ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla — A short, but congested stretch of County Road 210 is getting wider in St. Johns County, but the developer has yet to pay for construction costs for the project, officials say.
Tuesday, there was even a groundbreaking ceremony for the widening project.
The project is only seven-tenths of a mile long, but St. Johns County Public Works Director Greg Caldwell told First Coast News, "It's a big deal."
Currently, this part of CR-210 between I-95 and U.S. 1 is two lanes.
This section of the road is very close to Beachside High School, where morning and afternoon traffic is slow-going when it narrows to two lanes.
The project will widen CR-210 to six lanes between Trinity Way to Beachwalk Boulevard.
Over the last 10 years, thousands of homes have been added to the area.
The developer of three large neighborhoods under the Twin Creeks development - Creekside, Beachwalk, and Beacon Lake - was supposed to foot the bill to widen the road. However, county officials say he has not.
When asked about it, County Commissioner Henry Dean told First Coast News, "We are close to an agreement with the original developer of Twin Creeks, which was the large development of regional impact which was approved – believe it or not – in 2006. And we still have not been able to reach a final…we’re close. We’re very close. I think he’s been cooperative as of late. And we’re close to an agreement where he will be paying his fair share for the $15 million project."
Caldwell said the developer needs to pay for the four-lane section of the project and the county will "chip in" and pay for the additional two lanes.
A traffic light will be added during the construction project at Cumberland Park Drive.
The widening project is expected to take 18 months. The county commission chose to fast-track the construction.