First Coast Outer Beltway - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The First Coast Outer Beltway is a planned $1.8 billion, 46.6 miles (75 km), 4-lane limited access toll road in Duval

Duval County, Florida

Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...

, Clay

Clay County, Florida

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 190,895. Its county seat is Green Cove Springs, Florida. Clay County is part of the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan area.- History :...

and St. Johns

St. Johns County, Florida

St. Johns County is a county located in northeastern Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 190,039. The county seat is St. Augustine. Due to the inclusion of Ponte Vedra Beach, it is one of the highest-income counties in the United States....

counties in North East Florida. It comprises the Branan Field-Chaffee Expressway (SR 23), the proposed St Johns River Corridor, and the SR 9B/I-795 Projects. The First Coast Outer Beltway will provide a connecting roadway, outside of the existing I-295

Interstate 295 (Florida)

Interstate 295 , an auxiliary route of Interstate 95, is a bypass route around central Jacksonville, Florida, which is currently signed on the western half for...

loop, between I-95 in St Johns County and I-10 in Duval County.

Proposed route

The beltway when finished will contain 13 interchanges and a new bridge across the St. Johns River

St. Johns River

The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...

near Green Cove Springs, Florida (currently known as the Shands Bridge

Shands Bridge

The Shands Bridge is a highway bridge over the St. Johns River near Jacksonville, Florida. The span was first opened in 1929. It was located just north of the current span, crossing from Orangedale to the present Shands pier on the west side of the river....

). It will service cities such as Middleburg, Green Cove Springs and Jacksonville. It currently has no name or signage except First Coast Outer Beltway. The route contains the partly built Branan Field-Chaffee Expressway which currently extends from Argyle Forest Blvd to I-10 west of Jacksonville. The section south of Argyle Forest Blvd is still under development.

Funding

Funding for the $1.8 billion project will be competitively bid as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) opportunity for private sector businesses. By using a PPP and innovative contracting solutions, the project will be built years earlier than with traditional contracting methods. The awarded contractor(s) will serve as the concessionaire to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the beltway. The Florida Department of Transportation is currently engaging private contractors in a competitive bidding process. The I-595

Interstate 595 (Florida)

Interstate 595 , also known as the Port Everglades Expressway and as the unsigned State Road 862, is a Interstate highway that connects Interstate 75 and Alligator Alley in the west with Florida's Turnpike, Interstate 95, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, US 1, and SR A1A before...

Corridor Express PPP with I-595 Express LLC was the first of its kind in Florida, opening years ahead of schedule. The beltway is the largest infrastructure project in Florida History.

In early 2011 the Florida Department of Transportation

Florida Department of Transportation

The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...

(FDOT) abandoned the plan to find a private company to build the entire 46.6 mile beltway and just focus on building the 15 mile section between I-10 and SR-21 (Blanding Blvd). This section is partly built and would need flyovers built and widening done for the expressway to be complete. It is expected to cost around $291 million and would be a tollway.

In August of 2011, the FDOT announced that the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise

Florida's Turnpike Enterprise

Florida's Turnpike Enterprise is a business unit of the Florida Department of Transportation , employing private sector business practices to operate its 460-mile system of limited-access toll highways for the benefit of Florida's traveling public...

will be taking on the $291 million project of turning the 15-mile stretch into a tollway. Construction on the road is expected to begin in 2012 and be open by 2016. As for the remaining 30+ miles of the beltway, the FDOT is still trying to find a private partnership to build that section of the road, but currently none has been found.

Tolling

According to the Florida Department of Transportation

Florida Department of Transportation

(FDOT), all tolls will be done electronically and compatible with SunPass

SunPass

SunPass is an electronic toll collection system in use by the State of Florida and was originally created by the Florida Department of Transportation's Florida's Turnpike...

used in other parts of the state with no toll booths. There will be two exceptions to the tollroad. The 3-mile section between I-10 and SR 134 (103rd Street) will not be tolled to help promote growth in the Cecil Commerce Center

Cecil Commerce Center

Cecil Commerce Center is a significant, long-term economic development asset to the City of Jacksonville, representing more than 3 percent of the land area in Duval County . It is promoted as one of the most sought after locations in the Southeastern United States for manufacturing, supply chain...

. Also people living around the Shands Bridge area will be exempt from tolls on the Shands Bridge crossing the St. Johns River

St. Johns River

Proposed junctions

County	Location	Mile	Destinations	Notes
St. Johns St. Johns County, Florida St. Johns County is a county located in northeastern Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 190,039. The county seat is St. Augustine. Due to the inclusion of Ponte Vedra Beach, it is one of the highest-income counties in the United States....	Fruit Cove

} (Proposed Corridor)
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!colspan=5|St. Johns River

St. Johns River

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|rowspan=5|Clay

Clay County, Florida

|rowspan=2|Green Cove Springs

Green Cove Springs, Florida

Green Cove Springs is a city in Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,908. It is the county seat of Clay County....

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|rowspan=3|Middleburg

Middleburg, Florida

Middleburg is a census-designated place in Clay County, Florida, United States, located 29 miles southwest of downtown Jacksonville, Florida, 16 miles northwest of Green Cove Springs, Florida, and home to Middleburg High School...

Duval County, Florida

|rowspan=7|Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

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External links

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