MIDDLEBURG – The Clay County Bonded Transportation Program Administrator has scheduled a construction kick-off community meeting on Aug. 18, 2022, at 6 p.m. at the Middleburg-Clay Hill Library, located at 2245 Aster Ave.

The public is invited to attend and learn more about the seven road projects selected for the Bonded Transportation Program that will be underway soon in Lake Asbury, Middleburg and Green Cove Springs. All road projects are scheduled for completion by the end of 2024, before the opening of the First Coast Expressway in 2025.

County Commissioner Betsy Condon, County Manager Howard Wanamaker, Bonded Transportation Program Overview Director Ed Dendor and County Road 218 Project Review Manager Carlos Campos will be on hand to answer questions.

The projects are designed to increase public safety, improve traffic flow, and reduce congestion throughout the county. Roadway designs will also incorporate drainage features and safety features including sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

At the meeting, the Bonded Transportation Program Administrator and Owner’s Representative WGI Inc. will provide an overview of the seven bonded transportation road projects with a focus on the County Road 218 improvements that will be starting very soon in Middleburg. The public will be able to view construction plans and renderings illustrating the three and four-lane roadway designs, and safety and drainage features. A question-and-answer session with engineers and county officials will conclude the meeting.

The meeting will be streamed live on the Clay County Florida Government Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/ClayCtyBCC.

What is the Bonded Transportation Program?

Growth and development are happening all over northeast Florida and it has been amplified by the future First Coast Expressway. Clay County aims to stay ahead of the growth by redesigning the infrastructure now to handle both current and future traffic volumes by increasing capacity on the main east/west roadway arteries and connecting to the First Coast Expressway.

County engineers analyzed the current roadway capacity in areas of predicted growth and selected six existing road improvement projects based on roads that were already at capacity or were deficient to handle traffic flow. The cost estimated to increase roadway capacity and build a new connection to First Coast Expressway was $129 million. Commissioners determined the fastest way to complete and fully fund the work, with the best values for taxpayers, would be through an infrastructure sales tax revenue bond. The tax-exempt bond was issued in March of 2020 and will be repaid at a fixed rate through the county’s infrastructure sales surtax (1 cent sales tax) over a period of 20 years.

What seven road projects are included in the Bonded Transportation Program?

Project No. 1 – County Road 218 from Cosmos Avenue to Pine Tree Lane in Middleburg - widen to 4 lanes with curb and gutter, medians and turn lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes.

Project No. 2 – County Road 209 (Russell Road) from Peters Creek to US 17 in Lake Asbury - widen to 4 lanes with curb and gutter, medians and turn lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes.

Project No. 3 – County Road 209 (Russell Road) from Sandridge Road to Peters Creek Bridge in Lake Asbury- widen to 3 lanes with turn lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes.

Project No. 4 – County Road 739B (Sandridge Road) from Henley Road to County Road 209 in Lake Asbury - widen to 3 lanes with turn lanes, curb and gutter, sidewalks and bike lanes.

Project No. 5 – County Road 220 from Baxley Road to the west of Henley Road in Middleburg - widen to 4 lanes with curb and gutter, medians and turn lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes.

Project No. 6A – First Coast Connector from Maryland Avenue to US 17 in Green Cove Springs/ Lake Asbury - widen to 4 lanes with curb and gutter, medians and turn lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes.

Project 6B – First Coast Connector from State Road 23 to the intersection of County Road 315 and Maryland Avenue in Green Cove Springs - construct 3.3 miles of new two-lane roadway with grass medians, bike lanes and sidewalks. Learn more about the seven Bonded Transportation Program road projects here: https://www.claycountygov.com/government/bonded-transportation-program.

Sign up for updates on the Clay County Bonded Transportation Program road projects here: public.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLCLAYCO/subscriber/new.

Track construction progress and upcoming lane closures with the Bonded Transportation Program Dashboard.