ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The country’s oldest city could have a new flow coming to it. The Florida Department of Transportation wants to know how drivers feel about re-working one of the busiest intersections in St. Augustine by the Bridge of Lions.
"I hope it works out well, but I don’t know," said A1A Ale Works Employee Mack O'Brien I kind of feel like it might just be going in loops at that point, literally.”
O’Brien says he leaves for work an hour before his shift starts – that gives him 20 minutes to navigate downtown St. Augustine traffic, and another 40 to find a parking spot.
He’s all for looking into ways to make getting around easier, but he’s not convinced by the new concept for the base of the Bridge of Lions.
As far as he’s concerned, it doesn’t matter how the base is reconfigured if drivers will still get stuck when the bridge goes up.
“If we’re going to figure anything out, it’s not going to be interloops in here, it’s got to deal with the bridge," said O'Brien. "The bridge is the bridge, and there’s going to have to be another outlet to get out of here.”
FDOT is looking at a modernized configuration for the base of the bridge with bending lanes and additional medians.
“I’m sure that you can look at the intersection and see that it’s unique," said FDOT Spokesperson Hampton Ray. "This innovative designs are really proven to improve safety and efficiency.”
It’s just a concept for now, and FDOT is gauging how people feel who use the bridge regularly feel about it.
FDOT believes the new configuration would triple the average speed a car can make it through the intersection at rush hour and cut the time it takes for cars to start moving after the bridge has gone up.
“We don’t want to get to a point where our infrastructure can’t handle the amount of people in the area and have massive gridlock," said Ray.
O’Brien and his coworker Ty Metcalf are hoping the next traffic concept to come down the pipe will take a bigger focus on parking.
“All these people are looking for parking," said Metcalf. "That’s the cause of traffic dude. It’s insane.”
This traffic plan would cost about $8 million and FDOT is looking at construction in 2027-2028 if the plan moves forward.
Therefore, they still have a few years to work out the kinks and see where this plan goes, especially as they get feedback from folks who live in the area and travel the bridge regularly.
More details on the project and contacts for weighing in are available here.