NOCATEE, Florida — A new segment of the First Coast Expressway opened today in Clay County, giving Nocatee residents and northeast Florida drivers a faster tolled route from U.S. 17 to Leonard C. Taylor Parkway south of Green Cove Springs.
The Florida Department of Transportation confirmed that tolls will be charged immediately upon opening, with no grace period. Drivers can find toll rates at the project website, nflroads.com.
The opening marks the latest milestone in the 46-mile expressway project that will ultimately connect Interstate 10 in Duval County through Clay County to Interstate 95 in St. Johns County. The first sections broke ground in 2013 and opened in 2019, with the full route expected to be completed by 2030.
Also starting today at 5 a.m., a temporary traffic pattern takes effect at the intersection of State Roads 13 and 16 near Orangedale in St. Johns County. Traffic will shift to a counterclockwise pattern with two new traffic signals on State Road 13, a configuration that will remain in place until the new Shands Bridge is completed.
The $595 million replacement Shands Bridge, currently under construction, will span 9,300 feet with dual 12-foot travel lanes in each direction and a shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists. The existing two-lane span will be converted to fishing piers once the new bridge opens in 2030.
