Orange Park staff recommend bridge design for Johnson Slooh project; residents press cost and traffic alternatives

Town of Orange Park officials on March 10 urged the town to move toward a bridge-based design for the Johnson Slooh Culvert and Roadway Improvement Project, while several residents and some council members pressed for lower-cost alternatives and clearer financing choices.

Public Works Director Kyle Crochi, who led the presentation, said engineers modeled 100-year and 500-year storm events and factored tidal influence from Dudley Branch when choosing bridge elevations and widths. "The purpose of the design was really straightforward: improve roadway access during storms, protect critical infrastructure and provide a structure for a 50- to 100-year lifespan," Crochi said.

Staff described a multi-element plan covering Nelson Drive, Nelson Drive South and Planefield Avenue. The project team told the workshop the current 90% design package carries an estimated construction cost in the mid-$14 million range (presented as roughly $14.7 million in the materials), and the town has pursued state Resilient Florida funding to offset costs. Crochi and the engineers said the Resilient Florida award supports the project as a resilience initiative; staff presented the grant as a 50% reimbursement (described repeatedly in the presentation as a $14 million 50/50 grant, which would result in about $7 million in state reimbursement to the town).

Engineers from Jones Edmunds (represented at the meeting by Mary and Jay) told the council that bridges have higher upfront cost but offer longer design life (75–100 years), better hydraulic capacity and lower long-term maintenance, whereas culverts typically last 40–50 years and require more frequent cleaning and emergency response. "A bridge has better hydraulic performance and lower long-term maintenance," one engineer said when explaining the life-cycle analysis.

Finance considerations were a central point of the meeting. Staff outlined a financing scenario using a 20-year loan at an estimated interest rate of roughly 4.47 percent, with initial annual payments near $1.1 million for the first two years until the town receives the grant reimbursement; payments after reimbursement were estimated at about $554,000 per year for years 3–20. Town finance staff (John) told the workshop the town's reserves are "just over $8.1 million" and that a combination of reserves and borrowing could reduce long-term debt, depending on the scope selected.

Multiple residents and attendees urged the council to pursue lower-cost options. One resident, speaking during public comment, said the project felt like "taking out a mortgage" and urged the town to consider alternatives such as removing some bridges, restoring open channels or limiting the work to fewer locations to avoid heavy costs for homeowners. Several commenters also suggested coordinating dredging with a larger Doctor's Lake dredge to reduce contractor mobilization costs.

Permitting and schedule were also discussed. Staff said a permit had been submitted in December 2025 to the St. Johns River Water Management District and that the district requested additional information; the town has asked for a permit extension and noted a March 28 extension date in the discussion. Engineers flagged foundation work over compressible organic soils as a technical issue to address in final design work.

Councilmembers debated trade-offs between paying for long-term resiliency now and the short-term burden on taxpayers. Some council members argued delaying the work will increase costs later and risk property values; others urged more aggressive value engineering to reduce the upfront price. No formal vote or loan authorization was taken at the workshop.

Next steps identified at the end of the session: council must decide the project scope, authorize any borrowing and direct the town manager to negotiate a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) with the contractor if the project moves forward; staff will continue value-engineering options and follow up with permitting authorities.

Authorities and documents referenced at the meeting included engineers' 90% design materials from Jones Edmunds and coordination with the St. Johns River Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Resilient Florida grant program).