$18 million Citrona Drive plan would add shared-use path, wider sidewalk

FERNANDINA BEACH - A transportation study is recommending an $18.09 million reconstruction of Citrona Drive that would add a 10- to 12-foot-wide shared-use path, a six-foot sidewalk and dozens of pedestrian crossing improvements along the corridor between Sadler Road and Atlantic Avenue.

The final Citrona Drive Corridor Redesign Study, prepared by AtkinsRéalis for the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, calls for rebuilding the road as a two-lane, undivided facility while creating dedicated space for pedestrians and bicyclists. The study estimates the reconstruction at $18.09 million for the 2.04-mile stretch from Atlantic Avenue to Sadler Road.

The broader study describes the corridor as approximately 2.1 miles long and a key north-south connection through Fernandina Beach and unincorporated Nassau County.     

The proposal is a planning recommendation, not an approved construction project. The study does not identify a funding source or construction date for the $18.09 million reconstruction.

The North Florida TPO budgeted $100,000 in consultant services for the Citrona Drive study. AtkinsRéalis prepared the report, which was financed in part through Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration metropolitan planning grants.  

Citrona Drive currently has no dedicated bicycle facilities. Sidewalks generally run along the west side of the road and range from four to six feet wide, with sidewalks on both sides near some school entrances and approaching Atlantic Avenue.     

Most of the corridor has about 60 feet of right of way, a constraint that played a major role in developing the recommendation. The study says the proposed shared-use path and sidewalk could be built within the existing right of way without acquiring additional property.

That does not mean the project could be built without affecting the existing roadside. The report says clearing and grubbing would be required in many areas to make room for the improvements.

The proposed 12-foot shared-use path is wider than Nassau County's standard, according to the study, but the design allows the path to narrow to 10 feet in constrained areas. The path would accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians separately from vehicle traffic.

The redesign follows a review of existing conditions, five years of crash data and public comments. The corridor includes Fernandina Beach Middle School and Fernandina Beach High School and provides access to Baptist Medical Center Nassau and the Egans Creek Greenway.

The study found 19 crashes on the corridor during the five-year period from 2020 through 2024. One resulted in an incapacitating injury and none was fatal. No crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists were reported during the period. Most of the crashes occurred at intersections.

One location received particular attention: the T-intersection where Citrona ends at Atlantic Avenue.

Since 2016, four vehicles have left the roadway at that intersection and struck a single-family residence on the north side, according to the study. After the most recent crash in July 2025, rumble strips and enhanced signs, including a flashing beacon, were installed.

The study recommends going further by installing an overhead flashing beacon at the intersection. It would flash red for traffic approaching Atlantic Avenue on Citrona and yellow for traffic traveling on Atlantic.

Additional signs facing northbound Citrona traffic are also recommended, including a large two-direction arrow sign and object markers intended to make the end of the road more conspicuous.

A raised pedestrian crossing is proposed near Beech Street, about 900 feet south of Atlantic Avenue, to slow vehicles before they reach the intersection.

The study's implementation table estimates an overhead flashing beacon at $52,500. The table also lists a beacon location north of Magnolia Bluff Way at a midblock crossing.

Multiple pedestrian improvements would extend throughout the corridor.

High-emphasis crosswalks, estimated at $4,300 each, are proposed at numerous intersections and entrances, including Jasmine, Lime, Hickory and Park Avenue; the middle and high school entrances; apartment complexes; the post office entrance; and several residential streets.

Raised crosswalks, estimated at $10,900 each, are recommended at several locations, including south of Hickory Street, north of Lime Street and near Lindisfarne Hall and Egret Lane.

There is one discrepancy in the final report. The narrative recommends a raised crossing near Beech Street, while the implementation table lists a raised crossing south of "Beach Street." The report does not explain whether the latter is a typographical error.

The report said school-zone safety is another focus.

Citrona has school zones for Fernandina Beach Middle School and Fernandina Beach High School. Existing school zones have flashing 15-mph speed-limit signs, but the study found no school-zone pavement markings.

The plan recommends adding "SCHOOL" pavement markings south of Beech Street and south of Hickory Street at an estimated $750 per marking. It also calls for extending a pedestrian refuge island at the northern entrance to Fernandina Beach High School, estimated at $4,400.

Other changes would come as part of the full reconstruction. The study recommends removing existing turn lanes south of Hickory Street and from south of Orca Court to Sea Island Court. It also recommends closing the existing Walgreens exit onto Citrona Drive.

The Egans Creek Greenway would receive upgraded connections to Citrona.

The greenway covers more than 300 acres of protected land east of the roadway and currently has access points from Citrona at Beech and Hickory streets.

The study proposes improving those trailheads with paved pathways, landscaping, seating, removable bollards and signs to create more defined entrances to the greenway. Depending on the extent of the work, the estimated cost ranges from $12,000 to $450,000 per trailhead.

Those recommendations generally reflect what residents told planners during a Feb. 25 public meeting at the Atlantic Recreation Center attended by 31 people.

Traditional bike lanes and shared-use paths received the strongest support in a visual preference survey. Traditional bike lanes had a net support score of 23 and shared-use paths scored 18. Bicycle and pedestrian facilities as a category had a net score of 45, while streetscape and amenity improvements scored minus 30.

Residents' comments also focused on bicycle gaps, student safety, conflicts between faster-moving e-bikes and pedestrians on sidewalks, stop-sign compliance at Citrona and Jasmine Street, and the lack of separation between sidewalks and vehicle traffic.

When participants were asked to identify the single change that would most improve Citrona, a shared-use path or multi-use trail received the most comments, followed by dedicated bicycle lanes.

The study also found some resistance to adding features residents considered unnecessary or intrusive. Lighting received relatively little support, with residents raising concerns about utility-style lighting shining into homes. Some participants also objected to excessive signs and rumble strips, particularly near Atlantic Avenue.

The study's central recommendation ultimately favors the shared-use path rather than conventional bicycle lanes. The report says reconstructing Citrona with a path on one side and sidewalk on the other would provide dedicated space for pedestrians and bicyclists, improve connectivity and reduce conflicts with motor vehicles.

The $18.09 million estimate, however, is for the full reconstruction. The study identifies a number of smaller safety and pedestrian projects that could be undertaken separately rather than waiting for the entire corridor to be rebuilt.