Interstate 295 (Florida)

Infobox road
state=FL
route=295
type=I


maint=FDOT
length_mi=35.511
length_round=2
length_ref=cite web |url=http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/statistics/gis/default.htm |title=FDOT GIS data |accessmonthday=June 27 |accessyear=2007 |author=Florida Department of Transportation]
year_established=
direction_a=South
terminus_a=Jct|state=FL|I|95|SR|9A
junction=jct|state=FL|US|17
jct|state=FL|I|10
jct|state=FL|US|1|US|23
direction_b=North
terminus_b=Jct|state=FL|I|95|SR|9A
previous_type=SR
previous_route=294
next_type=SR
next_route=295

Interstate 295 (a.k.a. I-295) is a bypass route around the west side of Jacksonville, Florida, which measures 35.511 miles (57.15 km) in length. It is an auxiliary route of Interstate 95. The highway forms a contiguous loop around central Jacksonville in conjunction with State Road 9A.

Route description

Interstate 295 currently begins at its southern junction with I-95 and SR 9A. A stack interchange at this location was completed in phases between 2005 and 2006. The road then loops around the southwest side of Jacksonville, shortly serving as the border between Clay County and Duval County and running just north of the city of Orange Park. The road then continues towards an intersection with Interstate 10. From this point, it loops around the northwest side of Jacksonville to rejoin I-95 and SR 9A just north of the Trout River and south of Jacksonville International Airport.

Future

Upon completion of the multi-level stack interchange at SR 9A and SR 202 (J. Turner Butler Boulevard), which is ahead of schedule and will be completed by the end of 2008, the entire Jacksonville beltway will be signed as Interstate 295, and as such, I-295 will gain 25.585 miles in overall length.cite web |url=http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/statistics/pdfs/interchange.pdf |title=FDOT Interchange Report |accessmonthday=July 15 |accessyear=2007 |author=Florida Department of Transportation] The route currently signed as SR 9A will become the I-295 East Beltway, and the route currently signed as I-295 will become the I-295 West Beltway.cite web |url=http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/spotlight/news-article.aspx?storyid=104876 |title=State Road 9A To Get New Name |accessmonthday=June 11 |accessyear=2008 |author=First Coast News (WTLV/WJXX)]

Extending from the southeast corner of this loop will be a new approximately 11-mile expressway: Interstate 795 (SR 9B). In May 2008, the SR 9B project was suspended by the Florida Department of Transportation.

niper incidents

In 1992, a series of sniper shootings and concrete block and brick throwing attacks occurred on Interstate 295, resulting in the death of one motorist, William Klinedinst, after a concrete block landed on the hood of his moving car, causing it to crash. Another motorist, Debra Lewis, received a bullet wound to the face, and several other injuries occurred.cite web |url=http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/070702/met_295.html |title=Scars of I-295 |accessmonthday=April 16 |accessyear=2008] The incidents spurred then-governor Lawton Chiles to dispatch the Florida National Guard to patrol the roadway and the American Automobile Association (AAA) to issue a rare travel warning for the interstate and direct its customers to avoid its use.cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DA173CF934A35752C1A964958260 |title=Florida Guard to Patrol Highway to Halt Attacks |accessmonthday=April 16 |accessyear=2008] A task force was set up by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) to investigate the incidents and, though charges were filed, they were eventually dropped. The task force was disbanded at the end of 1992 and the incidents remained unsolved to this day.

Exit list

The whole route is in Duval County, Jacksonville.

External links

* [http://www.kurumi.com/roads/3di/i295.html#295fl I-295 on Kurumi.com]
* [http://www.sr9a.info SR 9A Construction Information]
* [http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/wtlv/docs/i295beltway.pdf I-295 Beltway Map]

References