Nassau County has five major infrastructure projects underway and seven more recently completed, commissioners learned at a Tuesday, Aug. 25, budget workshop.
The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) update presented to the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) covered roads, trails, fire stations and parks across the county. For Amelia Island residents, the headline item was the 3.2-mile Amelia Island Parkway Trail, listed as completed in the CIP update. The county held a ribbon cutting Wednesday, Aug. 26, at the corner of Amelia Island Parkway and Airport Road.
Segments 2 through 4 of the parkway trail cost $6,114,494, with grants through the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization covering most of the expense, according to the Friends of the Amelia Island Trail.
What's still in progress
Five projects remain active, according to the county's CIP update:
- Amelia Island Parkway/Buccaneer Trail Roundabout. Pedestrian crossings at the roundabout were scheduled to open the week of Aug. 24. Maer Construction built the project at an approved cost of $1,824,936. Construction began Jan. 21.
- County Road 121 Reconstruction. A temporary closure from Balderdash Place to roughly a third of a mile south of Horseshoe Circle South began Friday, Aug. 28, for installation of a concrete box culvert. The closure is expected to last about three weeks, weather permitting, according to the CIP update.
- Fire Station 30 Replacement. Listed as in progress. The county provided no cost estimate or completion date.
- New Living Quarters at Fire Station 20. Also in progress. Design was first described as beginning in December 2023 in an earlier CIP update.
- John Claxton Boat Ramp Improvements. In progress with no additional details released.
Trail network keeps growing
The next trail project on the horizon is the Will Hardee Road/Sadler Road/South 14th Street Trail. The route is still in the early design phase, with 60% design plans expected in October, according to the Friends of the Amelia Island Trail. No construction date has been set.
Separately, the county held a public meeting March 4 at the Peck Center to discuss extending the Amelia Island Trail system north from the Amelia River to Sea Trail on Simmons Road to Hickory Street. A fifth trail phase north of State Road 200 to Bonnieview and Clinch Drive is also planned, with a request for proposals forthcoming.
Recently completed
The CIP update listed seven projects as recently completed or advancing, including new Fire Rescue Stations 70 and 90, the William Burgess Boulevard Extension and its Harts Road roundabout, the Pages Dairy Road and Chester Road intersection, Westside Regional Park Phase 1 and Henry Smith Road. The BOCC approved a final $1,067,618 retainage payment to McCall Construction Management for Westside Regional Park Phase 1 at its July 27 meeting.
Nassau County Communications Officer Sabrina Robertson said in an Aug. 12 announcement that the trail additions expanded the paved, off-road pathway along Amelia Island Parkway, creating new connections for walkers, cyclists and runners.
The CIP update noted dozens of additional projects remain in design and planning phases.
The BOCC's next scheduled public hearing is the FY 2026–2027 tentative budget hearing, set for Sept. 14 at 5:01 p.m. Residents can watch meeting videos on the Nassau County Clerk's website.
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