ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Much of St. Johns County is currently marked by orange cones and active traffic projects, and the work is set to continue as commissioners have voted on the top road projects for the coming years.
State Road 16 stands out as the top priority on the regional list. This corridor is expected to see increased traffic as development grows along the route.
“Number one would be improvements that include both widening and intersection improvements from essentially the First Coast Expressway, where it intersects with County Road 16A all the way through beyond I-95, out to where the 312 intersection essentially would occur,” Dick D’Souza, assistant director of transportation development, said.
These projects are among the top five regional priorities that will be submitted to the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) to compete for major state and federal highway funding.
In addition to the regional projects, commissioners approved a separate list of local road projects. One notable project on this list is the extension of County Road 305. This project drew strong reactions after the South Anastasia Communities Association (SACA) requested its removal, citing concerns that it would open agricultural land to development.
“The rationale there, and what was stated by some of the public speakers, was that this would open up that area of the county to development,” D’Souza noted.
However, some residents voiced safety concerns about existing roads in the area.
Shirley Lassiter shared a personal and emotional story.
“The car ended up in the ditch. It was raining. The grass was wet on this side. My mom was on the bottom of the car in water in that ditch. Emergency response had to take her out the hatchback,” she said.
Despite the debate, commissioners voted 3–2 to approve both the regional and local project lists, keeping the County Road 305 extension on the local list. Notably, County Road 305 remains at the bottom of the local priority list, maintaining its status as a low-priority project.
The full package will now be forwarded to the North Florida TPO. However, only the top five regional projects will be in strong contention for major state and federal highway funding.
Alongside roadway projects, the commissioners also approved a comprehensive list of transportation alternatives. This includes a multi-segment network of trails and sidewalks designed to improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity throughout the county.
The trail projects are divided into manageable segments averaging about 1.5 miles each, a strategy developed in coordination with FDOT and the TPO to align with potential funding opportunities. Key trail projects include multiple sections of the Vilano Trail along State Road A1A, connectors like the Orangedale to Mickler Trail, and bike lanes along Palm Valley Road.
The sidewalk projects focus heavily on enhancing safe pedestrian access, particularly “sidewalks to schools” in various neighborhoods. These include sidewalks on roads such as Russell Sampson Road, Durbin Creek Boulevard, Palm Valley Road, and State Road 16, among others.