Rush hour commute from Downtown JAX to Ponte Vedra area (Jacksonville: houses, neighborhoods)

[mmcmurray]

Our family could be moving to the Jacksonville area and my husband would be working Downtown. I would love to get an estimate from the locals on the drive time during rush hour. Google estimates it as 27 miles distance and about 40 minutes drive time with traffic. We currently live in the Metro DC area and know how traffic can make a huge impact. In non-rush hour I can leave my house and get to my husbands office on K street (3 blocks from White House) in 15-20 minutes. In rush hour it can take 1-2 hours! Thanks in advance locals for any info. One reason for this move is to allow my husband to lose a long commute and be able to spend more time with his children.

[skooba]

40 minutes is a good approximation. Could be 30 with no traffic, or up to 50 minutes. Butler can get pretty backed up at 95. Does your husband know what hours he would be working?

[williamwebb49]

Jacksonville traffic doesn't hold a candle to DC traffic. From downtown Jax to Ponte Vedra with non-rush hour traffic, you're looking at 30-35 minutes. At rush hour you're looking at a minimum of 40+ minutes depending on how many crazies on JTB decide to play Dodge-Cars with their rides. I live in The Players Club in Ponte Vedra and have an office in Riverside, which is next to downtown Jax and I leave my place at 6:15am and get to Riverside by 6:45 at the latest. I hardly ever go straight home, but when I do it usually takes me about 35-40 minutes. But then I usually get a jump on the afternoon rush hour traffic jams by leaving early usually before 4pm.

[hlauburn]

When you say Ponte Vedra, do you mean Ponte Vedra/Nocatee or Ponte Vedra Beach? You would go two different ways from those. We are in Nocatee and just a short distance to I-95 which takes you right into town. On a good day, I'd say we could be downtown in 20-30 min, obviously more with traffic. If you are coming from PVB, JTB can get pretty busy in the mornings, so I'd say 40 min is more realistic.

[mmcmurray]

We just started looking but the Ponte Vedra Beach area seems like a great area for schools and an ocean breeze. Thank you so very much for the quick response. My husband is pushing hard for this move and I need the straight answers ( ; He told me a Whole Foods was only 6 miles from a house we both liked and my research said 25 miles!

[hlauburn]

Originally Posted by mmcmurray

We just started looking but the Ponte Vedra Beach area seems like a great area for schools and an ocean breeze. Thank you so very much for the quick response. My husband is pushing hard for this move and I need the straight answers ( ; He told me a Whole Foods was only 6 miles from a house we both liked and my research said 25 miles!

PVB is a very nice area, and we have been really happy PVPV/Rawlings Elementary (I hear good things about the middle and high school, too).

There is a Fresh Market in PVB, but I think the closest WF would be on San Jose, which is pretty far. There is a Native Sun a little closer, but not exactly close (or 6 miles!).

[my2boys44]

We also live in Nocatee (Coastal Oaks), and would definitely consider looking here if he is commuting to downtown. I have to work at the Baptist hospital in downtown occasionally, and it's not a bad commute at all from where we are (Nocatee parkway to US1 to Old St Augustine to 95). It only takes about 30 mins. From PVB proper (A1A to JTB to 95) I think is more like 40 mins.

This is a great area to raise a family, I think you will be very happy here!

Lisa with 4 kids and a dog

[Giants6]

I would not consider Nocatee if I was working downtown and working "normal" business hours, i.e. 8-5 or anything close. Just today it took 30 minutes to get from 295 to the fuller warren bridge near downtown. Heck in some of the Nocatee neighborhoods (Coastal Oaks/Del Webb), it can take 5-7 minutes just to get onto the Nocatee Parkway. Then you have to putter up Phillips for another 5-7 minutes, and then on most days trying to get on 95 at Old St. Augustine is no picnic either. And then once you are on 95, in a perfect world its at least another 20 minutes. And that's a PERFECT WORLD. The days where there are no accidents/delays on 95 are few and far between. Nocatee Parkway+Phillips+Old St. Augustine+95+exiting downtown+parking = 1 hour on average. Trying to get out of downtown past 5 will make for an hour commute as well. Also keep in mind that Nocatee has barely scratched the surface in regards to the number of houses that will be built out there. More people = more traffic in the future. I would only live in Nocatee if my job was in St. Augustine/PVB/or the southside of Jax (Baymeadows/Gate/JTB area), just because you have other options besides spending hours of your life on I-95.

If you want to live in PVB and work downtown during the day, the north side of PVB is a much better location. Marsh Landing is nice, but if that's not in your budget there are some less expensive neighborhoods a little south off of A1A.

Good Luck!