Look-ahead: New stretch of expressway, interstate widening expected in 2025 (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — Major upgrades to Jacksonville’s freeway arteries and a new segment of the First Coast Expressway are in store for 2025.
The construction of the First Coast Expressway sticks out as its an entirely new road, said Hampton Ray, a spokesperson with the Florida Department of Transportation.
Clay County will see a fresh new artery for its traffic late next year, Ray said. By the end of 2025, the new portions of the First Coast Expressway will extend from State Road 21 to Green Cove Springs.
“It’s significant for Clay County because … when we began construction on the First Coast expressway. There was actually no major interstate or limited access facility through Clay County,” Ray said. “And then obviously St Johns County. It’s no secret that that county’s absolutely booming, so it’s really a critical element.”
The expressway is set to be a toll road, and commuters can use a SunPass or toll by plate to drive through.
In Jacksonville, stretches of Interstates 10 and 95 are expected to get a major makeover.
I95 is being widened in both directions between Atlantic Boulevard and Emerson Street, and that project is expected to finish by 2028.
Maintaining I95 in Jacksonville is not only significant for the city, but for the entire state.
“So we do understand, as people live and work around the area, it can be frustrating to congestion and traffic, but we are working to improve our roadways,” Ray said. “I95 is obviously a pivotal path, because … we’re the welcoming committee for the entire state of Florida. So we are your welcome committee for visiting Mickey (Mouse), going down to Miami, also the other major hubs around the entire state of Florida, folks are driving through Jacksonville, and if we don’t have our roadways in tip top shape, then … that’s going to be an impact around the state.”
Another major project expected to be complete in late 2025, is the widening of Interstate 10 in-between Interstate 95 and Interstate 295, which is a passageway for commuters and freight carriers alike.
The stretch of road is a major artery for Jacksonville commuters and leads to many logistics hubs on the Westside.
Outside of Jacksonville’s freeways, smaller, but critical side roads are undergoing major upgrades.
A resurfacing project for U.S. 17 in Jacksonville’s Northside is expected to begin in Summer of 2025, from Broward River to the Nassau County line.
“Obviously U.S. 17 is important because it’s another hurricane evacuation route. So we always have to look at these things when we talk about our interstates, our primary roadways evacuation routes are always something that we look at,” Ray said. “… that particular region, that entire corridor has seen a tremendous amount of growth. Nassau County has seen incredible growth and Jacksonville’s Northside has really seen some growth. So we’re looking forward to that resurfacing project, maybe not as flashy as some of the other projects that we’ve talked about, but definitely important, especially (for) the people that live and work in that area.”
Photo courtesy of the Florida Department of Transportation