First Coast Expressway (SR 23) from East of CR 16A Spur to East of CR 209 / New Shands Bridge Design-Build

This $600M project extends SR 23 (the First Coast Expressway), a limited-access toll facility, from east of CR 16A Spur to east of CR 209 within St. Johns and Clay Counties. This design-build project will result in a new tolled divided four-lane roadway and a new partial cloverleaf interchange at the CR 16A Spur. The project’s centerpiece is a new, approx. 9,300-foot-long four-lane bridge over the St. Johns River with a bicycle/pedestrian path and scenic overlooks, replacing the existing two-lane Shands Bridge. The new river crossing’s 200-foot-wide main span will have a 65-foot vertical clearance, facilitating commercial and recreational use of the river.  

WGI is using three cost-saving Alternative Technical Concepts to deliver the project. WGI’s innovative, environmentally sustainable project approach includes design refinements that eliminate over 1,000 in-water piles, saving tens of millions of dollars and reducing the project’s construction duration. Another design enhancement reduces embankment and MSE wall area, eliminating the need for 11,000 truckloads of fill. Overall, WGI’s design innovations will eliminate more than 13,760 truck deliveries, reducing carbon emissions and mobility impacts. The WGI team also enhanced the design of the bridge’s pile bents for visual continuity and improved constructability. The new bridge will have beautiful aesthetics from the water, roadway, and land.  

Construction of the new Shands Bridge will utilize barges for staging materials and for performing a host of construction activities in the St. Johns River – Florida’s longest river. Environmental protection measures and water quality monitoring stations will be employed to protect its water quality. Construction is anticipated to be completed in 2028.  

The project provides a critical enhancement to the area’s transportation infrastructure and will greatly improve regional traffic flow. It is designed to meet the current and future needs of a rapidly developing northeast Florida with a focus on safety, resiliency, and sustainability.