Interstate 295 (Florida)
Encyclopedia
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 35.33 miles (56.9 km). The entire beltway is designated as State Road 9A by the Florida Department of Transportation
; however, only the eastern half is signed, as it has not yet been approved as an Interstate Highway. The entire highway is signed as I-295 according to the Florida Official Transportation Map.
immediately south of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and serves as a major connection in the southern part of Jacksonville. At the western end of the river, I-295 continues west, serving as the border between Clay County
and Duval County
running just north of the town of Orange Park
with interchanges at US 17/SR 15 (Roosevelt Boulevard)
and SR 21 (Blanding Boulevard) serving NAS Jacksonville. The freeway then turns north with full interchanges at SR 134 (103rd Street)
, SR 208 (Wilson Boulevard)
, and SR 228 (Normandy Boulevard) before reaching the interchange at Interstate 10.
North of the I-10 interchange, the western beltway loops around the northwest side of Jacksonville with full interchanges located at both Commonwealth Avenue and Pritchard Road, before curving northwest to an interchange at US 1
/US 23. The road then crosses the Trout River
before crossing SR 104 (Dunn Avenue)
, where the freeway then turns east, with interchanges at SR 115, International Airport Boulevard/Duval Road, and I-95 just south of the Jacksonville International Airport
.
East of the I-95 interchange near the airport, I-295 continues east, currently signed as SR 9A, with the next interchange being US 17
. SR 9A starts to curve to the southeast, with interchanges at Pulaski Road, Alta Drive/Yellowbluff Road, before orienting itself southward at the SR 105 (Zoo Parkway/Heckscher Drive) in the Fort Caroline area. The freeway then crosses the Dames Point Bridge
over the St. Johns River, before continuing south towards more remote areas of the highway. Just south of the bridge, it has a partial interchange with SR 113 (Southside Connector)
, followed by full interchanges with Merrill Road and Monument Road, providing access to NS Mayport. Continuing south, it has full interchanges with SR 10 (Atlantic Boulevard), St. Johns Bluff Road, US 90/SR 212 (Beach Boulevard) and Town Center Parkway/University of North Florida Drive. The next interchange, J. Turner Butler Boulevard is a freeway to freeway interchange and the last completed interchange on SR 9A, finished in 2008. After interchanges with Gate Parkway and SR 152 (Baymeadows Road)
and a planned interchange with the future SR 9B, SR 9A curves to the west, it crosses US 1 before completing the loop at I-95 in south Jacksonville.
The SR 9A section was designated the Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway in a Florida Department of Transportation ceremony on August 27, 2009. After the Federal Highway Administration accepted the road as the eastern loop of Interstate 295 in 2010, the state would no longer be able to name the highway.
The eastern section, signed as SR 9A, had its first section open from I-95 in north Jacksonville to US 17 (exit 36) in 1983. The eastern half of the loop was constructed initially as a Super 2 highway with traffic lights in the late 1980s, and was not up to interstate standards. The Dames Point Bridge
was signed as I-295 in 1990, but this designation was removed in 1993 and replaced by SR 9A. The final sections of SR 9A were completed in 2006, creating a complete loop around central Jacksonville. Several sections not under interstate compliance were upgraded, and the route was considered interstate ready in 2009.
to dispatch the Florida National Guard
to patrol the roadway and the American Automobile Association
(AAA) to issue a rare travel warning for the interstate and direct its customers to avoid its use. A task force was set up by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) to investigate the incidents and, though charges were filed, they were eventually dropped. The task force was disbanded at the end of 1992 and the incidents remained unsolved to this day.
. The project was reinstated in 2009, and construction of phase one began in June 2010. Construction of phase two, which will extend SR 9B to I-95, is set to start in July 2014. After phase two is completed, SR 9B will be renamed Interstate 795.
Improvements to the I-95 interchange north close by the airport were under construction, new lanes and a flyover ramp were constructed to help improve the interchange. This was completed in late September 2010
.
In February 2011, construction began for a new interchange at Collins Road, just west of the congested Blanding Boulevard exit. The $63.4 million project is expected to be complete in 2014.
, Duval County
.
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Interstate 95 in Florida
Interstate 95 is the main Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States; it serves the Atlantic coast of Florida. It begins at a partial interchange with U.S. Highway 1 just south of downtown Miami, and heads north past Daytona Beach and Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the St...
, is a bypass route
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
around central 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...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, which is currently signed on the western half for 35.33 miles (56.9 km). The entire beltway is designated as State Road 9A by 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...
; however, only the eastern half is signed, as it has not yet been approved as an Interstate Highway. The entire highway is signed as I-295 according to the Florida Official Transportation Map.
Route description
Interstate 295 is a 60.86 miles (97.9 km)-long full beltway Interstate Highway entirely in Jacksonville, encircling the urban core and neighborhoods of the city. Beginning at the I-95 interchange in southeastern Duval, the beltway travels west, passes through the Mandarin area with interchanges at Old St. Augustine Road, and SR 13 (San Jose Boulevard). It then travels along the three mile Buckman Bridge crossing the St. Johns RiverSt. 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 ;...
immediately south of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and serves as a major connection in the southern part of Jacksonville. At the western end of the river, I-295 continues west, serving as the border between Clay County
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 Duval County
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...
running just north of the town of Orange Park
Orange Park, Florida
Orange Park is a town in Clay County, Florida, USA, and a suburb of Jacksonville. The population was 8,412 at the 2010 census. The name "Orange Park" is additionally applied to a wider area of northern Clay County outside the town limits, covering such communities as Fleming Island, Lakeside, and...
with interchanges at US 17/SR 15 (Roosevelt Boulevard)
Roosevelt Boulevard (Jacksonville)
Roosevelt Boulevard is a six lane highway on the west side of Jacksonville, Florida. It takes US 17 and SR 15, from the Duval county line just south Interstate 295, until its northern end at Willow Branch Avenue, with the road itself becoming one of the incarnations of College Street in the...
and SR 21 (Blanding Boulevard) serving NAS Jacksonville. The freeway then turns north with full interchanges at SR 134 (103rd Street)
Florida State Road 134
State Road 134 is an 11 mile long, east-west signed Florida State Road located entirely in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, United States, extending from State Road 228 to U.S. Route 17. It is known as 103rd Street west of Wesconnett Blvd. and Timuquana Road east of the intersection...
, SR 208 (Wilson Boulevard)
Florida State Road 208
State Road 208, locally known as Wilson Boulevard, is a state road located in Jacksonville, Florida. It begans at Fouraker Road in Jacksonville, heading east, intersecting I-295 and SR 103 before ending at SR 21 in Jacksonville....
, and SR 228 (Normandy Boulevard) before reaching the interchange at Interstate 10.
North of the I-10 interchange, the western beltway loops around the northwest side of Jacksonville with full interchanges located at both Commonwealth Avenue and Pritchard Road, before curving northwest to an interchange at US 1
U.S. Route 1 in Florida
U.S. Route 1 in Florida runs along the state's east coast from Key West to its crossing of the St. Marys River into Georgia north of Boulogne, and south of Folkston. US 1 was designated through Florida when the U.S. Highway System was established in 1926.US 1 runs in the state of Florida, and...
/US 23. The road then crosses the Trout River
Trout River (Florida)
The Trout River is a tributary of the St. Johns River in Duval County, Florida. Located entirely within Jacksonville, the river is brackish in its lower section. The widest point of the river is near the St. Johns River, where it is across...
before crossing SR 104 (Dunn Avenue)
Florida State Road 104
State Road 104, locally known as Dunn Avenue, is a long road running through northern Jacksonville, Florida from US 1/US 23, eastward to US 17/SR 5/SR 163.-Route description:...
, where the freeway then turns east, with interchanges at SR 115, International Airport Boulevard/Duval Road, and I-95 just south of the Jacksonville International Airport
Jacksonville International Airport
Jacksonville International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located 13 miles north of downtown Jacksonville, a city in Duval County, Florida...
.
East of the I-95 interchange near the airport, I-295 continues east, currently signed as SR 9A, with the next interchange being US 17
U.S. Route 17 in Florida
U.S. Route 17 in Florida is a north–south United States Highway. It runs from the Punta Gorda, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area northeast to the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area....
. SR 9A starts to curve to the southeast, with interchanges at Pulaski Road, Alta Drive/Yellowbluff Road, before orienting itself southward at the SR 105 (Zoo Parkway/Heckscher Drive) in the Fort Caroline area. The freeway then crosses the Dames Point Bridge
Dames Point Bridge
The Dames Point Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida on State Road 9A. Construction began in 1985 and it was completed in 1989. The main span is 1300 feet, and is 175 feet high...
over the St. Johns River, before continuing south towards more remote areas of the highway. Just south of the bridge, it has a partial interchange with SR 113 (Southside Connector)
Florida State Road 113
State Road 113 is a Florida State Road, which runs almost due north–south entirely in the city limits of Jacksonville. It runs from an intersection with SR 9A/SR 116 /Merrill Road on the east shore of the St...
, followed by full interchanges with Merrill Road and Monument Road, providing access to NS Mayport. Continuing south, it has full interchanges with SR 10 (Atlantic Boulevard), St. Johns Bluff Road, US 90/SR 212 (Beach Boulevard) and Town Center Parkway/University of North Florida Drive. The next interchange, J. Turner Butler Boulevard is a freeway to freeway interchange and the last completed interchange on SR 9A, finished in 2008. After interchanges with Gate Parkway and SR 152 (Baymeadows Road)
Florida State Road 152
State Road 152, locally known as Baymeadows Road, is a Florida State Road in Jacksonville, Florida, from State Road 13 to State Road 9A....
and a planned interchange with the future SR 9B, SR 9A curves to the west, it crosses US 1 before completing the loop at I-95 in south Jacksonville.
The SR 9A section was designated the Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway in a Florida Department of Transportation ceremony on August 27, 2009. After the Federal Highway Administration accepted the road as the eastern loop of Interstate 295 in 2010, the state would no longer be able to name the highway.
History
The first section of I-295 appeared in 1962, but quickly disappeared. The current version of I-295 appeared on maps in 1967, as a loop around central Jacksonville, with the first section between I-95 in south Duval County to SR 134 (exit 16) in 1970, and the section from SR 134 to I-10 opened in 1973. The section from I-10 to Commonwealth Ave. (exit 22) opened in 1975, followed by the extension to I-95 in north Jacksonville in 1977, completing the western section of the loop.The eastern section, signed as SR 9A, had its first section open from I-95 in north Jacksonville to US 17 (exit 36) in 1983. The eastern half of the loop was constructed initially as a Super 2 highway with traffic lights in the late 1980s, and was not up to interstate standards. The Dames Point Bridge
Dames Point Bridge
The Dames Point Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida on State Road 9A. Construction began in 1985 and it was completed in 1989. The main span is 1300 feet, and is 175 feet high...
was signed as I-295 in 1990, but this designation was removed in 1993 and replaced by SR 9A. The final sections of SR 9A were completed in 2006, creating a complete loop around central Jacksonville. Several sections not under interstate compliance were upgraded, and the route was considered interstate ready in 2009.
Sniper incident
In 1992, a series of sniper shootings and concrete block and brick throwing attacks occurred on Interstate 295, resulting in the death of one motorist, William Klinedinst, after a concrete block landed on the hood of his moving car, causing it to crash. Another motorist, Debra Lewis, received a bullet wound to the face, and several other injuries occurred. The incidents spurred then-governor Lawton ChilesLawton Chiles
Lawton Mainor Chiles, Jr. was an American politician from the US state of Florida. In a career spanning four decades, Chiles, a Democrat who never lost an election, served in the Florida House of Representatives , the Florida State Senate , the United States Senate , and as the 41st Governor of...
to dispatch the Florida National Guard
Florida National Guard
The Florida National Guard is the National Guard force of the U.S. state of Florida. It comprises the Florida Army National Guard and the Florida Air National Guard.The United States Constitution charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions...
to patrol the roadway and the American Automobile Association
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
(AAA) to issue a rare travel warning for the interstate and direct its customers to avoid its use. A task force was set up by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) to investigate the incidents and, though charges were filed, they were eventually dropped. The task force was disbanded at the end of 1992 and the incidents remained unsolved to this day.
Future
Extending from the southeast corner of the loop is planned to be Interstate 795 (SR 9B), an approximately 11 miles (17.7 km) expressway. In May 2008, the SR 9B project was suspended by the Florida Department of TransportationFlorida 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...
. The project was reinstated in 2009, and construction of phase one began in June 2010. Construction of phase two, which will extend SR 9B to I-95, is set to start in July 2014. After phase two is completed, SR 9B will be renamed Interstate 795.
Improvements to the I-95 interchange north close by the airport were under construction, new lanes and a flyover ramp were constructed to help improve the interchange. This was completed in late September 2010
September 2010
September 2010 was the ninth month of that year. It began on a Wednesday and concluded after 30 days on a Thursday.-International holidays and observances:* 1: Constitution Day * 1: Independence Day...
.
In February 2011, construction began for a new interchange at Collins Road, just west of the congested Blanding Boulevard exit. The $63.4 million project is expected to be complete in 2014.
Exit list
The entire route is in JacksonvilleJacksonville, 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...
, Duval County
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...
.
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