First phase of SR 9B opens today

The Florida Department of Transportation says State Road 9B will open today. The new roadway connects US 1 to the 295 East Beltway. DOT says the "northbound lanes will open at 10 am and the soubound lanes will open later tonight after rush hour to repaint the traffic lines at the I-295 transition".

You can enter/exit 9B at Gran Bay Parkway at US 1 on the southernmost end and between Baymeadows Road and Philips Highway at the 295 East Beltway on
the north end. This is the first phase of the project and it runs for more than 2 miles.

St. John's County commuters may find relief when the roadway opens because this is another route to get to the 295 East Beltway instead of continuing north on US 1.

Work on this new $75 million roadway began in the summer of 2010 and crews have already started working on the $95 million part known as phase two. Phase two will connect US 1 to 95 and should be complete in 2016. It will open as a four-lane highway (2 lanes in each direction) divided by grassy median but it can "expand to six lanes in the future when traffic warrants it".

Crews prepared to open the roadway by closing lanes on the 295 East Beltway Wednesday and Thursday between 8 pm and 6 am.