JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Drivers in Nassau County will be using temporary ramps along State Road 200 and I-95 for about a year as crews construct new diverging diamond interchange ramps.
The Florida Department of Transportation shifted traffic to newly constructed temporary pavement at the I-95 northbound ramp to State Road 200 at exit 373 and State Road 200 ramp to I-95 southbound at exit 373. The shift occurred on Dec. 2. These traffic shifts will remain in place for approximately one year, weather permitting, to allow the contractor to construct new diverging diamond interchange ramps.
The project in Yulee will widen 2.2 miles of State Road 200 from west of I-95 to west of Still Quarters Road, widening of ramps at I-95 and State Road 200, and the reconfiguration of the interchange under Interstate 95 into the region’s first Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI).
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A DDI is a type of interchange where the two directions of traffic below I-95 briefly drive on the opposite side of the road. This will improve driver safety, eliminating long left turns crossing traffic to enter or exit the interstate, according to FDOT. The DDI will promote added efficiency with only two clearance intervals (the time for traffic signals to change from green to yellow to red) instead of the six or more found in other interchange designs.
The widening project increases the roadway from four lanes to six lanes and includes raised medians, bicycle lanes, curbs and gutters, sidewalks and high mast lighting.
The project costs approximately $40 million and is expected to be completed by summer 2020 depending on weather and unforeseen delays.
J.B. Coxwell Contracting, Inc. is the contractor for the project.