GREEN COVE SPRINGS- County Commissioners approved a series of items to advance the Capital Improvements Plan.

The board amended the Capital Improvement Elements portion of the Capital Improvement Plan. They also amended the non-CIE portion of the Clay County Capital Improvement Plan and adjusted the true costs of next year’s budget.

All three votes were unanimously approved. 

Reginald Kantor, Budget Master, said the county will need an additional $59,893 to widen County Road 220 from Henley Road to Knight Boxx Road for recognition of $104,000 for a contribution for utility work on the county’s Bonded Transportation Project’s First Coast Connector from County Road 315 from Maryland Avenue to U.S. Highway 17.

He also said adjustments to existing impact fee projections and that timing changes will be made for two capital projects and allocated from next year’s budget.

Commissioners also heard a presentation of the Dirt Road Study from Martha Moore, a North Florida Transportation Planning Organization consultant. Moore said the study examined 450 miles of dirt roads in Clay County.

The roads were divided into three classifications: private roads (250.3 miles), public roads (160.5 miles) and perspective roads (45.3 miles). An evaluation metric was considered, including right-of-way, ownership, cut-through roads, community access, impact on annual public health and safety, average yearly maintenance cost, and maintenance difficulty.

A scoring matrix was created, and Moore shared a list of high-scoring dirt roads from the North Florida TPO, many of which would need to require a right-of-way before being paved.