ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — An $800,000 dollar construction project expected to start in the new year in St. Augustine may ease concerns over pedestrian safety.
A man was hit and killed while crossing A1A near the Bridge of Lions over the weekend.
It's a section of town cyclist and pedestrian safety advocate Heather Lane-Neville is more than familiar with.
"Unfortunately, I've erected ghost bikes in that vicinity," said Lane-Neville. "I've had a wake for a friend that was killed there not too long ago."
After seeing another death this weekend, Lane-Neville says it's beyond time for a change.
"It's dark. It's fast," said Lane-Neville. "There's parallel parked cars that create blind spots. It's just not suited for what we're using it for."
Despite restaurants and hotels lining either side of the road as soon as you get over the bridge of lions, there's no crosswalk for 4/10 miles.
That'll change soon.
"It will feature an additional pedestrian crosswalk at Zordaya Avenue, as well as other safety improvements along the corridor," said Florida Department of Transportation Spokesperson Hampton Ray.
The new crosswalk will go in right where the deadly crash happened, and will feature a safety beacon like the one at May Street and A1A.
Lane-Neville thinks it will help at that one particular spot, but she feels there is still a ways to go before the whole mile and a half long stretch is safe for people who aren't getting around in a car.
"I think we are working in the right direction, but I think some of these problems are so big, dynamic and expensive, it makes it difficult to address easily," said Lane-Neville.
Construction on the $800,000 worth of improvements will start in January and could be completed by Spring 2023.