The Coastal
  • Development
    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: MOSH releases new Northbank renderings

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Whataburger adding third new Jax location

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Whataburger now open in St. Johns, coming soon in Middleburg

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: East San Marco tenants revealed

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Homespun Kitchen expanding to Riverside

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Vagabond Coffee joining VyStar Tower; Dreamette to Springfield

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Great Greek nears St. Johns opening; Hwy 55 Burgers coming to Westside

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Purple Roots now open at Tinseltown

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Fire museum on the move; Dreamette to San Marco

  • History
    • All
    • Jax Evolved
    Florida Times-Union building

    Story of a Building: The Florida Times-Union Building

    Edgewood Bakery

    Remembering Edgewood Bakery: Once a Murray Hill Staple, Now an Empty Building

    jacksonville university

    A Brief History of Jacksonville University

    history of Ed wAters College

    A Brief History of Edward Waters College

    Worman's bAKERY AND DELI

    Remembering Worman’s Bakery and Deli

    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

    Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

    San Marco Theater, San Marco, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: San Marco Theatre

    Sun-Ray Cinema building Five Points Jacksonville FL

    Story of a Building: Sun-Ray Cinema Building

  • Jax Evolved
    VyStar at 100 West Bay Street, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: VyStar Reinvigorates the Former Life of the South Building

    JAX EVOLVED: San Marco Preservation Society Now Occupies South Jacksonville City Hall

    JAX EVOLVED: San Marco Preservation Society Now Occupies South Jacksonville City Hall

    Old St. Luke's Hospital jacksonville fl

    JAX EVOLVED: Old St. Luke’s Hospital Building Now Houses Jacksonville Historical Society

    Paul Davis Restoration, formerly Chevrolet Parts Depot, Springfield, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Paul Davis Restoration Gives Life to Old Chevrolet Parts Depot

    Old St. Andrew's Church building, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Old St. Andrew’s Church Building

    Novel Coworking / Groover-Stewart Drug Company Building, 25 N. Market Street, Jacksonville, FL - Image copyright 2020 Google

    JAX EVOLVED: Groover-Stewart Drug Company Building Now Houses Novel Coworking

    Dyal-Upchurch Building, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Downtown Jacksonville Adaptive Reuse Collection

    The Barnett, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: The Barnett’s Long Journey to Redevelopment

    JAX EVOLVED: Brewster Hospital to North Florida Land Trust, LaVilla, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: From Brewster Hospital to North Florida Land Trust

  • More
    • Culture
      • All
      • Art
      • Hidden Gems
      • Local Quirks
      • Music
      • Shopping
      Local Producer Alex Moye Releases New Album, “All I Need”

      Local Producer Alex Moye Releases New Album, “All I Need”

      Jacksonville Jazz Fest to Return This Fall

      Jacksonville Jazz Fest to Return This Fall

      Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

      Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

      Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

      Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

      MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

      MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

      “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

      Sugar Ray, Quad City DJ’s Highlight Jax River Jams Lineup

      Art Notes - Jacksonville, FL

      ART NOTES: Jazz Discovery Series 2021 Kicks off Friday Night

      “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

      “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

      Joseph E. Lee Jacksonville's first black attorney

      Joseph E. Lee Was Jacksonville’s First Black Lawyer – and He Didn’t Stop There

    • Community
      Prati Italia Jacksonville FL

      How the Prati Italia Team Survived the Pandemic

      Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

      Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

      Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

      Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

      Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

      Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

      Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

      Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

      The Pitman Sisters, TikTok video stars from Jacksonville, FL

      How “The Pitman Sisters” Became TikTok Famous During COVID-19

      Local Women in Cannabis, Jacksonville, FL

      Breaking the “Grass Ceiling”: Local Women in Cannabis

      Urban Mining Jacksonville FL

      How Urban Mining Utilizes Donations to Provide Computers for Local Kids

      Cowford Chophouse Teams Up with Jacksonville Arts & Music School for 4th Annual MOO-VE IT 5K

      Cowford Chophouse Raises Over $18,000 for Jacksonville Arts & Music School

    • Food + Drink
      • All
      • Beer
      • Reviews
      Southern Italian Deli Market Jacksonville FL

      Cugino’s Sausage Launches The Southern Italian Deli & Market

      Prati Italia Jacksonville FL

      How the Prati Italia Team Survived the Pandemic

      Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

      Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

      Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

      Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

      Dochi, Jacksonville, FL

      Japanese Donut Pop-Up Shop Dochi Coming to Town Center

      Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

      Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

      Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

      Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

      The Homestead Restaurant, Jacksonville Beach, FL

      Long Before Taco Lu, There Was The Homestead Restaurant

      Norikase Jacksonville

      BENTO Group to Debut Norikase Concept in Jacksonville

    • Hidden Gems
    • Local Quirks
    • Lists
    • Sports
    • 904VIEWS
    • Seven Bridges
    • Music
No Result
View All Result
Subscribe
The Coastal
  • Development
    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: MOSH releases new Northbank renderings

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Whataburger adding third new Jax location

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Whataburger now open in St. Johns, coming soon in Middleburg

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: East San Marco tenants revealed

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Homespun Kitchen expanding to Riverside

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Vagabond Coffee joining VyStar Tower; Dreamette to Springfield

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Great Greek nears St. Johns opening; Hwy 55 Burgers coming to Westside

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Purple Roots now open at Tinseltown

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Fire museum on the move; Dreamette to San Marco

  • History
    • All
    • Jax Evolved
    Florida Times-Union building

    Story of a Building: The Florida Times-Union Building

    Edgewood Bakery

    Remembering Edgewood Bakery: Once a Murray Hill Staple, Now an Empty Building

    jacksonville university

    A Brief History of Jacksonville University

    history of Ed wAters College

    A Brief History of Edward Waters College

    Worman's bAKERY AND DELI

    Remembering Worman’s Bakery and Deli

    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

    Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

    San Marco Theater, San Marco, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: San Marco Theatre

    Sun-Ray Cinema building Five Points Jacksonville FL

    Story of a Building: Sun-Ray Cinema Building

  • Jax Evolved
    VyStar at 100 West Bay Street, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: VyStar Reinvigorates the Former Life of the South Building

    JAX EVOLVED: San Marco Preservation Society Now Occupies South Jacksonville City Hall

    JAX EVOLVED: San Marco Preservation Society Now Occupies South Jacksonville City Hall

    Old St. Luke's Hospital jacksonville fl

    JAX EVOLVED: Old St. Luke’s Hospital Building Now Houses Jacksonville Historical Society

    Paul Davis Restoration, formerly Chevrolet Parts Depot, Springfield, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Paul Davis Restoration Gives Life to Old Chevrolet Parts Depot

    Old St. Andrew's Church building, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Old St. Andrew’s Church Building

    Novel Coworking / Groover-Stewart Drug Company Building, 25 N. Market Street, Jacksonville, FL - Image copyright 2020 Google

    JAX EVOLVED: Groover-Stewart Drug Company Building Now Houses Novel Coworking

    Dyal-Upchurch Building, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Downtown Jacksonville Adaptive Reuse Collection

    The Barnett, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: The Barnett’s Long Journey to Redevelopment

    JAX EVOLVED: Brewster Hospital to North Florida Land Trust, LaVilla, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: From Brewster Hospital to North Florida Land Trust

  • More
    • Culture
      • All
      • Art
      • Hidden Gems
      • Local Quirks
      • Music
      • Shopping
      Local Producer Alex Moye Releases New Album, “All I Need”

      Local Producer Alex Moye Releases New Album, “All I Need”

      Jacksonville Jazz Fest to Return This Fall

      Jacksonville Jazz Fest to Return This Fall

      Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

      Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

      Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

      Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

      MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

      MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

      “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

      Sugar Ray, Quad City DJ’s Highlight Jax River Jams Lineup

      Art Notes - Jacksonville, FL

      ART NOTES: Jazz Discovery Series 2021 Kicks off Friday Night

      “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

      “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

      Joseph E. Lee Jacksonville's first black attorney

      Joseph E. Lee Was Jacksonville’s First Black Lawyer – and He Didn’t Stop There

    • Community
      Prati Italia Jacksonville FL

      How the Prati Italia Team Survived the Pandemic

      Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

      Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

      Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

      Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

      Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

      Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

      Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

      Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

      The Pitman Sisters, TikTok video stars from Jacksonville, FL

      How “The Pitman Sisters” Became TikTok Famous During COVID-19

      Local Women in Cannabis, Jacksonville, FL

      Breaking the “Grass Ceiling”: Local Women in Cannabis

      Urban Mining Jacksonville FL

      How Urban Mining Utilizes Donations to Provide Computers for Local Kids

      Cowford Chophouse Teams Up with Jacksonville Arts & Music School for 4th Annual MOO-VE IT 5K

      Cowford Chophouse Raises Over $18,000 for Jacksonville Arts & Music School

    • Food + Drink
      • All
      • Beer
      • Reviews
      Southern Italian Deli Market Jacksonville FL

      Cugino’s Sausage Launches The Southern Italian Deli & Market

      Prati Italia Jacksonville FL

      How the Prati Italia Team Survived the Pandemic

      Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

      Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

      Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

      Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

      Dochi, Jacksonville, FL

      Japanese Donut Pop-Up Shop Dochi Coming to Town Center

      Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

      Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

      Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

      Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

      The Homestead Restaurant, Jacksonville Beach, FL

      Long Before Taco Lu, There Was The Homestead Restaurant

      Norikase Jacksonville

      BENTO Group to Debut Norikase Concept in Jacksonville

    • Hidden Gems
    • Local Quirks
    • Lists
    • Sports
    • 904VIEWS
    • Seven Bridges
    • Music
No Result
View All Result
The Coastal
No Result
View All Result

Road to Everywhere: The History of Butler Boulevard

by The Coastal
May 9, 2017 - Updated on June 25, 2019
in Featured, History
Butler Blvd. signage, Jacksonville, FL
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

It’s hard to imagine a time when State Road 202, better known as J. Turner Butler Boulevard, wasn’t one of Jacksonville’s most important roadways.

When the road first fully opened in the late 1970s, though, it was referred to by locals as the “road to nowhere.”

Butler Boulevard was constructed by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority as a limited-access expressway to keep up with growing development areas around the Southside. It was named after J. Turner Butler, a local lawyer who had contributed to the formation of JTA’s predecessor, the Jacksonville Expressway Authority.

But while the Southside community was growing, it hadn’t quite grown enough for residents at the time to understand the point of the road. The road extended from Philips Highway all the way to the Beaches, but there was very, very little in between.

Additionally, getting all the way to the Beaches wasn’t necessarily a fun trip. The Arthur N. Sollee Bridge, which carries traffic across the Intracoastal Waterway, originally only carried one lane of traffic in each direction.

When the second span of the bridge was finally constructed in the mid ‘80s, a major design miscommunication resulted in the roadway being extremely bumpy. A lawsuit followed between JTA and the construction company, but never resulted in the roadway being fixed. To this day, the eastbound span of the Sollee Bridge continues to be a bumpy ride.

You MightAlso Like

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Rogue Dawgs Bark and Brew coming to Flagler Center

Florida Times-Union building

Story of a Building: The Florida Times-Union Building

Edgewood Bakery

Remembering Edgewood Bakery: Once a Murray Hill Staple, Now an Empty Building

jacksonville university

A Brief History of Jacksonville University

To add to its public-relations issues, the road featured toll plazas that wouldn’t be removed until 1989 when all JTA-controlled toll plazas were removed.

Around the same time as the toll plazas were removed in 1989, the Florida Department of Transportation took over control of Butler Boulevard from the city.

As time went on, the road’s existence gradually started making a lot more sense. Southside communities continued to expand rapidly, and development began to fill in along previously undeveloped stretches of the road. And as the expressway became more valuable, projects began to upgrade various interchanges.

In 1986, JTA acquired the land needed to re-configure the Butler/A1A interchange into a trumpet-style interchange with the goal of cutting down on accidents. Due to legal holdups, the new ramps wouldn’t be completed for another decade; they opened in 1997.

A proposed expansion of Butler Boulevard from Philips Highway to Old Kings Road never ended up becoming a reality. To this day, the Philips Highway intersection remains as the westbound endpoint for the roadway.

Around the turn of the century, discussions began to upgrade the interchange between Florida 9A (now I-295) and Butler. At the same time, discussions were also beginning to develop a massive new outdoor shopping mall on land around Gate Parkway that would be highly visible from this proposed interchange.

The mall project – which became the St. Johns Town Center – would open in 2005, and brought even more traffic to JTB. Meanwhile, the intricate whirlpool-style JTB/I-295 interchange was completed in 2008.

The most recent interchange improvement project involved solving the constant congestion issues at the Butler/I-95 exchange, with the construction of two new flyover ramps allowing for unimpeded traffic flow between Butler Blvd. and I-95.

As Butler Boulevard approaches 40 years of serving traffic from Philips to A1A, it’s amazing to consider how drastically the perception of the road has changed. What was once seen as a useless, empty roadway now seamlessly carries hundreds of thousands of residents from I-95 to the Beaches, from I-95 to I-295, from all parts of the city to the city’s biggest mall, and more.

And what was once mocked as the “road to nowhere” has, decades later, become the road to just about everywhere in Jax.

Tags: butlerhistoryjtbst johns town center
Share57TweetSendShareShare
Previous Post

Building Up Jax: New Riverside apartments may mean Riverwalk expansion

Next Post

Remembering The Great Fire of 1901

The Coastal

The Coastal is a local magazine in Jacksonville, FL, founded in 2015 to bring you stories about the past, present, and future of the First Coast.

Related Posts

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Rogue Dawgs Bark and Brew coming to Flagler Center

Florida Times-Union building

Story of a Building: The Florida Times-Union Building

Edgewood Bakery

Remembering Edgewood Bakery: Once a Murray Hill Staple, Now an Empty Building

jacksonville university

A Brief History of Jacksonville University

history of Ed wAters College

A Brief History of Edward Waters College

Worman's bAKERY AND DELI

Remembering Worman’s Bakery and Deli

Next Post
The Great Fire of 1901

Remembering The Great Fire of 1901

#904WKND - Every Friday Morning on coastaljax.com

#904WKND - 5/12 - 5/14

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Development and Construction News Every Saturday - The Coastal

Building Up Jax: Daily's expands, Fanatics scores big investment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

LATEST POSTS

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday
Development

Building Up Jax: MOSH releases new Northbank renderings

MOSH releases new renderings of Northbank campus MOSH has released new renderings for its future Northbank campus. The renderings, helmed...

Read more
Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Whataburger adding third new Jax location

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Whataburger now open in St. Johns, coming soon in Middleburg

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: East San Marco tenants revealed

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Homespun Kitchen expanding to Riverside

The Coastal

© 2015-2021 Cowford Media / The Coastal Jacksonville LLC. All rights reserved.

Browse by Section

  • News
  • Culture
  • History
  • In the Community
  • Food + Drink
  • Sports
  • About

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Development
  • Culture
  • History
    • Jax Evolved
  • In the Community
  • Food + Drink
  • Sports
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Submit Your Story
    • Advertise

© 2015-2021 Cowford Media / The Coastal Jacksonville LLC. All rights reserved.