Construction Begins on Final Phase of SR 9B

[copperfiend]

I will be interested in seeing how the extra traffic on 9B is handled by the 4 lane to 2 lane mess on 9A. Can only get worse.

Insane there.

I have been to plenty of other cities and do not recall a 4 lane major highway, where the far left and far right lane end essentially at the same time.

[spuwho]

^Where can I find a map of that connection spuwho?

http://www.sjcfl.us/GIS/TransportationMaps.aspx

[Charles Hunter]

Construction of the new toll lanes should begin next year. Don't know how long it will take to build them.

[Ocklawaha]

This road would make more sense if it tied to the outer beltway southeast of Rivertown, St. Johns Parkway follows a high power line RofW  and interestingly, the Nocatee Parkway (expressway) could tie in south of Bass Pro and Bartram Park. A east-west high power line RofW intersects the north-south RofW about 2,500' south of Russell Sampson and runs behind Creekside High School offering a chance for shifting the roads into a more southwestern direction. Just Sayin'

[Know Growth]

Why did they name it "Peyton Parkway???" What did he do that was so great to deserve that honor?

In fact,Peyton family acreage holdings in the area have played a central "Growth Management" role.

Even the creation of the Twelve Mile Swamp Conservation Area involved Peyton lands consideration,transfer of development credits,and some well known local attorneys,land use specialists,planners & consultants. Pappas et al.

And Delaney had a strong hand in the Beltway. St Johns and Clay owe a debt of gratitude to Duval!

Obviously,northern Clay and St Johns never really liked itself in the past,considering the zeal,effort put forth towards Transformation.
What we see in fresh concrete today was put in place piece by piece over many years, so predictable,.....while some here imagined "sprawl' controls would somehow direct an emphasis on Duval.

[brainstormer]

There is something they call "the purple alternative" that seems to kind of match what Ock is suggesting. It connects the outer beltway with 9B/I795. I'm not sure which one I prefer. Having the outer beltway intersect at 95 between 210 and International Golf Parkway or go up to meet 9B. Either way it is going to open up that section of St. Johns County to a lot more traffic and congestion. Makes me take a second look about where exactly I want to buy a house. I'd hate to buy a house that eventually has an interstate built right behind it.

http://firstcoastexpressway.com/SJRBridge/images/alternatives/Purple%20Alternative.pdf

[thelakelander]

They'll connect via a future extension of CR 2209. It just won't be an expressway.

[copperfiend]

The southbound lanes connecting to 95 are opening this weekend

http://www.news4jax.com/traffic/new-state-road-9b-to-open

The new State Road 9B, connecting U.S. 1/Philips Highway to Interstate 95, is scheduled to open to traffic in stages starting this weekend, the Florida Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.

Southbound lanes and ramps of the new roadway will open Sunday morning and northbound lanes and ramps are scheduled to open the following week, FDOT said.

[copperfiend]

I work in the area and we got this memo about some new traffic changes in the area.

1.   Beginning Monday morning - Vehicles traveling south on SR 9B will need to stay on the new southbound SR 9B, cross over US1 via the new bridge overpass and then exit off SR 9B at the new exit ramp. (The current signage for the new ramp lists Durbin Blvd but will soon be changed to Flagler Center Drive). Please make note – vehicles which mistakenly get off southbound SR 9B at the existing US1 off ramp will not be able to go straight across the intersection and continue on Gran Bay Parkway.

2.   Also, beginning Monday morning – Vehicles leaving that usually leave via Gran Bay Parkway to US1 and turn north on US1 will no longer be able to do so. The Gran Bay approach to US1 is being converted to a dual right turn only this weekend.

[Kerry]

So Item #2: Cars on Gran Bay wanting to make a left turn to US1 North won't be able to do that anymore?  That doesn't even make sense.  And they won't be able to go straight and get on 9B?  That makes even less sense.  Of course, this is FDOT that just gave us the new left exit on the overland bridge to Atlantic Ave which has already caused so many near crashes I don't go that way any more.

[copperfiend]

So Item #2: Cars on Gran Bay wanting to make a left turn to US1 North won't be able to do that anymore?  That doesn't even make sense.  And they won't be able to go straight and get on 9B?  That makes even less sense.  Of course, this is FDOT that just gave us the new left exit on the overland bridge to Atlantic Ave which has already caused so many near crashes I don't go that way any more.

It sounds like they will have to go to St Augustine Rd in order to turn left on US1

[Steve]

So Item #2: Cars on Gran Bay wanting to make a left turn to US1 North won't be able to do that anymore?  That doesn't even make sense.  And they won't be able to go straight and get on 9B?  That makes even less sense.  Of course, this is FDOT that just gave us the new left exit on the overland bridge to Atlantic Ave which has already caused so many near crashes I don't go that way any more.

It sounds like they will have to go to St Augustine Rd in order to turn left on US1

I guess that's the idea. Here's the rendering (Page 2):

http://www.sr9b.com/Phase2/SiteCollectionDocuments/SR_9B_Phase_2_April_2013_REV_2a.pdf

It seems like they overthought this, but I guess every reasonable traffic movement is possible, just in a rather bizarre way, EXCEPT cars that want to go from Gran Bay Parkway and get on 9B; I'm not sure how the are supposed to? I guess they just have to get on 95 from Old St Augustine (which backs up bad at rush hour).

[lastdaysoffla]

Call me anti-development or against progress or whatever but it's sad see the rural character of Northern St. Johns county disappearing so fast. Once you develop these lands they're gone forever. Although I see the need for 9B, it's like mainlining potent develpoment serum into that area. Shoot, I can remember when Russel Sampson (now CR 222902929, or whatever) was a dirt road. This new "bigger than Town Center" development is a real shame IMO.

When you look at the aerial of Palm Coast for example you can see the effects of over development. Here's hoping the County Comission in St. Johns can approach development with an even handedness.

[Tacachale]

When you look at the aerial of Palm Coast for example you can see the effects of over development. Here's hoping the County Comission in St. Johns can approach development with an even handedness.

Don't count on that. They've given no signals that that's the way they're going.

[spuwho]

Call me anti-development or against progress or whatever but it's sad see the rural character of Northern St. Johns county disappearing so fast. Once you develop these lands they're gone forever. Although I see the need for 9B, it's like mainlining potent develpoment serum into that area. Shoot, I can remember when Russel Sampson (now CR 222902929, or whatever) was a dirt road. This new "bigger than Town Center" development is a real shame IMO.

When you look at the aerial of Palm Coast for example you can see the effects of over development. Here's hoping the County Comission in St. Johns can approach development with an even handedness.

While I wouldn't call Palm Coast an urban development, they do have good integration of the developments and they come together. For a suburban town layout, they probably have a better density rating than Duval.

Northern St Johns has large greenspace boundaries between the developments which forces lower densities and makes the sprawl farther relative to the number of people they support.

Which raises a good question, raise densities and force everyone into more common greenspaces, or keep densities lower and distribute the greenspace proportionally?