St. Johns County

FDOT to give update on major intersection redesign for downtown St. Augustine

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — After numerous complaints from drivers, chases could be coming soon to a major downtown intersection in St. Augustine.

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FDOT said that it’s now reworking its $8.2 million project to completely redesign the intersection at the western edge of the Bridge of Lions.

If approved, FDOT said the proposal would cut the total drive time through the intersection by 1,062 hours during the rush hour period.

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Right now, the Bridge of Lions intersection looks like a grid. Two lanes take drivers straight into downtown from the bridge, and 4 lanes connect A1A with Avenida Menendez.

If approved, the project would completely redesign the intersection at the western tip of the bridge by 2028.

FDOT said there are about 9,550 vehicles that move through the area during rush hour. The new intersection would move about 9,747 vehicles through during that time.

Read: FDOT bringing major intersection redesign project to downtown St. Augustine

One local that Action News Jax spoke with lives about 15 minutes from downtown, and he doesn’t believe any of the designs will drive down traffic.

“It’s really going to be confusing,” Allan Bishop told Action News Jax. “They’re wasting $8.2 million of taxpayer money that’s not improving the traffic situation.”

FDOT promised not to approve a design local residents don’t like. The project will be presented at the City Commission meeting tonight at 5 p.m.

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