FDOT public hearing on I-95/JTB interchange this week
An estimated $78 million improvement project at the Interstate 95 and Butler Boulevard (State Road 202) interchange will be discussed at a public hearing tonight.
The meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m. with an informal open house until 6:30 p.m. when a formal public comment period begins. It will be held at the Best Western located at 4660 Salisbury Road in Jacksonville.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Governor Rick Scott announced the accelerated project at a press conference in February. The interchange will be reconstructed to provide a flyover ramp for southbound I-95 traffic exiting onto eastbound Butler Boulevard. Other improvements proposed are a new free-flow ramp from westbound Butler Boulevard to I-95 northbound; widen Butler Boulevard to six lanes from Philips Highway to Belfort Road; add a new signal at Butler Boulevard and the I-95 northbound ramp to provide westbound left turns; convert Salisbury Road to a two-way roadway; close the right turn lane from Butler Boulevard westbound to Salisbury Road North; close the median opening between Philips Highway and Bonneval Road and construct a noise wall adjacent to Windsor Falls, Coventry Park and Midtowne Townhouses.
Currently, the work is proposed to begin in the Summer of 2014 and take several years to complete.
The project will relieve congestion along the Butler Boulevard corridor, improve safety and improve access to I-95. Butler Boulevard is a critical link between the Jacksonville beaches, northern St. Johns County and the I-95 corridor. Significant growth has occurred over the last 20 years along the Butler Boulevard corridor and is projected to continue growing in the communities that it serves. These communities rely on Butler Boulevard as the only freeway providing access between these areas and Interstate 95.
For additional information on this project, contact Eric Shimer, FDOT project manager, at 904-360-5661 or by e-mail at eric.shimer@dot.state.fl.us
Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability or family status.
Latest plans indicate several parcels that will become retention ponds and locations for noise walls.
Source: FDOT Press Release