JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a recent video by News4JAX traffic anchor Sophia Vitello on problems along 103rd Street, Sophia heard loud and clear from viewers who said another roadway deserves the spotlight even more: Moncrief Road.
One comment—calling Moncrief “the worst road in Jacksonville”—racked up 257 likes, and she decided to see what people who live and travel the corridor think is really going on, and what is being done to make it safer.
A comment, a challenge, and a route on Google Maps
Sophia did what many viewers suggested: she plugged Moncrief Road into Google Maps and hit start.
“Worstest road in Jacksonville”
Once on Moncrief, Sophia asked residents directly: Is it really the worst road in town?
One man didn’t hesitate. “I think it’s the worstest road in Jacksonville,” he told her, adding that the danger he sees goes beyond potholes and lane markings.
When Sophia asked whether the bigger issue was crime or crashes, he said crime was the main concern—and that the community needs to feel like someone cares. He also pushed back on the area’s reputation, saying Moncrief gets “a bad rap” and that people “pre-judge” what they don’t know.
“Look around… it’s clear”
Sophia asked why some residents feel their neighborhood doesn’t get the same attention as other parts of Jacksonville.
The response was blunt: “Now look around… it’s clear.” It was a moment that underscored what she heard repeatedly—frustration that improvements seem to happen elsewhere, while Moncrief’s needs linger.
Another resident said the road itself could use upgrades, including new pavement.
What the city is doing: roundabouts first
Sophia found that the city is looking into improvements on Moncrief Road, starting with roundabouts—including one at 45th Street and another planned at New Kings Road.
But residents raised concerns that redesigns won’t matter if basic pedestrian safety isn’t addressed.
“No crosswalk there… no crosswalk there…”
At one four-way intersection, Sophia pointed out a problem that was hard to miss: no marked crosswalks.
“This is a four-way intersection,” she said, noting the absence of crosswalks in multiple directions. For people walking in the area, residents told her that can mean there’s effectively nowhere safe to cross.
A community asking to be heard
Sophia said what she found on Moncrief Road wasn’t just complaints—it was a community “crying to be heard,” watching work happen in other neighborhoods and asking why similar urgency hasn’t shown up here.
One resident summed it up with a call to action: the neighborhood needs to come together to “clean it up” and “build it up.”
Study on Moncrief Road
The North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) recently completed a study on the Moncrief Road corridor.
You can get a full look at the study by clicking here.