By: Kate Kimmel
County commissioners approved a $2.38 million change order Monday aimed at shortening detours associated with the ongoing County Road 121 improvement project, opting for a compromise plan that reduces travel distances while raising continued concerns about public safety.
The approved modification — Change Order No. 2 to the county’s contract with Anderson Columbia Co. Inc. — will require maintaining one lane of two-way alternating traffic in designated areas, reducing detour lengths to less than 15 miles. The change adds $2.38 million and 120 days to the contract, pushing the project’s completion date to May 28, 2027.
Commissioners said the adjustment was driven by sustained public feedback about detour lengths under the original plan, which met state and federal requirements but exceeded national best-practice recommendations.
“Since the contract is live and time is of the essence, this is the right solution,” Commission Chairwoman Allyson McCullough said. “Given three options as someone who lives in and represents District 4, I didn’t want to do option one where we do nothing, and I cannot justify spending five, six or eight million dollars for one single-phase road project.”
The CR 121 Phase 1 project is a 6.845-mile reconstruction from the Duval County line to County Road 119 that includes full-depth roadway reconstruction, replacement of two box culverts and other drainage and safety improvements. The county originally entered into a $14.9 million contract in July 2025, which increased slightly under a prior change order to about $14.96 million.
With the newly approved change, the total contract cost rises to about $17.34 million.
Deputy County Manager Robert Companion said the approved option was one of three considered. The original plan would have allowed detours of up to 20 miles, while a more extensive alternative estimated at more than $4 million would still require a full road closure for 42 days.
“We are in the middle of construction right now. If we do anything beyond one, two or three, it would take significant planning and re-permitting,” Companion said. “You would stall the project and add significant costs beyond the four million.”
Companion also said widening the roadway to allow continuous traffic flow — a suggestion raised by residents — is not feasible due to wetland impacts along the corridor.
County Road 121, the county’s longest maintained roadway at 31 miles, runs from the Duval County line to U.S. 1/23/301. The broader improvement effort is part of a larger capital program, though Phase 1 represents a significant portion of the work currently underway.
Despite the shorter detours, Bryceville residents voiced concerns about emergency response times and overall safety during public comment.
“I don’t agree. I think we should go back to the drawing board,” Bryceville resident Gary Haydu said. “You are going to cut off the residents. You are going to create a life safety issue for all of us.”
Companion said the county has coordinated with emergency services to mitigate those risks, including a mutual aid agreement with Jacksonville that would allow crews from a Baldwin station to respond to calls in the area.
Haydu said detours and potential railroad blockages could significantly delay emergency services, especially if trains obstruct crossings near U.S. 301.
“If the Baldwin station is closed, we don’t have that option,” he said. “If a train is sitting across the railroad tracks at 119 and 301, we’re not getting any aid. We’ve had trains sit there before for 30 minutes.”
Companion said that emergency services would do everything in their power to respond to emergencies.
“We have anticipated that. We’ve had discussions with the chief, and their Baldwin station is actually closer to most of the folks out there,” Companion said. “If it’s a planned closure, we can do things — we’ve done things in the past where we’ve stationed apparatuses on the other side of the railroad when CSX does work.”
Fire Chief Brady Rigdon acknowledged that some delays are unavoidable but said the county is preparing.
“We have Station 60 in Bryceville and Station 90 near St. George. Anything south of that closure is obviously going to be a bit of a delay,” Rigdon said. “The downtown Baldwin station is more than happy to help us. Hopefully once this closure starts in May, we’ll be more than ready to tackle it.”
Residents also raised concerns about access to medical care. Bryceville resident Melanie Fifield, a nurse, urged commissioners to avoid full closures altogether.
“I am standing before you pleading that you again consider a single-lane opening versus full closure,” Fifield said.
“My concern is the time between the emergency and the emergency room,” she said. “It currently takes 27 minutes to get to the closest emergency room. With the detour, it would be 45 minutes. I’ve worked my whole career in neurology and realize how important getting to an emergency room, especially a stroke-certified emergency room, is in these situations.”
While some residents pushed for the county to restart planning, Companion said rejecting all options would require time and funding the county does not have, further delaying an active construction project.
Ultimately, commissioners unanimously chose what they described as the most balanced approach, which they described as shortening detours without significantly increasing costs or halting progress.
kkimmel@nassaunewsline.net
