Skip to main content
Clear icon
42º

Plan to improve ‘connectivity’ between Clay County neighborhoods withdrawn

County will remain under original ‘Lake Asbury Master Development Plan’

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Lake Asbury is one of the fastest-growing areas of Clay County, and its growth has been coupled with various road projects that have frustrated thousands of residents over the past few years.

However, a recent plan expected to improve “connectivity between adjacent developments” in the county was recently withdrawn.

RELATED: Clay County road project causes uproar; some residents say they’re basically trapped in their neighborhoods | ‘It is hell’: Lake Asbury residents are beyond frustrated with ongoing road construction ahead of First Coast Expressway

Connectivity and the ability to get in and out of neighborhoods have been regular complaints in the area as residents have expressed concerns over being “trapped” and how fire trucks and ambulances can operate with the significant congestion.

Wendy Hill works in Clay County and says the constant traffic is frustrating because “it just slows everything down.”

Aerial view of Clay County Fair traffic backup

Road construction worker Beck Janssen echoed that sentiment.

“It’s pretty difficult,” Janssen said. “They’ll block off an entire lane of traffic for 5 minutes or more sometimes...[You can get] trapped on a road for 20 minutes just trying to get a hundred feet down [the road.]”

The fire chief in Clay County tells News4JAX that response times are actually down as the agency continues to monitor construction, which reached its peak as an issue over a year ago when Sandridge Road, in front of the Lake Asbury Elementary School, was shut down all summer.

Now that the withdrawal of the plan to improve connectivity between neighborhoods is official, the county will remain under its original Lake Asbury Master Development Plan.

Clay County sent a statement to News4JAX regarding the original development plan, saying:

A majority of Clay County’s ongoing major road projects touch the Lake Asbury area, and, as part of this plan, will provide added connectivity to this quickly-growing area once most are completed in the next 6-18 months

Clay County Spokesperson

County officials also pointed out that while Lake Asbury’s construction is nearly completed, similar issues can be expected in Green Cove Springs, which is expected to have a massive population boom in coming years, and along County Road 220 which is set to undergo a large widening project.


About the Author
Scott Johnson headshot

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.