LAKE ASBURY – Thousands who the road closure has inconvenienced on Sandridge Road at Henley Road only have to put up with the detour for a few more days.

Clay County Director of Engineering and Traffic Operations Richard Smith said the barriers that closed off Sandridge at Henley and prevented through traffic from using Eagle Haven Drive and Jubilee Lane will be removed at 11 p.m. on Sunday, July 30.

The announcement should pacify concerns by parents ahead of the school year opening on Aug. 10 at Lake Asbury Junior High and Elementary.

Work to expand Sandridge Road started on May 30 and required the intersection to be closed for two months. Construction will expand the roadway to three lanes to get ahead of the rapid growth along Sandridge and into Green Cove Springs. The work, however, cut off stores and routes for thousands living east of Henley Road. A drive to Winn-Dixie from Ronnie Van Zant Park used to take less than 90 seconds, but the closure forced residents to drive nearly 27 miles roundtrip on Sandridge, Russell Road and Henley.

Despite the two-month hardship, Smith said it was necessary to stay on schedule. The next phase to expand Sandridge for nearly three miles from Lake Asbury Elementary to Russell Baptist Church will start on Monday, July 31. But unlike the closure at Henley, Smith said Sandridge will be open with a few one-lane closures.

“Actually, it’s already started,” Smith said. “If you’ve been down there, you know the yard they use as the contractor’s construction area is right next to the First Coast expressway overpass. So they will begin work immediately.

“We’re not anticipating any permanent closure except for maybe a short-term trucking hauling situation where equipment has to be unloaded or loaded. There will be single-lane closures.

“We’re taking Sandridge from a two-lane road to a three-lane road with a median in the middle. It’ll look a lot like Town Center Boulevard (on) Fleming Island. So it’ll have bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides. It will be a disruptive path for the next two years.”

Smith said the Sandridge project is scheduled to be completed in two years.

“The contract has been very efficient,” Smith said. “They’re working as fast as safely as they can. This closure probably saved us want to have maybe two school years of disruption.”

The final phase will widen Sandridge for nearly three-quarters of a mile from the church to Russell Road.

Smith said that when Sandridge re-opens, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office will have an increased presence in the area to maintain a constant traffic flow. Parents also should make a “dry run” to the schools to learn the traffic patterns before school starts.

“You will be entering a construction zone though there will still be some warning signs for the maintenance of traffic for the future for the construction zone to the east,” Smith said. “Just maintain a safe speed Be alert.”