This few hundred feet of sand will be paved over in the Lone Star Road extension. The new road will follow the tracks of off-roaders who have used the route to cut through to Tredinick Parkway, shown at the top. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on March 27, 2025 at 4:44 pm
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There’s a bit over 200 feet of sand and scrub separating the western end of Lone Star Road just east of Mill Creek Road and a traffic circle that marks the start of Tredinick Parkway.
For decades, that small stretch of sand has been the subject of dispute over proposals to pave it and hook up the Alderman Park and Arlingwood neighborhoods to the parkway, the Southside Connector and the Regency Square retail and residential community beyond.
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On Thursday morning, the debate ended as the city broke ground on the first phase of a $4 million Lone Star Road extension project in order to improve mobility in the area, city officials said.
City Council member Ron Salem, a longtime resident of the area, remembers the debate about paving this last part of Lone Star Road.
Some people were concerned that the extension would cause heavy traffic and speeding, among other issues. But it’s time for it, Salem said.
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“Times have changed. There was a lot of resistance early on,” Salem said. “But I think now that it’s here, I think most people are comfortable with it. It will allow traffic to flow and allow people to get into Arlington a lot easier.”
Lone Star Road frustration
The debate over the road extension has seen “almost three decades of community frustration,” said City Council member Ken Amaro, who represents Arlington’s Council District 1. But city officials have now seen the need, and he is pleased the road will be paved this year.
“Infrastructure is what we are addressing today — infrastructure that will eventually equate to public safety because this is going to improve response time for fire and rescue,” Amaro said. “For the folks who live in this community, it is going to improve the process of transportation to and from schools, Regency area and things of that nature. The work is already started.”
The city’s “I Dig Jax” website — a list of road and infrastructure projects — says the extension is a “critical infrastructure initiative aimed at improving traffic flow, pedestrian accessibility, and roadway safety.”
Right now, Lone Star Road’s western section crosses Mill Creek Road, then passes a church and the Global Outreach Academy before ending with intersections at Enclave Road and Mathews Manor Drive, which run through recently built subdivisions. The drive does eventually connect to the Southside Connecter’s west service road via Gilmore Grove Way.
Tredinick Parkway flows under the Southside Connecter with an interchange there. Its western end is a traffic circle hooking to entrances to townhome complexes to its north and south.
Lone Star Road ends at a sandy stretch of road marked by tracks from off-road vehicles cutting through to Tredinick Parkway. The extension will run along that path.
The first phase of the extension focuses on the segment from Mathews Manor Drive to Tredinnick Parkway. The existing roundabout between the townhomes will be redesigned to improve traffic circulation and safety.
An 8- to 10-foot-wide asphalt shared-use path will be added for pedestrians and cyclists, spanning from Mathews Manor Drive to Tredinnick Parkway. Better lighting and landscaping also will be added. The first phase is fully funded, and completion is planned for summertime.
Phase II has not been funded yet, but is in the final design phase and will extend the improvements westward from Mathews Manor Drive to the Mill Creek Road intersection. That will include more roadway and drainage enhancements, plus changing the Lone Star and Mill Creek road intersection from a four-way stop to one with traffic signals for pedestrian safety.
Phase II also includes a dedicated left-turn lane into the Global Outreach Academy for safer school access.
No timeline for the second phase was announced.
