Florida State Road 202

State Road 202 marker

State Road 202
J. Turner Butler Boulevard
Route information
Maintained by FDOT
Length: 13.042 mi[1] (20.989 km)
Existed: 1979 – present
Major junctions
West end: US 1 in Jacksonville
East end: SR A1A in Jacksonville Beach
Highway system
SR 200SR 206

State Road 202 (SR 202) is a highway that extends from U.S. Highway 1 (Philips Highway), in Jacksonville, Florida to SR A1A (Third Street), in Jacksonville Beach, near the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Ponte Vedra Beach, and includes a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. To locals, the road is better known as J. Turner Butler Boulevard, Butler Boulevard, or JTB. Except for a half-mile (0.8 km) section from US 1 to I-95, it is a completely limited-access expressway. It was constructed in sections by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (before 1971, the Jacksonville Expressway Authority). The first section opened in 1979, but was not completed until 1997.[2]

Route description

SR 202 begins at US 1 (Philips Highway) and starts its run east as a divided, four lane surface street, going east towards I-95 and becoming a freeway, passing through mostly marshland as it heads east towards exits including SR 115, I-295, before ending at SR A1A.[3]

History

The expressway is named for J. Turner Butler, a well-known Jacksonville attorney and Florida legislator who was instrumental in advancing various transportation projects in the region and the establishment of the Jacksonville Expressway Authority. J.T.B. was a toll road until 1988, when the JTA removed all the toll-collection facilities in Jacksonville.

When J.T.B. initially opened, it was described by locals as "the road to nowhere". The moniker has diminished over the years as increased growth on Jacksonville's Southside area, as well as at the beaches and in St. Johns County has transformed the road into a major commuter route. Because of the heavy traffic on J.T.B. and projected continued growth in the Jacksonville area, the Florida Department of Transportation, in the early 2000s, conducted a study on making long-term improvements to J.T.B. The study results recommended widening the road and creating "inside" express lanes with limited on and off points along the route, surrounded by additional "outside" local lanes, albeit at a considerable cost. While this was not implemented, most of the highway between the Intracoastal Waterway and I-95 was widened to 3-5 lanes in each direction in the early-to-mid 2000s decade.

Between the summer of 2005 and December 24, 2008, an $80 million freeway-to-freeway "whirlpool" style interchange was constructed at the intersection of J.T.B. and I-295, with the final piece to open being a flyover ramp from J.T.B. east to I-295 north.

Construction

Access to J.T.B eastbound from I-95 southbound is handled through a traffic-signaled intersection located near the highway's western end. This configuration causes significant congestion during rush-hours, causing traffic to back-up onto I-95. To alleviate this situation a flyover is currently being constructed from I-95 southbound to J.T.B eastbound, along with other improvements to the I-95/J.T.B/Belfort Road/Salisbury Road interchanges. Expected completion is in spring 2017.[4]

Exit list

The entire route is in Duval County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Jacksonville0.0000.000 US 1 (Philips Highway / SR 5)At-grade intersection
0.1890.304Bonneval RoadAt-grade intersection
0.510.82 I-95 (SR 9) St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Downtown Jacksonville, SavannahI-95 exit 344
1.111.79Belfort Road / Salisbury RoadNo direct entrances from Salisbury Road; westbound exit has right-in/right-out to Southpoint Boulevard
3.034.88 SR 115 (Southside Boulevard)Cloverleaf interchange
4.026.47Gate Parkway
5.228.40 I-295 (SR 9A) International Airport, Daytona BeachI-295 exit 53
6.2910.12Kernan Boulevard
8.2113.21Hodges Boulevard
10.0516.17San Pablo Road
 10.358–
11.228
16.670–
18.070
Bridge over Pablo Creek (Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway)
Jacksonville Beach12.6520.36South Beach ParkwayEastbound exit and westbound entrance
13.04220.989 SR A1A (Ponte Vedra Boulevard) Jacksonville's Beaches, Ponte Vedra, St. AugustineTrumpet interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. 1 2 FDOT straight line diagrams, accessed March 2014
  2. Mabry, Donald J: "Chapter 6 - The Sixties" World's Finest Beach, ISBN 1-59629-967-3, May 2010
  3. Google (2010-07-20). "overview map of State Road 202" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  4. "Interstate 95 at J. Turner Butler Boulevard interchange construction page". North Florida Roads. Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
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