ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — With summer inching closer, the Florida Department of Transportation is in full swing with upcoming construction projects that may impact your summer travel.
The King Street Bridge is a heavily traveled bridge in St. Augustine and an important part of the commute to get downtown, but starting on April 13, it will be temporarily closed.
Jacob Pickering, a Public Information Officer with F-DOT, says that the community conversation helped them come to the length and type of closure planned.
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“We have now…realigned our priorities. What we have done is actually changed the project from a replacement project to a rehabilitation project,” Pickering said.
F-DOT reassessed the upcoming closure to the King Street Bridge over the Sebastian River, ultimately making the decision to change the construction to a rehab instead of a demolition and rebuild, in turn making the length of the closure just 7 months instead of a full year.
“We at FDOT want to consider everybody. While also bringing this very necessary change to this area. There is no progress without process. We have to work with our community and really hear them,” Pickering added.
The bridge connects US-1 to King Street, and after tests from FDOT, it was ruled as structurally sound. And while it’s less than a half a mile, it is heavily congested to get to downtown St Augustine from US-1.
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The closure is expected to impact St. Augustine downtown businesses, Flagler College, and any tourists out sightseeing in the nation’s oldest city. However, the good news is that the work is set to be completed before the city’s famous Nights of Lights.
“The goal here is to bring that project, bring that improvement, and maintain the aesthetics of that area. While also trying to consolidate that detour in as little time as we can and get that bridge back open for Nights of Lights,” Pickering said.
The $13 million dollar project will focus on improving the railing, the road, and the overall integrity of the bridge.
The detour during this closure will be to take US-1 to Malaga Street to access King Street; there will be a temporary signal built to assist drivers for the 7-month stretch.
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