part of Veterans Parkway, but I couldn't find anything pertaining to this ROW, so the project may very well be dead in the water now).

Stop #4: SR 16 1963 Shands Bridge and 1929 Shands Bridge Piers (current plans call for a replacement bridge in order for the SR 23 First Coast Expressway to cross the Saint John's River without a major bottleneck and connect with I-95 at or near SR 9B aka I-795 in Saint John's County; this construction won't happen until 2023, which could mean another area road meet or mini meet-stay tuned)-there are historical information marker signs on both sides of the SR 16 1963 Shands Bridge, with at least one of them detailing about naturalist William Bartram, son of naturalist John Bartram of Bartram's Garden (1728, Kingsessing, Philadelphia) fame, who explored the Saint John's River in 1774 (after failing as a planter at Picolata, a former fort location at the intersection of CR 13 and CR 208, seven years earlier in 1767) after initially landing at Amelia Island. In case y'all were wondering who Shands was, his name was William Augustine Shands, was born somewhere in Alachua County in 1889, served as a Democratic member of the Florida Senate from 1940 to 1958 where he advocated for the establishment of a state medical college and teaching hospital, and died down in Gainesville in 1973. (Note: Hurricane Matthew destroyed a portion of the 1929 Shands Bridge Pier on the Clay County/Green Cove Springs side of the Saint John's River during the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season)

Optional: Depending on whether or not the entire initial stretch of the SR 23 First Coast Expressway toll road is open by the time of the mini meet, we will attempt to drive it (this toll road will eventually cross the Saint John's River on a replacement of the SR 16 Shands Bridge and connect with I-95 at or near SR 9B aka I-795 in Saint John's County; there is also discussion of another extension serving the Northside of Jacksonville and Nassau County). If it isn't completely open by then, I will drop it from the iteniary. Also, we may check out construction of the second stretch between SR 21 Blanding Boulevard and the SR 16 Shands Bridge if FDOT has started construction on it before the road meet is held (which is somewhat likely).

Stop #7: US 1-US 90-SR 5-SR 10 1941 Main Street Bridge in Jacksonville (we will park under the bridge on the Downtown-Northbank side next to the Jacksonville Landing festival marketplace, where there was a notorious mass shooting on August 26, 2018 at approximately 1:30 p.m EDT-current plans call for the Jacksonville Landing to be eventually torn down and replaced with a massive city riverfront-waterfront park)

This road meet will be held on February 23rd 2019. Facebook event is up and running: https://www.facebook.com/events/286403948879827/?ti=icl

A rough draft of the iteniary can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-4tiXlI4CebKzowIXKbTcz9tPf6podhIxH_NzufS6oY

[Max Rockatansky]

As a "site"  for a meet I'd be up for anything in Florida in the winter months. BTW no old Camp Johnston Brick Road off of US 17 in Yukon...it's right near the Ortega River Drawbridge. 

[jdb1234]

I would be game for anything in the Jacksonville area.  I am planning to go to Marco Island in March, but I have some PTO to use before the end of January.

[vdeane]

I was in Jacksonville for my cousin's wedding earlier this year and really enjoyed it - it's definitely a city with lots of potential for a meet, and I'd love to explore it further someday.  That said, I'm not sure if a return to Florida in the next year or two is where I'd direct my travels.  It's a 2-3 day drive (depending on what I want to clinch on the way - especially since any return to the peninsula will likely include a run through Orlando and Tampa, those being the only places in the peninsula save for I-10 where I have unclinched interstate mileage) for me each way, much of it on mileage I've already clinched, so I think I'd rather explore other areas in the meantime and revisit Florida later.

[A.J. Bertin]

I'd be very interested in a Jacksonville meet if the timing is right for me. However, there are a lot of other ideas that are being discussed for road meets and I know I can't attend all of them. LOL

[SSOWorld]

I have to consider this a low probability despite the fact that JAX is the location of my remaining Interstate mileage (I-10 to Lake City (I-75)), the beltway and the future spur).  I just spent a week in Florida this year and nabbed all the other Interstates + the Overseas Hwy.

[kevinb1994]

Looks like this road meet will be hosted on February 26th 2022. As for a place to meet for dinner, I have decided on the original location of Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q, 4907 Beach Boulevard, Jacksonville.

[Brandon]

Looks like this road meet will be hosted in January or February. As of a place to meet for lunch, there's multiple Metro Diner locations in the area, in addition to the Deerwood Diner.

Pick one you like and think is unique to Jacksonville.  Part of a road meet is introducing people to something local if you can.

[kevinb1994]

Looks like this road meet will be hosted in January or February. As of a place to meet for lunch, there's multiple Metro Diner locations in the area, in addition to the Deerwood Diner.

Pick one you like and think is unique to Jacksonville.  Part of a road meet is introducing people to something local if you can.

I've decided on the original location of Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q, 4907 Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville.

[rickmastfan67]

Looks like this road meet will be hosted in January or February. As of a place to meet for lunch, there’s multiple Metro Diner locations in the area, in addition to the Deerwood Diner.

Pick one you like and think is unique to Jacksonville.  Part of a road meet is introducing people to something local if you can.

I’ve decided on the Maple Street Biscuit Company location at Point Meadows Drive off Baymeadows Road. It’s right down the road from my house and AFAIK we’ve eaten there and taken home food from there once. Safe Harbor Seafood Restaurant’s Jacksonville Beach location is located on 2nd Ave N off Beach Boulevard, but it is so popular that lines are frequent and it can get crowded/noisy.

Ever consider Joseph's Pizza (old name was Joseph's Italian Restaurant when I last visited Jax)?  Was also going to suggest Nero’s Italian Cafe in Arlington, but I just discovered they are no more.  Always liked their all-you-could-eat Spaghetti special when I was in town.

[kevinb1994]

We've never had Joseph's Pizza (didn't know it has been around since 1956, making it the oldest pizza joint in the area), as we have a NY-style pizza place down the road from our house, TonyD's New York Pizza & Restaurant, in addition to a Marco's Pizza location opening soon also down the road from our house. Across from TonyD's is Renna's Pizza which we tried once but haven't tried since. Too bad about Nero's being closed since August 30th, 2016, though.

[rickmastfan67]

We've never had Joseph's Pizza (didn't know it has been around since 1956, making it the oldest pizza joint in the area), as we have a NY-style pizza place down the road from our house, TonyD's New York Pizza & Restaurant, in addition to a Marco's Pizza location opening soon also down the road from our house. Across from TonyD's is Renna's Pizza which we tried once but haven't tried since. Too bad about Nero's being closed since August 30th, 2016, though.

Yeah, I'd recommend trying out Joseph's, especially their lunch specials.  If you go to the Main Street location, it's a little cramped, but it's the original location, and usually is the better of the two.

[kevinb1994]

We've never had Joseph's Pizza (didn't know it has been around since 1956, making it the oldest pizza joint in the area), as we have a NY-style pizza place down the road from our house, TonyD's New York Pizza & Restaurant, in addition to a Marco's Pizza location opening soon also down the road from our house. Across from TonyD's is Renna's Pizza which we tried once but haven't tried since. Too bad about Nero's being closed since August 30th, 2016, though.

Yeah, I'd recommend trying out Joseph's, especially their lunch specials.  If you go to the Main Street location, it's a little cramped, but it's the original location, and usually is the better of the two.

Thanks for the suggestion. Anyway, I've decided to move the road meet dinner location to the original location of Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q, 4907 Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville. We will likely have the meet group photo taken at the SR 202 Butler Boulevard/JTB Kernan Boulevard exit, where Kernan has a stub end directly south of the interchange (current plans call for it to connect with Baymeadows Road East and Gate Parkway).

[kevinb1994]

Just a FYI/reminder that the tie-breaking vote has been cast by yours truly and the date of the road meet is officially February 26rd 2022.

[Alps]

Just a FYI/reminder that the poll has been updated in order for us to decide on which Saturday in February 2019 for this road meet.

I don't see February 30th.

[formulanone]

I don't travel much on weekends nor go to roadmeets (weekends are for my family), but I can vouch for MOJOs...a great choice!

I've been to the Gainesville and Ocala locations, and it's great food and service. Try the burnt ends!

[kevinb1994]

I don't travel much on weekends nor go to roadmeets (weekends are for my family), but I can vouch for MOJOs...a great choice!

I've been to the Gainesville and Ocala locations, and it's great food and service. Try the burnt ends!

Thanks for the recommendation! Anyway, the tie breaking vote has been made by yours truly and the official date of the road meet is February 26th, 2022.

[kevinb1994]

I will keep the poll open for another week or so as only one person voted in the updated poll. The first Saturday in February may work out, but we'll see. Also, the dinner location has been changed once again to the original location of Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q, open since 1949. We've been to the Saint John's Town Center location on Gate Parkway, the original location is on Beach Boulevard near the Hart Bridge Expressway interchange (which obviously wasn't there when the restaurant opened back in the day).

[kevinb1994]

Looks like we have a tied poll again; I will eliminate the 23rd of February from the poll if no one ends up voting for it by tomorrow at the latest. EDIT: we have a three-way tie for the poll again! I guess I will leave the poll open for now until we have a tie-breaker. How does Sunday sound for having the poll end/close?

[Brandon]

Looks like we have a tied poll again; I will eliminate the 23rd of February from the poll if no one ends up voting for it by tomorrow at the latest. EDIT: we have a three-way tie for the poll again! I guess I will leave the poll open for now until we have a tie-breaker. How does Sunday sound?

Sundays are usually pretty bad days for a meet due to people's travel plans.

[Max Rockatansky]

Looks like I'll be out in the area in late January now. 

[kevinb1994]

Looks like we have a tied poll again; I will eliminate the 23rd of February from the poll if no one ends up voting for it by tomorrow at the latest. EDIT: we have a three-way tie for the poll again! I guess I will leave the poll open for now until we have a tie-breaker. How does Sunday sound?

Sundays are usually pretty bad days for a meet due to people's travel plans.

I was referring to having the poll end on Sunday this weekend.

[kevinb1994]

Looks like I'll be out in the area in late January now.

Okay, I guess I should hold this road meet on the first Saturday in February then.

[Max Rockatansky]

Looks like I'll be out in the area in late January now.

Okay, I guess I should hold this mini meet on the first Saturday in February then.

I honestly wouldn't change up what you're planning on my account.  I'm kind at the mercy of my wife wanting to go to Mexico to see family in February.  I have to burn a bunch of vacation time and January was where I could fit it.

[kevinb1994]

Looks like I'll be out in the area in late January now.

Okay, I guess I should hold this mini meet on the first Saturday in February then.

I honestly wouldn't change up what you're planning on my account.  I'm kind at the mercy of my wife wanting to go to Mexico to see family in February.  I have to burn a bunch of vacation time and January was where I could fit it.

Okay. Well, I'll still leave the poll open until this coming Sunday.