ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Drivers in St. Johns County could get some congestion relief once a $20 million upgrade is complete on the intersection of State Road 16 (SR 16) and International Golf Parkway (IGP).
County leaders broke ground on the project on Monday.
Once the upgrades are in place, drivers should see less stop-and-go and a more efficient flow through the intersection.
The project includes designing and constructing intersection upgrades, including installing a smart traffic light that uses sensors to adjust based on traffic volume to help keep cars moving.
St. Johns County Commissioner Sarah Arnold said the changes are a long-time coming.
“This is one of the biggest tangled messes we have in the county, traffic-wise,” Arnold said. “We’ve got four different schools on the same road. Getting in and out, as you can see during rush hour, it takes several traffic cycles, and this is going to improve that.”
The $24.7 million project also includes expanding State Road 16 to a four-lane road from Mill Creek Park to IGP.
St. Johns County School District Superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen said the upgrades should make the route to school safer and smoother for students, parents and staff.
“We have Tocoi Creek High School down the road, Mill Creek Academy, Pacetti Bay Middle School, Picolata Crossing Elementary, Wards Creek Elementary, all within maybe a 2- or 3-mile radius,” Asplen said. “It’s going to be a tremendous asset to us and our community when this intersection is complete.”
County leaders don’t expect the project to be completed until spring 2026. In the meantime, they’re asking everyone to stay patient, plan ahead, and give themselves extra time on the road as crews get to work.
St. Johns Parkway extension
A separate project—the St. Johns Parkway extension from IGP to Silverleaf—is nearly complete.
The new highway is designed to take pressure off local roads and I-95. It’s ahead of schedule and expected to wrap up by the end of October.
“Once that is completed, we just have to do a finished course of asphalt on top of this roadway and we are done,” said Greg Caldwell, Director of Public Works for St. Johns County. “It is a four-lane section, it has a multipurpose path on the west side and will be a whole new north and south corridor when complete.”
That extension will eventually cross over IGP and connect to State Road 16, but the county said that part of the project is still another 6-7 months from completion.
The cost of the two separate extensions of the St. Johns Parkway/CR 2209 is about $55 million.
“Once we open up County Road 2209 down the International Golf Parkway, we feel it is going to be a big relief for this intersection, State Road 16 and IGP. Just because we’ll have another access point to (Tocoi Creek) High School,” Caldwell said.
These projects are part of broader efforts to enhance traffic safety, reduce delays, and improve connectivity along key corridors in St. Johns County.