For the first time in years, traffic headed into the Clay County Fair actually moved. Drivers who once crawled for miles along State Road 16 found lines noticeably shorter after two new ramps at the First Coast Expressway and SR-16 opened just in time for the annual event. Over the holiday weekend, many fairgoers said they were getting through the gate in minutes instead of hours, a rare bit of relief for locals who have long griped about fair-day gridlock.
Less than a week before opening day, the Florida Department of Transportation opened the final two ramps at the SR-23 (First Coast Expressway) and SR-16 interchange, allowing drivers to enter the expressway southbound from SR-16 and to exit northbound onto SR-16, according to News4JAX. Attendees told reporters the new approaches and added access made a real difference. One longtime visitor said traffic “was a little crazy” in past years but “today, actually wasn’t bad,” while another fairgoer said they “pulled right up” to the gates. The Clay County Fair runs through April 12 this year, per the Clay County Fair.
What law enforcement saw
Sgt. Ray Kittles of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said deputies have been monitoring traffic by camera and can adjust signal timing in real time, and added, “We have not had as much backup,” News4JAX reports. While directing traffic, deputies checked in with drivers about how long they had been waiting and were told many were getting in within 10 minutes.
How the ramps rerouted drivers
Plans from the county and the bonded transportation program show the new ramps and the First Coast Connector are meant to give motorists from Jacksonville’s Westside, Oakleaf and beyond a quicker path to the fairgrounds and to ease pressure on the narrow stretch of SR-16, according to the Clay County government. The county’s project page notes the connector adds new lanes, sidewalks and bike facilities while reshaping traffic patterns around Green Cove Springs.
Longer-term payoff
The ramp openings are an early payoff in a larger Florida Department of Transportation plan to build out SR-23. FDOT’s FY26–30 work program lists SR-23 segments and budgets for new road construction and traffic-management operations on the First Coast Expressway, signaling the corridor remains a regional priority, per the Florida Department of Transportation. County officials say more work is still ahead, but the new ramps are expected to cut the kind of event-day backups that frustrated drivers for years…