$763 million in funding secured for final phase of the First Coast Expressway, replacement of Shands Bridge

Jacksonville, FL — Hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for the third and final phase of the First Coast Expressway project has been secured.

On Thursday, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced $763 million in funding for the third phase of the project through the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) Work Program.

The money includes funding to replace the Shands Bridge and for the extension of the First Coast Expressway to I-95 in St. Johns County. As part of the Shands Bridge replacement, lanes would double from the current two up to four.

The first phase of the expressway from I-10 to Blanding Boulevard is already under construction. Construction on the second phase, which will span from Blanding Boulevard to the St. Johns River in Clay County, is scheduled to kick off in early 2019.

The entire First Coast Expressway project, once complete, will cover 46 miles of limited-access roadway, with a price tag of $1.9 billion.

"It's a direct connection between I-10 and I-95. It's going to, for all of our families, for all our tourists for all of our visitors, be a quicker more efficient path. Also, hopefully, knock on wood, we'll never have a hurricane again... but it will give us a better evacuation route," says Scott.

Scott's office says the state budget signed by the governor last month invests a record $10.1 billion in transportation infrastructure.