Interstate 295 (Florida)

Interstate 295
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap I-295 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-95
Maintained by FDOT
Length	60.864 mi[1] (97.951 km)
Existed	1970–present
Major junctions
Beltway around Jacksonville, Florida
	US 17 I-10 US 1 / US 23 I-95 US 90 SR 202 SR 9B
Location
Counties	Duval
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Florida State Highway System Interstate US SR Former Pre-1945 Toll Scenic ← SR 294 → SR 295 ← SR 9 SR 9A → SR 9B

Interstate 295 (I-295), an auxiliary route of Interstate 95, is a beltway around central Jacksonville, Florida. The 60.9 miles (98.0 km)-long beltway consists of two segments, the West Beltway (formerly signed as simply I-295), and the East Beltway (formerly signed as State Road 9A), with I-95 serving as the dividing line between the two. The entire highway carries a hidden designation as State Road 9A by the Florida Department of Transportation.^[2] The West Beltway was constructed in the 1970s, with the East Beltway being built from the 1980s-2000s.

Route description[]

Exit signs at the interchange with Interstate 95, on south I-295. In this picture from 2008, the East Beltway was signed as SR 9A.

Beginning at the I-95 interchange in southeastern Duval as the West Beltway, 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 long Buckman Bridge crossing the St. Johns River 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 Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Clay county. Before turning north through the Westside of Duval county, the freeway also has a full interchange at east-west connector Collins Road to serve the Argyle and Oak Leaf areas in addition to NASJAX. Continuing north, with full interchanges at SR 134 (103rd Street), SR 208 (Wilson Boulevard), and SR 228 (Normandy Boulevard), Interstate 295, the west half of Jacksonville's Beltway reaches its interchange with Interstate 10 approximately six miles west of Downtown, then crosses over Beaver Street (US 90), a railroad, creek, then continues into Northern Duval.

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 northeast to an interchange at US 1/US 23 (New Kings Road). The road then crosses the Trout River before crossing SR 104 (Dunn Avenue), where this northern portion of the loop turns east, with interchanges at SR 115 (Lem Turner Road), SR 243 (International Airport Boulevard)/Duval Road, and I-95, all just south of the Jacksonville International Airport, where the East Beltway begins.

I-295 at the Buckman Bridge

East of the I-95 interchange near the airport, I-295 continues east as the East Beltway, with the next interchange being US 17 (North Main Street). I-295 starts to curve to the southeast, with interchanges at Pulaski Road, and Alta Drive/Yellowbluff Road. Before orienting itself southward at the SR 105 (Zoo Parkway/Heckscher Drive) area, the freeway crosses the Dames Point Bridge over the St. Johns River into the Fort Caroline area. Just south of the bridge, a partial interchange with SR 113 (Southside Connector) in the Regency area is followed by full interchanges with Merrill Road and Monument Road, providing access through Arlington between Jacksonville University and 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 access to University of North Florida. The next interchange, (SR 202) J. Turner Butler Boulevard is a freeway to freeway interchange, finished in 2008. After interchanges with Gate Parkway and SR 152 (Baymeadows Road) and a partial interchange with SR 9B (future Interstate 795), I-295 curves to the west, it crosses US 1 (Philips Highway) before completing the loop at I-95 in south Jacksonville.^[3]

The northern part of the I-295 loop, from Commonwealth Avenue just north of I-10 in the west to J. Turner Butler Boulevard (SR-202) in the east consists of two general purpose lanes in each direction (with the exception of the Dames Point bridge which contains three lanes in each direction). The southern part of the loop consists of three general purpose lanes (except for the Buckman bridge which contains four lanes in each direction), plus two toll express lanes in each direction between I-95 and the Buckman bridge, and, as of 2019, two toll express lanes and one additional general purpose lane under construction between I-795/SR 9B and J. Turner Butler Boulevard. The Blanding Boulevard/Collins Road interchange complex also includes a collector-distributor system.

History[]

This section needs expansion. You can help by . (January 2010)

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.^{[citation needed]}

I-295 northbound at the Dames Point Bridge

The eastern section, formerly 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.

The I-295 East Beltway (formerly signed as SR 9A) 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 was no longer able to name the highway.^[4]

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.^{[citation needed]}

On December 4, 2011, the two halves of the Jacksonville beltway changed over to their current designations, the West Beltway (formerly the whole of I-295), and the East Beltway (formerly State Road 9A). The East Beltway was officially given the I-295 designation, making the entire beltway I-295, with State Road 9A remaining the hidden designation for the entire beltway for FDOT purposes.^[5]

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 was completed in December 2013, earlier than the originally projected 2014 date.^[6]

On May 18, 2019, two express toll lanes in each direction stretching from the Buckman Bridge near Exit 5 at San Jose Boulevard (SR 13) to I-95 (Exit 61) at the southern end of Jacksonville opened after several years of construction.

Interstate 795 (SR 9B)[]

Southbound on I-295 East Beltway at the then-unfinished interchange with SR 9B in southeastern Jacksonville

Extending from the southeast corner of the loop is Interstate 795, currently signed as SR 9B, an approximately 11-mile (18 km) expressway connecting to I-95 and proceeding southwards into St. John’s county. In May 2008, the SR 9B project was originally suspended by the Florida Department of Transportation. The project was reinstated in 2009, and construction of Phase 1 began in June 2010 and opened on September 19, 2013.^[7] Construction of Phase 2, which extends SR 9B from US 1 to I-95, started in May 2013 and opened on June 13, 2016. Construction of Phase 3 extending south of I-95 to County Road 2209 and Race Track Road via a connector road in St. Johns County began on September 8, 2015 and completed on August 8, 2018.^[8][9] I-795 signage along the route has yet to occur.

1992 attacks[]

In 1992, a series of sniper shootings and concrete block- and brick-throwing attacks occurred on the West Beltway. Of the 36 confirmed attacks, "5 [were] shootings from moving vehicles, 15 shootings from overpasses or the side of the road, 15 cases in which concrete, bricks or rocks were thrown at vehicles and 1 instance in which shooting and concrete-throwing were combined."^[10] At least one motorist, William Klinedinst, died after a concrete block landed on the hood of his moving car, causing it to crash; his body was not identified for several weeks. Another motorist, Debra Lewis, received a bullet wound to the face, and several other injuries occurred.^[11] The incidents spurred then-governor Lawton Chiles 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.^[10] 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.^[11]

Future[]

As of 2019 tolled express lanes are being constructed from Exit 58 at I-795/SR 9B to Exit 53 at J. Turner Butler Boulevard (JTB; SR-202). Originally this work was expected to be completed in late 2019, however, in mid-2019 the FDOT extended construction by a year in order to increase the scope of the project to provide for an additional non-tolled general purpose lane in each direction between I-795/SR 9B and JTB (for a total of three contiguous general-purpose lanes along the entire section, eliminating the current lane drops at the Baymeadows Road and Gate Parkway interchanges).

Exit list[]

The entire route is in Jacksonville, Duval County.

mi[1]	km	Old exit[12]	New exit	Destinations	Notes
60.864– 0.000	97.951– 0.000		61	I-95 (SR 9) – Daytona Beach, Jacksonville	Transition between East Beltway and West Beltway; signed as exits 61A (south) and 61B (north); I-95 exit 337
2.888	4.648	1	3	Old St. Augustine Road	Single point urban interchange
4.689	7.546	2	5	SR 13 (San Jose Boulevard)	Signed as exits 5A (north) and 5B (south) clockwise; provides access to Memorial Emergency Center Mandarin
5.505[13]– 8.596	8.859– 13.834	Buckman Bridge over the St. Johns River
9.416	15.154	3	10	US 17 (Roosevelt Boulevard north / Park Avenue south / SR 15) – Orange Park, NAS Jax	Northern terminus of Park Avenue; southern terminus of Roosevelt Boulevard; provides access to Naval Hospital Jacksonville
11.522	18.543	4	12	SR 21 (Blanding Boulevard) / Collins Road – Orange Park Mall	Collins Road interchange opened December 2013; provides access to Orange Park Medical Center
15.738	25.328	5	16	SR 134 (103rd Street)
17.260	27.777	6	17	SR 208 (Wilson Boulevard)
19.224	30.938	7	19	SR 228 (Normandy Boulevard)
20.434	32.885	8	21	I-10 (SR 8) – Jacksonville, Lake City	Signed as exits 21A (east) and 21B (west); I-10 exit 356
22.018	35.435	9	22	Commonwealth Avenue
24.524	39.468	10	25	Pritchard Road
27.481	44.226	11	28	US 1 / US 23 (New Kings Road / SR 15) – Callahan	Signed as exits 28A (south) and 28B (north)
29.816	47.984	12	30	SR 104 (Dunn Avenue)
31.466	50.640	13A	32	SR 115 (Lem Turner Road)
33.127	53.313	13C	33	Int'l Airport Boulevard (SR 243 north) / Duval Road (CR 110) – Jacksonville Int'l Airport
34.884	56.140	14	35	I-95 (SR 9) – Jacksonville, International Airport, Savannah	Transition between West Beltway and East Beltway; signed as exits 35A (south) and 35B (north); I-95 exit 362
35.705	57.462		36	US 17 (Main Street / SR 5)
37.252	59.951		37	Pulaski Road
39.531	63.619		40	Alta Drive
41.302	66.469		41	SR 105 (Zoo Parkway / Heckscher Drive) – Jaxport Terminals, Jacksonville Zoo
42.665[13]– 44.677	68.663– 71.901	Dames Point Bridge over the St. Johns River
45.170	72.694		45	SR 113 south (Southside Connector south) / Merrill Road east to SR 116	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; northern terminus of SR 113 (Southside Connector)
45.588	73.367		46	Merrill Road west – Jacksonville University	Northbound entrance via exit 45
46.727	75.200		47	Monument Road – Naval Station Mayport, Regency Square Mall, Timucuan Preserve, Fort Caroline Nat'l Memorial
48.183	77.543		48	SR 10 (Atlantic Boulevard)	Single point urban interchange
48.749	78.454		49	St. Johns Bluff Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
50.777	81.718		51	US 90 (Beach Boulevard / SR 212) – Florida State College South Campus, Jacksonville's Beaches	Single point urban interchange
52.053	83.771		52	University of North Florida Drive / Town Center Parkway	Single point urban interchange to the University of North Florida and St. Johns Town Center
53.157	85.548		53	SR 202 (Butler Boulevard) to I-95 – Jax Beaches	Unnumbered, freeway-to-freeway interchange on SR 202; turbine interchange; signed as exits 53A (east) and 53B (west) counterclockwise
54.336	87.445		54	Gate Parkway
55.719	89.671		56	SR 152 (Baymeadows Road)
57.653	92.784		58	SR 9B south to US 1 / I-95 – St. Augustine	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; opened on September 19, 2013; Future I-795 south
60.038	96.622		60	US 1 (Philips Highway / SR 5)
60.864– 0.000	97.951– 0.000		61	I-95 (SR 9) – Daytona Beach, Jacksonville	Transition between East Beltway and West Beltway; signed as exits 61A (south) and 61B (north); I-95 exit 337
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access       Route transition

References[]

External links[]

Route map:

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 295 (Florida).

• I-295 on Kurumi.com
• I-295 Beltway Map