How far can you ride from the Mayport ferry before your bike has to share a lane with Heckscher Drive traffic? It's a little over a mile of separated path from the Fort George landing to the entrance of Huguenot Memorial Park. Past that point, the pavement meant for bikes stops for about half a mile. North of the Fort George River bridge it starts again and runs through the Talbot Islands toward Amelia Island.
That half-mile is the only real break in what is otherwise one of the longest paved rides on Jacksonville's Northside. Crews are working on it right now. By the Florida Department of Transportation's own estimate, this fall and winter are the last seasons you'll have to ride it the old way.
The gap has been the last missing piece since 2019
In June 2019, the Friends of the Amelia Island Trail announced that the new bike and pedestrian bridge over Haulover Creek was open. That bridge extended the Timucuan Trail from the ferry crossing to the Huguenot Memorial Park entrance. The same Amelia Island Trail update named the one stretch still missing: "a half mile of trail that borders the Fort George Sound marsh from Huguenot Park to the Fort George River bridge," which was still in design then.
Since then, the islands to the north have filled in. Florida State Parks now lists a completed connection of nearly two miles between Little Talbot and Big Talbot islands. The marsh-edge half-mile on Heckscher Drive stayed unbuilt the whole time. The state's Bike the Timucuan Trail guide still tells riders the trail "is unfinished south of the bridge" and picks up again past Haulover Creek.
FDOT says the delay goes back further than 2019. When News4JAX covered the project in April, FDOT communications officer Renata Di Gregorio described it like this:
"This has actually been in the works for a really long time. There's been plans that have been going now for more than a decade."
What FDOT is building, and what's still in the way this month
The project's official name is "Heckscher Drive from Huguenot Park to Ft. George River Bridge bike path and roadway improvements," tracked as FDOT project 433164-1. It covers 0.57 mile of Heckscher Drive. C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. won the $5.6 million contract. Action News Jax reported that crews started on February 9, 2026.
The new path runs along the east side of Heckscher Drive, the marsh side. Reports differ on its width. FDOT's project page says 10 feet, while Action News Jax and News4JAX both reported 12. The contract also covers a lot more than the path. Crews are resurfacing the road and adding drainage, curb and gutter, lighting, guardrails, sheet pile walls and concrete barriers along the same stretch. The barriers and retaining walls go a long way toward explaining why a half-mile job has taken a full year.
The work is still active. FDOT District 2's lane closure report for October 17 to 23, 2026 lists two Heckscher Drive work zones:
| Location | Closure | Hours | Listed purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heckscher Drive at Fort George Road | Westbound lane, weekdays | 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Concrete work |
| Fort George River to Alimacani Park | Northbound off-ramp lane with flaggers, weekdays | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Road work |
The project rules don't allow lane closures between 7 and 9 a.m. As of mid-October, FDOT's expected completion date is still early 2027.
So on a weekday ride this fall, the stretch with no separated path is also the stretch with flaggers. Saturday and Sunday, when those two closures aren't listed, are calmer days to plan around.
The route, south to north, as it rides today
The trail is part of the East Coast Greenway. Florida State Parks describes the whole route as a paved, mostly off-road pathway. Here is the order of stops starting from the ferry, with a note on where the gap falls.
- St. Johns River Ferry, Fort George landing at 9618 Heckscher Drive. Walking or biking on costs $1, or $0.50 with a qualifying STAR or E-STAR card. JTA's ferry page keeps that $1 fare in the schedule that starts January 1, 2027, while vehicle fares go up. Service runs 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. The last boats leave Fort George at 6:45 p.m. on weekdays and 8:45 p.m. on weekends.
- Kingsley Plantation, 11676 Palmetto Ave. The National Park Service says to turn onto Fort George Island about half a mile past the ferry landing. Admission is free, and the grounds and buildings are open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. NPS visiting details list closures on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
- Fort George Island Cultural State Park and the Ribault Club. The park is free and open 8 a.m. to sunset. The Ribault Club is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Haulover Creek bridge to Huguenot Memorial Park, 10980 Heckscher Drive. This is the 2019 segment. Walking or biking into the park costs $3. The City of Jacksonville posts hours of 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. through November, then 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. through March.
- The gap. Huguenot entrance to the Fort George River bridge, 0.57 mile. This is the construction zone in the table above, and the only part of the route where you'll ride or walk without a separated path until FDOT finishes.
- Alimacani Park and Boat Ramp, 11080 Heckscher Drive. It's a city park open during daylight hours, with parking, restrooms, picnic areas, and launches for boats and nonmotorized craft. It sits at the north end of the work zone, so it's a natural spot to regroup.
- Little Talbot Island State Park, 12157 Heckscher Drive. The park lists 2.5 paved miles of Timucuan Trail along Park Drive. At the south-end trailhead you'll find a shaded pavilion, benches, a water fountain and an air pump. The park is open 8 a.m. to sunset.
- Big Talbot Island State Park. Here the trail runs 3.9 miles off-road and paved. Trail parking is at Bluffs, Blackrock and Big Pine for $3 per vehicle. The Bluffs and Blackrock stops lead to Boneyard Beach, and at Big Pine a newer section of path crosses the salt marsh.
- PADL, 13030 Heckscher Drive. This Long Island station rents kayaks and paddleboards. PADL's location page lists 5 p.m. as the last rental time.
- Spoonbill Pond and Nassau Sound. At the north end, the trail crosses the mouth of the sound to a boardwalk over Spoonbill Pond. It continues six miles to Peters Point Beach Park on Amelia Island.
Why this season is the one to plan around
The gap sits at the south end of the route, so it touches nearly every ride that starts from Fort George Island, Mayport, or the Heckscher Drive side of the Northside. If you park at Little Talbot or Big Talbot and ride north, you never reach it. If you start at the ferry and head north, you hit it within the first mile and a half.
Starting north of the bridge already gets you the full experience: the Talbot Islands, the marsh crossing at Big Pine, and the boardwalk at Spoonbill Pond. Leaving from the ferry still means crossing the work zone. The weekday closures in FDOT's October report fall between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., so for those, weekends or an early Saturday start are the cleaner choice.
The calendar shortens the day, too. Huguenot moves to its earlier 6 p.m. closing for winter, and Kingsley Plantation and the Ribault Club both close Mondays and Tuesdays. A Wednesday through Sunday ride that leaves the ferry in the morning catches everything open on the south end. A weekend rider coming back from Big Talbot has until the 8:45 p.m. Fort George departure to get across the river.
If you finish on the Mayport side, Safe Harbor Seafood's restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. It's closed Mondays, according to Safe Harbor's Mayport page. Plan for the $1 ferry fare on the way back.
When the Heckscher Drive path opens in early 2027, the ride from the Mayport ferry to Peters Point will be continuous for the first time. When News4JAX covered the project, Sherry Gladwin, who fishes the area several times a week, said the path would give people without cars a safer way to reach fishing spots away from the bridges.
At Plenti Realty, we follow the projects that change daily life on the Northside, like a half-mile of new path that turns the ferry, the forts and the Talbot Islands into one ride. If you live near Heckscher Drive or the Fort George area and want to know how projects like this show up in what your home is worth, ask us for a free home valuation.
