Since May 13, the Northbank Riverwalk has run without a break from the Hyatt by the Main Street Bridge west to the Fuller Warren Bridge and Riverside Arts Market. Two things closed the gap. Riverfront Music Garden opened beside the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts, and an elevated section of the Riverwalk went back in after being removed for the McCoys Creek work.
Most of the riverfront news since then has looked like a list of separate projects: a park, a cafe, a bridge lane closure, a bike track. Lay them on a map and they share a purpose. Nearly every Northbank project now under construction connects something to the walkway that opened this spring. The new parks matter less than the fact that Downtown's riverfront finally works as a single route, with more routes about to plug into it.
The gap that closed in May
Riverfront Music Garden sits between the Performing Arts Center at 300 Water St. and the St. Johns River. The park was under construction from 2024 and cost about $7 million, according to Daryl Joseph, the city's parks director.
Its theme is Jacksonville's music history. There's a piano you play by walking on the keys and a local take on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Plaques set into the walkway honor Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers Band, Tim McGraw, Ma Rainey, 38 Special, and brothers James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson.
The engineering explains why this stretch took two years. The Riverwalk through the park is raised to allow for higher water levels, and rain gardens absorb storm runoff. The finished park looks simple. Building a walkway that holds up on this riverbank was not.
At the ribbon cutting, Council member Jimmy Peluso, whose district includes the Northbank, put it plainly:
"This river is yours. This Riverwalk is free and open to all and any."
Walking it west, landmark by landmark
The confirmed continuous stretch runs east to west. Going from the Main Street Bridge toward Riverside, it passes these landmarks:
- The Hyatt, beside the Main Street Bridge. This is where the connected route starts in the city's description.
- Riverfront Plaza, Phase 1. It opened Dec. 5, 2025 on the former site of the Jacksonville Landing. The finished part of the 6-acre park has a playground on the roof of a pavilion building, an event lawn, a rebuilt Riverwalk section and a plaza that connects to the Performing Arts Center.
- Riverfront Music Garden. This is the newest section, with the walkable piano and the music plaques.
- The reinstalled elevated span. This section was removed for the McCoys Creek work. Putting it back is what let the city call the route continuous.
- The Fuller Warren Bridge and Riverside Arts Market. This is the western end of the connected walk, and it puts Downtown on the same path as the Riverside riverfront.
The western end matters more than its length suggests. Riverside Arts Market is one of three places where the Riverwalk is planned to meet the Emerald Trail. Hogan Street and McCoys Creek are the other two. So a walk from the Hyatt to the Fuller Warren Bridge now covers ground the city expects to become a junction in a much larger network.
Most of what's under construction is a connector
The Emerald Trail is planned as a 30-mile network of walking and biking paths through central Jacksonville. It would link 14 neighborhoods to Downtown, the St. Johns River, McCoys Creek and Hogans Creek, with 21 parks along the way. Parts of it are already built, through a partnership between the city and the nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville.
Between Riverfront Plaza and the Music Garden, the Riverwalk meets the Emerald Trail construction on Hogan Street. The Hogan Street Cycle Track will run on the west side of Hogan Street from West State Street to Bay Street, next to the sidewalk. Hogan's one-way roadway drops from two travel lanes to one to make room. The last block, from Water Street to the Riverwalk, becomes a shared path for walkers and cyclists. When it's finished, the track will connect the future Hogan Creek Greenway to the river.
The work at the east end of Riverfront Plaza follows the same pattern. On Aug. 24, 2026, The Haskell Company began removing the "nub" on the Main Street Bridge. The city calls this the first step toward a permanent pedestrian connection from the bridge into the park. Phase 2 of the plaza will then add a bike and pedestrian connection to the bridge, plus a beer garden and a rain garden. The Daily Record's Phase 1 opening coverage also listed a water feature and civic stairs among the Phase 2 plans.
Here's the timing, as the city lists it:
| Project | What it adds | City's current timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Main Street Bridge nub removal | First step toward a permanent walking link from the bridge into Riverfront Plaza | Started Aug. 24, 2026; expected done Jan. 30, 2027 |
| Riverfront Plaza Phase 2 | Bike and pedestrian ramp to the bridge, beer garden, rain garden | Done, with its Riverwalk section, by December 2027 or January 2028 |
| Hogan Street Cycle Track | Emerald Trail link from the Hogan Creek Greenway to the Riverwalk | Construction listed as starting September 2025 |
| Metropolitan Park Riverwalk | Rebuilt as part of the park revitalization | Expected 2028 |
What the bridge work means this fall
During construction, southbound Main Street Bridge traffic toward Riverplace Boulevard is down to one lane. The pedestrian walkway on the southbound side is closed, and walkers are directed to posted sidewalk detours. Northbound traffic keeps both lanes.
If you usually cross on foot between the Southbank and Riverfront Plaza, plan on the detour through the end of January. The city advises anyone traveling between the Northbank and Southbank to expect delays and consider other routes while the work continues.
The cafe that will anchor the plaza, on a realistic clock
Riverfront Plaza's pavilion building is getting a tenant who already knows Jacksonville. Mayor Donna Deegan's office announced July 6 that European Street Cafe had won the space through a competitive request for proposals, with a target of late fall 2026. On Sept. 16, the Downtown Investment Authority board voted 8-0 to approve a $71,310 forgivable loan for the build-out.
The details, from the Daily Record's coverage:
- Location: 2,377 square feet inside the park pavilion at 2 W. Independent Drive, with total build-out costs of $412,058
- Seating: indoor service plus outdoor cafe seating overlooking the park
- Planned hours: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends, possibly later during special events
- Menu: owner Andrew Zarka told the DIA board the Blue Max will be on it
- Count: the fourth European Street in Duval County, after Jacksonville Beach, Riverside and San Marco
The agreement allows more time than the announcement implied. Build-out has to start within three months of the agreement taking effect and be substantially finished no more than nine months after that. The restaurant has to open within a year. Late fall is still the stated target, but those deadlines leave room for a later opening. For now, treat the cafe as coming, not open.
Once it opens, the plaza gets weekday-morning coffee and a weekend lunch spot directly on the connected walk. For someone headed west toward the Music Garden and Riverside Arts Market, it becomes the natural starting point.
East of the Hyatt, the path has more open questions
Past the Hyatt, the picture is less settled. The city says the Riverwalk between Berkman Plaza and Shipyards West Park is already built. The stretch next to the Four Seasons Hotel had a substantial-completion target of Aug. 30, 2026. We haven't found confirmation that it opened on schedule. The hotel itself was still under construction in August, with completion expected in February 2027, according to News4JAX. Until the city posts an update, don't count on an unbroken walk from the Hyatt to the Shipyards.
There are still new reasons to head east, by walking where you can or by driving or boating the rest of the way:
- Asado Life opened in August at 5 Tower Court, in the Shipyards marina-support building. The 140-seat restaurant has an Argentinian-inspired menu, serves lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and offers a social-hour menu.
- Met Park Marina, beside EverBank Stadium, has 78 slips with power and water hookups, fuel and Wi-Fi. The city takes reservations first come, first served, including short-term dock-and-dine stops and overnight stays.
Metropolitan Park is the last big piece. The city's plan favors a nature-based park with a "resilient living edge" along the river. Its design concepts include a Tailgate Plaza, the Ramble and a Performance Lawn. The city expects construction funding in fall 2026 and says the work should take 12 to 18 months once it starts. It expects the rebuilt Riverwalk there in 2028.
On Jaguars home dates this season, the stadium plaza doesn't allow continuous gate-to-gate travel. The team asks ticket holders to check their assigned gates and allow extra time for construction closures. If you're heading to Met Park Marina or the Shipyards on a game day, check the schedule before you go.
So the walk that's confirmed for October starts at the Hyatt and ends at the Fuller Warren Bridge. It passes the Riverfront Plaza playground, the Music Garden's walkable piano and the plaques for Ray Charles and Ma Rainey, and ends at Riverside Arts Market.
Riverfront projects affect more than weekend plans. A new bridge ramp, a trail connection or a cafe opening can change how a street feels, and over time what it's worth. If you live Downtown or along the river and want to talk through what these projects could mean for your home, The Gilman Group is glad to help.
