Traffic relief on the way: See the progress on the First Coast Expressway

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — What once was swampland – will soon be Northeast Florida’s newest 46-mile expressway, also known as the First Coast Expressway.

It connects Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties.

For a time saving-perspective, drivers who will use it are likely those who currently use Blanding, Roosevelt, I-295, etc.

If drivers were to take the full 46-mile route from Duval to St. Johns – they will save on average 15-20 minutes each way, 30-40 minutes round-trip. That’s up to 200 minutes saved or over three hours per week that can be used elsewhere.

There are three main sections of the project:

• Duval/Northern portion which was completed in 2019
• Clay/middle portion which is currently under construction
• East/St. Johns portion where construction will begin in 2023

“The project has been planning stages since the 1970s and 80s. They were looking ahead at the need for additional infrastructure to support the growth of the Jacksonville region,” Sara Pleasants with the Florida Department of Transportation, said.

A lot of this project involved buying land and starting from scratch – which is a huge undertaking – knocking down woods, etc.

The speed limit will be 70 and it is considered a north/south expressway.

The Shands Bridge will be a major part of this project – expanding from the current two lanes to four lanes with emergency shoulders.

Action News Jax traffic anchor Elizabeth Campbell says this will really improve the flow of traffic, as well as make people feel safer when crossing the bridge, which now can feel very narrow. This won’t be completed until 2029.

“There are some days when maybe we would be willing to pay a couple of bucks to get where we’re going quicker, to not sit in traffic and get home to our families or our hobbies,” Pleasants said.

If you don’t want to pay to travel, you’ll still benefit. Eventually, there will be less traffic on the alternate toll-free roads, like Blanding and US-17, from people starting to use the First Coast Expressway.

For more information on the project, which includes toll information and answers to frequently asked questions, visit firstcoastexpressway.com.

For details on the Sunpass, click here.

Cox Media Group