CLAY COUNTY, Fla – The final two ramps at the interchange of the First Coast Expressway (State Road 23) and State Road 16 officially opened on Wednesday ahead of the Clay County Fair.
The fair, which is always incredibly popular, has become notorious over the years for traffic backups.
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But the Florida Department of Transportation said opening the ramps at the SR 16 interchange is expected to help ease traffic congestion related to the Fair, which runs from April 2 through April 12.
FDOT said that with the ramps open, drivers will be able to enter the First Coast Expressway southbound from State Road 16 and exit from the First Coast Expressway northbound onto State Road 16.
This will drastically cut down on traffic time to get to the fair. Historically, the vast majority of traffic came from US-17 in Green Cove to the east, but now this new road means drivers from Jacksonville’s Westside, Oakleaf and beyond have a much easier path.
Before this, to get to the fairgrounds from the west, you had to start either in Penney Farms or back by Camp Blanding.
Sheriff Michelle Cook said not to take it for granted.
“It’s gonna be interesting to see how that plays into the overall traffic fair,” Cook said. “At the end of the day, we have a two-lane road leading in and out of this property. But our team is ready, we’ve been evaluated for months. We are excited. Be prepared...leave early if you have a concert or event you want to get to.”
The new overpass is close to the fair, but not right at it, so there will likely still be a slowdown once you pull onto 16 but locals like Peggy Suddeth are hopeful.
“People get nasty and they don’t let you out. People wait and wait and people get aggravated so hopefully with the expressway and loop coming around, it’ll help it out some
The ongoing First Coast Expressway construction project, running from north of State Road 16 to east of County Road 209, is estimated to be completed sometime this summer.