Tolls getting closer to returning to Duval County

Tolls haven’t been collected on a Duval County road since 1988, but soon that will change. The Florida Department of Transportation says they will begin collecting tolls on the first phase of the First Coast Expressway in the early part of 2019. The first segment of the expressway is from I-10 towards Blanding Boulevard in Clay County. At this time, an exact date for when tolls will be collected along the road hasn’t been announced. Ultimately, the project will connect I-10 in western Duval County to I-95 in St. Johns County.

As the first phase is wrapping up, the next one is set to start soon. FDOT says the second phase of the expressway will be divided into two sections. FDOT says the northern portion will go from Blanding Boulevard in Middleburg south to State Road 16, while the southern portion will pick up from where the northern portion ended then towards the Shands Bridge in Green Cove Springs. FDOT says this new phase will include a new bridge over the Black Creek near the Lake Asbury community.

FDOT says construction on the northern portion is expected to begin next month and is expected to be done by 2025, while the southern portion is expected to begin in March and is expected to be completed by 2026. FDOT says if you have any question on the second phase they are holding an open house Thursday night from 4:30 to 6:30PM at 91 Branscomb Road Suit 14 in Green Cove Springs.

Back in April last year, WOKV told you when funding for the final phase of the First Coast Expressway was secured. FDOT says construction on that project is expected to begin in 2023 and will run from the Shands bridge in western St. Johns County to I-95 south of Country Road 210.