Sidewalk in St. Johns County relocated, set to open before school starts

ST. JOHNS, Fla. — Parents in St. John’s County should get some relief this school year after a sidewalk along county road 2209, where 9B and St. Johns Parkway meet, was moved further away from the road.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

The county said the sidewalk relocation should be complete on Aug. 9th, right before students go back to school on Aug. 10th.

Action News Jax first told you when that sidewalk raised concerns for parents about their children’s safety getting to Liberty Pines Academy.

The sidewalk had no guard rails or protection and there was less than a couple feet of space from the road.

“There’s a lot of kids riding their bike on the sidewalk,” said a parent of four children, Jason Betska.

In an Action News Jax investigation, the St. John’s County Sheriff’s office told Ben Becker between 2019-2021 there were 224 crashes on the eight-mile stretch of the road which includes the St. John’s Forest neighborhood.

In February, county commissioners took action, and construction to relocate the existing sidewalk began.

Nearly 6 months later and just before the start of school the new sidewalk will open.

The county said the contractor is completing the installation of the guardrail, final concrete pours, and site restoration.

Jason said the relocation of the sidewalk is a better scenario all around.

“I mean it’s taking the kids off, away from the streets so they’re not closer to the traffic and avoiding any accidents or anything like that,” said Betska.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.