GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Community and county officials gathered at the corner of Feed Mill Road and County Road 215 last week for the historic groundbreaking ceremony for Cathedral Oak Parkway.

The roadway, which will be two lanes and 3.3 miles long, will connect the First Coast Expressway and County Road 315.

The timeline for the connector is 19-to-20 months, and it will address the evolving needs of the growing county. Commissioner Betsy Condon led the festivities and opened with: “It’s such an exciting time in Clay County. We are growing and trying to keep up with that by strengthening our infrastructure and easing congestion on the local roadways. The First Coast Expressway is a game-changer for the county. It will bring new jobs and residents to the county. Just talk to anyone that lives in the area, and their smile is very wide,” she said.

Condon said the parkway is the first east-west roadway in the county in a long time.

Kristen Burke, who represents the district for the project, said the roadway is part of a series of several infrastructure projects in the area to improve driver safety and traffic flow.

The roadway will also interconnect with another ongoing project, linking the First Coast Expressway to Shadowlawn Elementary on County Road 218.

“This is a very exciting time for our county, and we really appreciate you for coming out,” she said. 

U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) also spoke at the ceremony, commending the work of commissioners and County Manager Howard Wannamaker in their unrelenting efforts to secure the funding and approval. He compared the teamwork and dedicated mindset of officials to the military.

Ed Dendor, Project Administrator for the Bonded Transportation Program, put the scale of the massive project into perspective.“(Workers) will be moving enough steel, concrete and asphalt to weigh well over 14,000 pickup trucks. They’re going to move enough earth and martial to fill up 59,000 dump trucks placed bumper to bumper. That’s enough to stretch 200 miles,” he said. 

During his speech, Dendor reminded residents why it’s important to push it forward.

“It’s all in an effort to create a safer, interconnected route for our community, as well as the traveling public,” Dendor said. 

“Aaron Bean said it best with his (military) analogy. It takes a team, and we couldn’t have done it without working with the congressman and Brian Campbell to navigate the permitting. Thank you to all of our partners and all of you that have made today a reality that continues to bless Clay County and the United States,” he said.