Florida State Road 23
| Location | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Florida | |||
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State Road 23, also known as Branan Field-Chaffee Road, is a partially-built western bypass of Jacksonville. Its south end is at SR 21, and it is planned to continue south and east as a planned bridge over the St. Johns River (which will connect to SR 9B). The north end will be at SR 8 (I-10), with a possible extension as a northwest bypass to SR 9 (I-95). Currently it is a surface road, built on new right-of-way and a rebuilding of Branan Field Road, but there are plans for a full freeway.
Major roads intersected
Note that only parts of SR 23 are built, so this listing is subject to change.
- proposed St. Johns River Crossing Corridor
- SR 21 (Blanding Boulevard)
- Kindlewood Drive begin SR 23
- SR 134 (103rd Street)
- Chaffee Road end SR 23
- SR 228 (Normandy Boulevard)
- SR 8 (I-10)
- SR 10 (US 90)
History
SR 23 was originally going to be built as a toll road by the Florida's Turnpike Authority, but those plans fell through. The plans for connecting Interstate 10 to Blanding Blvd date back to 1979.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Clay County worked together to connect Branan Field Road in Clay County and Chaffee Road in Duval County.
By 2003, the Duval County section was open, and connected south to a local road (Branan Field Road) in Clay County.
By late 2004, the Clay County section was added.
Planned extension
The Branan Field-Chaffee Expressway is to be constructed in ten segments, one of which is already complete.[1] When complete, it will be a fully limited-access expressway between SR 21 and US 90. Plans call for the expressway to eventually become a part of the proposed outer beltway around Jacksonville.[2]
Original FL 23
SR 23 was defined in the 1945 renumbering as:
- From a point on SR 25 and 20 approximately one mile Northwest of Paradise in a Northwesterly direction to the intersection with SR 235 in LaCrosse and along SR 235 for approximately .07 of a mile, then continuing Northwesterly via Santa Fe to a junction with SR 18 at Worthington Springs and along SR 18 to a point approximately one mile north of Worthington Springs, then Northeasterly to a junction with SR 100 in Lake Butler and East on SR 100 to a point near the East City limits of Lake Butler then Northeasterly via Raiford to junction with SR 10 in MacClenny and along SR 10 to 5th St. then in a Northerly direction along 5th St. and to the St. Mary's River at the Georgia State Line.
Prior to the renumbering, this had been:
- SR 99 from northwest of Paradise to Worthington Springs
- SR 113 from northwest of Paradise to LaCrosse
- SR 49 from Worthington Springs to Georgia
At some point, SR 23 was renumbered as part of SR 121, probably to match Georgia State Road 121. Before that, however, SR 23 had been extended around the west side of Gainesville to end at SR 25 (US 441) at Rocky Point, and the southernmost part did not become part of SR 121. It was later given to the county, and may be CR 23.