ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A major road is planned in St. Augustine aimed at alleviating traffic congestion.
The proposed State Road 312 extension -- otherwise known as State Road 313 -- has been discussed for years.
It continues to be a source of debate, with many residents asking, “Is it really needed?”
Tim Johnson stood in his front yard in the Mission Trace neighborhood in St. Augustine near State Road 16 on Wednesday. Pointing to a house across the street, he said, “Maybe 100 feet behind that house, that’s where the highway would begin.”
He’s a stone’s throw away from where State Road 313 is proposed. “We can only imagine what the sound will be like,” Johnson said.
Johnson and his neighbors are concerned about noise, impacts on the environment, and lower property values when the proposed 6 lane highway is built.
State Road 313 would run west of U.S. 1, starting at State Road 207 near Highway 312. It would run north to State Road 16. Eventually, it would continue from State Road 16 to U.S. 1, north of the airport in St. Augustine.
Previously, the Department of Transportation reported the road would cost $250 million dollars. But the DOT gave First Coast News figures Wednesday that show construction will cost $111 million, not including right-of-way costs. A construction date of 2017 has been reported, if funding becomes available.
The goal of the new road is to reduce traffic on U.S. 1. That’s why the Chamber of Commerce, and the St. Johns County government, and the St. Augustine City government are supporting the project. The city manager says the city wants the DOT to speed things up.
Also, there are traffic studies which support the need for the new road. However, Johnson says the information is not all accurate.
“When I went to the page that looked up sound designs, the test said there were no sound concerns,” Johnson said. “It shows a map that didn’t even have our homes on it, and this was after our homes were built.”
Those who don’t want the road – even those who would not live near it -- question if State Road 313 would road really lighten congestion on U.S. 1 or if it would just move people to the congested areas faster.
Johnson said, “People want to go to St. Augustine, they don’t want to go around St. Augustine.”
The State Road 313 project has been on the books since the 1980’s, but homeowners have said developers and realtors never told them about the project. FDOT will make a public presentation in St. Augustine next month.