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Road project aimed at easing traffic congestion is underway in St. Johns County

Several people oppose the bypass for historical, environmental and logistical reasons.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A road project aimed at easing traffic congestion is underway in St. Johns County. 

A swath has been carved out of the woods in St. Augustine, making way for a brand new bypass.

Not everyone is pleased about it though.

Danyal Murphy is a St. Augustine native. He’s seen his city expand, with more people and more roads.

"It doesn’t make much sense," Murphy told First Coast news Monday. 

The latest project is right next to his home at the Whispering Woods Apartments off SR 207. It’s been in the works for more than 10 years. 

The first phase of the project is underway, and it extends State Road 312 from State Road 207 to Holmes Boulevard. It’s a one mile interim extension project, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. That new one-mile long road will be four lanes and it will connect to Holmes Boulevard which is a two-lane road.

That's just the beginning of a larger project. The Florida Department of Transportation has plans for the new road – the 312 extension -- to continue north, running all the way to State Road 16 in St. Augustine. In the end the idea is to create a bypass that will run parallel between I-95 and U.S. 1,  bypassing the downtown St. Augustine area.

Murphy says as trees by his home have come down to create the road’s path, animals have scattered.

Murphy said, "There was a bunch of snakes that came from there. There was a bunch of birds that lost their houses. Bunch of turtles."

In the last year, First Coast News has spoken with others who are opposed to the project. A historic preservationist says the planned road will run right through a colonial plantation where she suspects slave burials exist.

Leslee Keys told First Coast News last year, "I think the African American graves should be respected and treated as they would be legally."

Conflicting archaeological reports differ on the historical significance of that land. 

Also in the past year, Timothy Johnson told First Coast pointed to the trees across from his house and said, "The road will be right beyond that three line."

The planned road is expected to run smack up against his neighborhood.  Many neighbors there doubt the new road will ease traffic on U-S 1.

However, the DOT says the highway is needed in order to alleviate congestion along U.S. 1.

As for Murphy, he thinks existing roads could’ve been widened, creating less impact on wildlife.

"They wouldn’t have had to cut down the trees here," he said. 

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