An aerial image shows the next segment of the First Coast Expressway from U.S. 17 to Leonard C. Taylor Parkway south of Green Cove Springs. | Florida Department of Transportation
Published on June 26, 2026 at 3:05 pm
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The next segment of the First Coast Expressway will open Monday in Clay County, as work continues on the last parts of the toll road between Duval and St. Johns counties.
Although tolls are sometimes delayed, drivers will be charged immediately as the expressway opens from U.S. 17 to Leonard C. Taylor Parkway south of Green Cove Springs, the Florida Department of Transportation said.
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More information about the First Coast Expressway, including toll rates, is at https://www.nflroads.com/FirstCoastExpressway.aspx.
The expressway will ultimately cover about 46 miles through Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties, travling south from Interstate 10 in Duval County, continuning through Clay County and then turning east to reach St. Johns County.
The first sections of the expressway started in 2013 at I-10 and opened in 2019.
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The expressway will include a new Shands Bridge, now under construction across the St. Johns River between Clay and St. Johns counties. The new bridge will replace the existing two-lane span.
The 9300-foot bridge will cost $595 million when it is done in 2030. It will include dual 12-foot wide travel lanes in each direction with a shared-use path on the northbound side for pedestrians and bicyclists. It will be 65 feet tall at its high point to clear ship traffic.
The last two segments of the toll road will be built to the east of the Shands Bridge. That includes a new roadway from east of the County Road 16A spur to County Road 2209 in St. Johns County, and the segment from County Road 2209 to I-95. Both are due to be done in 2030.
Near the expressway
Other changes are occurring in St. Johns County near the Shands Bridge. Drivers can expect a new, temporary traffic pattern at the intersection of State Roads 13 and 16 near Orangedale. The new configuration will start at 5 a.m. Monday.
The new configuration will shift traffic to a counterclockwise pattern, with two legs of a triangle-shaped pattern allowing for only one-way traffic. Two new traffic signals have been installed on State Road 13, which will continue to carry two-way traffic.
This configuration will remain in place until the new Shands Bridge, which carries State Road 16, is finished.
