ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A bit of traffic relief in downtown St. Augustine.
The Florida Department of Transportation has reopened the intersection by the base of the Bridge of Lions just in time for the Nights of Lights which starts Saturday.
Georgia Gail Nick owns an art gallery on Aviles Street. She dreaded the "ROAD CLOSED" signs around the corner from her shop when the construction started in the fall at the corner of King Street and Avenida Menendez. It also closed off the entrance from King Street to Aviles Street, where her shop is.
She said tourists and locals steered clear of her street because of those signs
Nick said business "was really slow."
The BART on Aviles is a wine bar and art gallery just a few doors down from Nick's gallery. The Bart owner Philip Castillo agreed that the construction negatively impacted his business.
"It really hindered foot traffic because the cars weren’t coming it. It was remarkably slow for everybody," Castillo said.
Then, during the street closures, the Florida Department of Transportation discovered an 1800’s fishing boat underneath that intersection by the Bridge of Lions.. While the DOT says it had scheduled in time for a discovery like that, it also said the goal was to reopen the roads by the start of Nights of Lights.
And that’s important because the Nights of Lights is an economic engine for the whole town.
Jump ahead a month to this week, and the Nights of Lights starts this weekend… and the roads are indeed open.
Nick said it's a relief. "Oh my goodness, yes! For more than not being able to drive on King Street. When King Street is shut down, the whole town in a giant detour."
She and Castillo believe Nights of Lights will bring in business that merchants were missing.
"Aviles is more of a quieter street," Castillo said, "but I expect a remarkable impact on the foot traffic here."