>> AS WE LOOK BACK ON JACKSONVILLE’S 200 YEARS AS A CITY, WE’RE SEEING BOTH THE
GOOD AND THE BAD. THE
MILESTONES THAT MAKE
JACKSONVILLE WHAT IT IS TODAY.
>> AND AT ONE TIME IT WAS
COMPLETELY A CITY OF TOLD IT
WAS YOU HAD TO STOP AND PAY A
PRICE TO CROSS MANY OF THE
BRIDGES IN JACKSONVILLE UNTIL
VOTERS IN THE 80’S SAID IT’S
TIME TO AND TOLLS AND REPLACE
THEM WITH A SALES TAX INCREASE
NEWS. 4 JAX REPORTER JIM
PIGGOTT TAKES A LOOK AT THE
HISTORY OF TOLLS AND THE TOLL
THEY HAD ON JACKSONVILLE.
>> I COMPLAIN ABOUT HEAVY
TRAFFIC IN JACKSONVILLE TODAY
AS THE CITY IS GROWING AND
MORE PEOPLE NOW LIVE HERE. BUT
IF YOU ARE DRIVING HERE IN THE
50’S TO THE 80’S, WELL, THERE
WAS EVEN MORE TO COMPLAIN
ABOUT TOLLS. MANY PEOPLE UPSET
ABOUT THE CONSTANT TRAFFIC
CONGESTION AS CARS LINED UP TO
PAY TOLLS FOR HOW THE CITY
PAID FOR BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION.
EVEN THOUGH COLLECTIONS
CONTINUED AFTER THEY WERE PAID
OFF THE FIRST TOLL BRIDGE WAS
THE MATTHEWS BRIDGE IN THE
50’S AFTER IT WAS BUILT. OTHER
TOLL BRIDGES FOLLOWED ALONG
INTERSTATE 95 AT THE FULLER
WARREN AND TROUT RIVER BRIDGE
IS THE HART BRIDGE WAS TOLD
AND EVEN ALONG JTB THE COST OF
TOLLS ALSO WENT UP IN ORDER TO
PAY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF
THE DAMES POINT BRIDGE AND IT
APPEARED THERE WAS NO END IN
SIGHT.
>> TOLLS HAVE BECOME A WAY OF
LIFE. I SIMPLY CANNOT. AND A
4TH, THIS INCREASE IN TOLLS.
>> THIS IS WITH THIS NEWS
SPECIAL. BUT THEN SOMETHING
CHANGED IN THE 80’S CHANNEL. 4
TOOK UP THE CAUSE. LOOKING AT
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TOLLS,
WJXT EDITORIAL DIRECTOR AND
FORMER CITY COUNCILMAN HARRY
REGEN REMEMBERS HOW THAT BEGAN
TOLLS WERE ONE OF THOSE THINGS
THE AVERAGE PERSON MIGHT HAVE
SAID. THEY’RE HERE CAN’T DO
ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. AND
CHANNEL 4. HAD THE AUDACITY,
COURAGE, WHAT WHATEVER WORD
YOU WANT TO USE TO TAKE A LOOK
ANOTHER ISSUE MAYBE SOMETHING
COULD BE DONE SO MANY LEVELS
TOLLS ARE UNFAIR ONLY PEOPLE
USE THAT OLD BRIDGE IS PAID.
>> IT WAS A CAMPAIGN ISSUE FOR
THE LATE TOMMY HAZOURI’S WHEN
HE RAN FOR OFFICE IN 1987.
AFTER HE WAS ELECTED, THE
MEASURE WAS PUT ON THE BALLOT.
THE QUESTION.
>> SHOULD TOLLS BE REPLACED
WITH A HALF-CENT SALES TAX.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE
PEOPLE TO SPEAK ONCE AND FOR
ALL AND HOW WE WANT
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FUNDED
AS WE ENTER THE 21ST CENTURY,
IT WAS A CLOSE RACE. BUT THE
TAX ONE AND IN 1989, THERE WAS
A HUGE CELEBRATION WITH MUSIC
THAT THE TOLL PLAZAS THE TEARS
FROM AROUND THE STATE.
>> AND THE TOLL BRIDGE AT THE
MATTHEWS BRIDGE DEMOLISHED.
THE FORMER JTA CEO MICHAEL
BLAYLOCK TRANSPORTATION AT THE
TIME. HE HELPED HAS ALREADY
PUSHED THE IDEA AND SAYS IT
MADE A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN
JAX.
>> WE’VE GOT HURT OR DID HELP.
I MEAN, IT GOING TO GET HELP
AND HOW WE WE MADE A LOT OF
NUMBER ONE THAT HAS CLEARED UP
OUR POLLUTION ISSUES GOLD
CAUSE WAITING TO GET TO COACH.
HE’S BEEN GETTING RID OF
TOLLS. WAS A MAJOR CHANGE FOR
THE CITY.
>> NO LONGER DID PEOPLE HAVE
CHANGE AND THAT WHOLE BASKET
IN ORDER TO CROSS THE BRIDGES
THAT WAS POINTED OUT IN MANY
NEWS REPORTS ON CHANNEL 4, A
PART OF JACKSONVILLE HISTORY
IS HAPPENING HERE. ALL THOSE
YEARS OF HANDING OVER ALL THAT
CHANGE IS OVER.
>> FINALLY, TODAY, DRIVERS CAN
STOP PAYING TOLLS. SO WE SAW
BY GETTING RID OF TOLLS IN
JACKSONVILLE. IT ACTUALLY
CHANGE THE CITY’S HISTORY, BUT
DID IT BECAUSE, WELL, TOLLS
ARE BACK IN SOME AREAS. I’M
HERE ON THE WEST SIDE NEAR
CECIL COMMERCE CENTER ON
HIGHWAY 23. THIS IS NOW TOLD
BY THE STATE THERE ARE OTHER
TOOLS IN PLACE ON THE EXPRESS
LANES AND MORE ARE COMING. JIM
PIGGOTT CHANNEL 4, THE LOCAL
STATION.
>> THANK YOU, TIM. DON’T
FORGET TO TUNE IN ON THURSDAY
FOR A SPECIAL REPORT. JAX 200,
THE BOLD CITY BICENTENNIAL
NEWS, 4 JAX SPOKE WITH THE
JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL
SOCIETY, THE CITY OF
JACKSONVILLE, LOCAL BUSINESSES
AND RESIDENTS UNCOVERING WHAT
MADE OUR CITY WHAT IT IS
TODAY. WATCH JAX. 200, THE
BOLD CITY BICENTENNIAL LIVE
THURSDAY AT 07:00PM ON THE
LOCAL STATION NEWS 4 JAX DOT