The stretch of I-95 that thousands of Mandarin commuters use every day is about to get a major overhaul.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) plans to widen I-95 from six to 10 lanes between I-295 and Butler Boulevard, a project costing nearly $200 million, First Coast News reported Oct. 27. FDOT said crews will break ground this fall but has not announced an exact start date.

FDOT rates this corridor an "F" for Level of Service, the lowest grade on its scale, according to the report. The agency is also converting the I-95 interchange at Baymeadows Road into a diverging diamond traffic pattern, a design where drivers briefly cross to the opposite side of the road to eliminate turning conflicts.

FDOT's safety analysis projects a 37% reduction in crashes at the Baymeadows interchange once the new design is in place, First Coast News reported.

The North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) board unanimously approved amending its Transportation Improvement Program to include the I-95 project at its Aug. 13 meeting. At that meeting, FDOT said it would select a design-build team the first week of September. Four shortlisted teams had 14 weeks to develop proposals with innovation and cost savings.

The Jacksonville Business Journal reported Oct. 13 that the project could cost up to $197 million.

"I would describe it as pretty brutal," driver Aeryn Evans told First Coast News about the current conditions on the corridor.

The widening fills a gap between two other I-95 projects already underway. Construction to widen I-95 from south of Emerson Street to Atlantic Boulevard began in late 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2027, according to the Southeast Citizens Planning Advisory Committee's June 22 meeting summary. A second project from Butler Boulevard to south of Emerson Street was expected to begin during the summer of 2026, with projected completion in March 2030. FDOT's Paige DeBold provided those updates at the meeting, held at the Mandarin Senior Center.

FDOT first introduced the Southside expansion plans at public meetings in 2022, according to First Coast News. Some designs could still change while the project is underway.

Mandarin commuters should expect construction activity on the corridor before any traffic relief arrives. FDOT has not announced a projected completion date for the Baymeadows-to-Butler segment.