St. Johns County neighbors are fighting back against the rapid growth in that county.
Hundreds have signed a petition to save a scenic stretch threatened by new construction.
For nearly 17 miles, the William Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway stretches along State Road 13 under moss-draped trees with a view of the St. Johns River.
"Many of us who moved there, moved there for the very reason because of the beauty of the area and the serenity of the area," William Edenfield said. "I fear that we are going to have the possibility of a great loss of a historic area."
With close to 5,000 homes popping up in Rivertown, some neighbors are worried about the added traffic.
"That road is not built to accommodate large volumes of traffic," Edenfield said.
About 5000 homes are being built along a scenic highway & neighbors are concerned that traffic will take away from the beauty @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/CCoOaPjL1i
— Danielle Avitable (@Danielle_NBC4) January 31, 2017
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Neighbors tell me they fear the highway will have to be widened which would destroy their scenic views @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/79BKmNnNRU
— Danielle Avitable (@Danielle_NBC4) January 31, 2017
Vice chair County Commissioner Henry Dean said he wants to make sure there is a balance with limited development that wouldn’t destroy a lot of natural area.
"They own the land. They have the right to use the land. I have no objection of that. It's just how they plan the use of it and take into consideration the roads," a neighbor said.
A petition is circulating the web to save the scenic highway, and it already has 1,500 supporters.
Bob McNally, the creator of the petition, said his biggest concern is that the Florida Department of Transportation will be forced to turn the road into four lanes to accommodate excess traffic.
"It would be awful if that happened, to say the least," Edenfield said.
Edenfield said Rivertown has another exit area that spills out on a divided four-lane highway from Long Leaf Pine Parkway.
"Directing more traffic onto that highway might help preserve at least a little bit of what we have now," he said.
The next county commissioners meeting is Feb. 7, and they plan to bring the petition to the board.
Action News Jax reached out to the FDOT and a spokesperson said they are looking into future projects in the area.
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