Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway (Jacksonville)

The Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway is a 7.1-mile (11.4 km) long expressway running along the eastern and northern edges of Downtown Jacksonville, Florida. It carries U.S. Route 1 Alternate (US 1 Alternate) from near its southern terminus to an interchange with US 1/US 17 (Main Street). US 1 follows the expressway to its northern terminus, an intersection with US 23. Despite its name, it is not a parkway in the conventional sense, as it has no limits on truck use and is not located near parks or other beautified areas.

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 1 in Jacksonville, Florida. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 1.
Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway
Route information
Maintained by FDOT
Length6.749 mi[1] (10.861 km)
Component
highways
US 1 / US 1 Alt.
Major junctions
South end SR 115 in Downtown Jacksonville
North end US 1 / US 23 in Grand Park
Highway system

Route description

The parkway begins just east of the Gator Bowl, near an interchange with State Route 10A (SR 10A) and SR 139 to the Mathews Bridge. Continuing north around downtown Jacksonville, the highway bends due west and intersects Interstate 95 (I-95). The route continues west for another mile before merging with US 23 (New Kings Road).[2]

The entire length of the parkway is included as part of the National Highway System,[3] a system of roadways important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.

History

Upon its completion in the early 1960s, the road was actually known by two names. The eastern portion, running due north from the base of the Matthews Bridge, was known as the Haines Street Expressway. The northern portion, running due west from the northern terminus of the Haines Expressway, was known as the 20th Street Expressway. Both sections took their respective names from the actual city streets that they either replaced or ran parallel to. The two roads were, in actual operation, a single road, providing a rapid, limited-access route from the Gator Bowl in the southeastern corner of downtown Jacksonville, to the northwestern residential reaches of downtown.

In 2000, the Jacksonville City Council voted to honor the murdered civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr., by naming this route after him, and the change was effected on January 15, 2001, the 72nd anniversary of King's birth.[4] Jacksonville was one of the last major cities in the country to rename a road for Dr. King; by choosing this route, the city was able to pay homage and yet because the entire route is without any addresses, either residential or business, the council was able to avoid irritating constituents, as often happens with such name changes.[5] For the same reason, the frontage roads are still named Haines Street.[6]

Exit list

The entire route is in Jacksonville, Duval County.

mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
0.0000.000Church Street East / Haines Street - Sports ComplexIntersection; south end of state maintenance
0.110.18 SR 115 south (Mathews Bridge / SR 10A east) to I-95 (via SR 10A west / SR 139 north) – Arlington, Jax Beaches, Downtown JacksonvilleNorth end of SR 115A; south end of SR 115 overlap
0.340.55
US 1 Alt. south (Hart Bridge / SR 115A) to US 90 east / I-95 – Southside, Jax Beaches		South end of US 1 Alt. overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
0.560.90Haines Street / Jessie Street
1.21.9Haines StreetNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
1.32.18th Street - Jaxport Talleyrand Terminal
2.13.421st Street/Phoenix Avenue
2.804.51Liberty Street
3.084.96 US 1 south / US 17 (Main Street / SR 5)North end of US 1 Alt. overlap; south end of US 1 overlap
3.355.39Pearl StreetNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
3.525.66Boulevard
3.966.37 I-95 (SR 9 / SR 15 south / SR 115 north) – International AirportNorth end of freeway; north end of SR 115 overlap; south end of SR 15 overlap; I-95 exit 354
4.2316.809Moncrief RoadIntersection (traffic signal)
4.4017.083Myrtle AvenueIntersection (traffic signal)
4.7137.585Wilson StreetIntersection (right turn only onto MLK Parkway)
5.0448.118Fairfax StreetIntersection (traffic signal)
5.6869.151Canal StreetIntersection (traffic signal)
5.9479.571Division StreetIntersection (traffic signal)
6.67910.749Service Road / 25th StreetIntersection (ramp to MLK Parkway eastbound wraps around under New Kings Road)
6.74910.861 US 1 north / US 23 north (New Kings Road / SR 15) – AmtrakInterchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. FDOT straight line diagrams Archived 2014-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 2014
  2. Google (December 22, 2013). "Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  3. National Highway System: Jacksonville, FL (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. October 1, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  4. "Holiday an occasion to celebrate parkway". The Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville, FL. January 16, 2001. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  5. (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20110708133251/http://www.cfpmidweek.com/weeks/IssuePDFs/v01i01_121003.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. Florida Times Union, Panel OKs Renaming of Haines Street Expressway Would Become Part of MLK Jr. Parkway, July 7, 2000
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