On March 26, 2026, the Roadshow made its latest stop at McCoys Creek in Jacksonville, Fla., joining Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, Public Works Director Nina Sickler; City Council members Jimmy Peluso and Tyrona Clark-Murray; and representatives from WSP, the lead designer of the project, for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the new Stockton Street Bridge. It was the kind of event that reminds us why engineers and public works professionals do this work, and why it matters that the public understands it.
The event drew strong local media coverage, with Action News Jax, Jacksonville Daily Record, and News4JAX all covering the ribbon cutting and highlighting the engineering and public works story behind the project, exactly the kind of public visibility the Roadshow is designed to generate.
A Project That Delivers on Every Level
The Stockton Street Bridge is far more than a crossing. It’s the centerpiece of the McCoys Creek Restoration Project, a landmark collaboration between the City of Jacksonville and nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville. The new bridge is wider and elevated by design, engineered specifically to allow water to flow freely beneath it during heavy rain events, a critical upgrade for a community that has long struggled with flooding.
The stop brought together elected officials, engineers, and public works professionals in exactly the kind of collaborative, community-facing engagement the Roadshow is built around. Mayor Deegan and Public Works Director Sickler used the platform to explain in clear, accessible terms how public works operations and engineering design work hand in hand to deliver results for Northeast Florida communities. The message resonated: this isn’t just a bridge. It’s a safer neighborhood, a more connected city, and a model for how communities nationwide can combine flood control, environmental restoration, and multimodal connectivity into a single, cohesive investment.
With more than $100 million committed to managing McCoys Creek flooding and creating neighborhood spaces, this project stands as one of the most significant infrastructure investments in Jacksonville’s history, and the benefits extend well beyond flood control. The bridge includes dedicated bike lanes and sidewalks, physically and figuratively connecting District 7 and District 9 in ways residents haven’t experienced in years. As Council Member Peluso put it, the project gives residents the ability to reach different parts of the city without depending on a car or a bus. That’s real accessibility, delivered through engineering and public works.
Putting Engineering and Public Works in the Spotlight
Moments like this ribbon cutting are exactly what the Roadshow was created for. Launched as a joint initiative of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Roadshow is the first time America’s engineers and public works professionals have come together on a national platform to celebrate successful infrastructure investment and ensure the public sees and understands what’s been built on their behalf.
“What makes this project stand out is that it goes beyond infrastructure performance. It creates safe, connected spaces for walking and biking. It supports the Emerald Trail and broader mobility goals. It improves water quality and environmental conditions. And, it reconnects neighborhoods to each other.”
—APWA President-elect Robert Garland, APWA Florida Chapter Past President
“The infrastructure landscape is changing as we continue to evolve our understanding of how to blend the natural and built environments for the public’s benefit, and the McCoys Creek Restoration Project is a perfect example of how this new way of thinking can impact a community. Protecting residents while also giving them an outlet to have fun and connect with others is what infrastructure progress is all about.”
—ASCE Florida Section President Heath Jenkins
“For decades, McCoys Creek was forced into an artificial straight channel, a decision that destroyed the natural floodplain. The restoration work undoes that. This is what good engineering is all about; not fighting the environment, but working with it. Projects like McCoys Creek are also a powerful reminder of why we need the next generation to consider a career in engineering. If you’re a student looking for work that is meaningful, this is it. If you’re a parent, please bring your kids to places like this and let them see what engineers actually do. We restore creeks, prevent flooding, and help build the kinds of communities where people want to live and raise their families.”
—ACEC Vice Chair Peter Moore, P.E.
Too often, both engineering and public works are invisible. Bridges, flood control systems, bike paths, and water infrastructure work so seamlessly that people simply don’t think about them, until they don’t work. The Roadshow changes that dynamic. By bringing engineers, public works professionals, public officials, and community members together at the project site, we put a human face on infrastructure and tell the story of how the decisions made by our professions directly improve safety, quality of life, and economic opportunity.
When the public sees infrastructure investment not as an abstract technical process but as the reason their streets don’t flood, their kids can bike safely to school, and their neighborhoods feel connected, that’s when the value of engineering and public works becomes undeniable.
