CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Clay County drivers are counting down the days until relief comes to the area’s traffic-clogged roads.
Construction on the First Coast Expressway has stretched for years, turning daily commutes into prolonged ordeals.
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Residents of Lake Asbury, like Whitney Rice, know the struggle all too well.
“We live in Lake Asbury, so the traffic in every direction is pretty much blocked right now,” Rice said.
For many, simple tasks like grocery shopping or getting to work have become burdensome.
“All of our commutes for work or home are adding an hour or an hour and a half to our day,” Rice shared. “Can’t get out of Lake Asbury or Green Cove right now in any direction.”
Rice even said the traffic has made it challenging to get her children to school and run basic errands.
While the project has created years of inconvenience, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. According to Sara Pleasants with the Florida Department of Transportation, two portions of the expressway in Clay County are nearing completion and are expected to open next summer or fall.
“You’ll see the two Clay County projects open—from Blanding Boulevard south, to north of State Road 21, and the south project north of SR 21, to the existing Shands Bridge,” Pleasants said. “I don’t know if they’ll open separately or together.”
When these sections are complete, the expressway will connect to the Shands Bridge. However, the replacement for the existing bridge isn’t expected to open until 2030.
Until then, residents can expect to see some stretches of road that appear complete but remain closed. The DOT emphasized to News4JAX that all sections must open together for the expressway to function as designed, adding that just because a small stretch might look complete, it could still be in the construction phase a few miles down the road.
For now, Clay County drivers must continue to navigate some construction detours and delays, but they can take refuge in the fact it is coming to an end soon.