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Published March 10, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Updated March 12, 2026
Site work and paving for a bridge / tunnel in Saint Augustine Beach, Florida. Conceptual plans call for site work for a bridge / tunnel; and for paving for a bridge / tunnel.
https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2024/07/19/st-augustines-plan-to-build-the-best-mile-in-fl.html July 19, 2024 Even in a city known for sticking to its historic roots, St. Augustine's leadership knows when it's time to do a little refurbishing. Prompted by the feeling that one of its main thoroughfares just doesn't live up to the city's reputation as being rather picturesque, the City of St. Augustine is about to embark on an $18 million project to revitalize King Street. The street is what guides many visitors into the heart of St. Augustine -- either at the west end from U.S. 1 or the east end over the Bridge of Lions. It would probably be a stretch to call the project an overhaul because there's only so much that can be changed due to existing buildings. But it's definitely going to be different. Landscape architect Jeremy Marquis of Marquis Latimer + Halback, who is working with the city on design, said the goal is to improve the main entrance into St. Augustine without fundamentally changing the road. "It's how do you optimize the limited right of way," he said. "It's only worth doing this if the traffic flow is just as important as is it beautiful, as it is historically appropriate. It has to function." How they got here Before the city could plan any significant changes on King Street, it had to work with the Florida Department of Transportation. Because King Street was technically a state road, FDOT was in control of what was done on it. But about six years ago, city leaders went to the state and asked for and received control -- and responsibility -- for King Street from the U.S. 1 intersection to the Bridge of Lions. It means more maintenance costs for the city but increased decision-making power over how the road will look and function. (The current improvement project is being performed with state money, however.) That allows St. Augustine to focus on what is important to its residents and business owners. The city leadership has decided its guiding principles for the King Street improvement project are livability, history and beauty. Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline said the corridor is the main entrance to the city, so it should be as impressive all the way down to the area around the Plaza de la Constitucion. "I don't know that those (principles) would actually be at the top of the list if it was the DOT doing the job," Sikes-Kline said. "They don't get to do the creative solutions that we will do at the local level." Beautification efforts will include adding some trees, moving utilities underground, improving lighting, enhancing sidewalks and possibly more. The city is touting the proposed new look as "The Best Mile in Florida." Sikes-Kline said that will be a major boost to the city. "It's important that we continue to have a beautiful corridor," she said. "It's got to work technically as well. But first and foremost we want it to be beautiful. "It will be an absolute jewel." Making a better first impression for visitors -- as well as making the views pleasant for locals -- is important to Sikes-Kline and others. She said it's the main reason the city purchased and tore down a car wash that used to be located right at the King Street-U.S. 1 intersection. "It's about creating that excitement coming into the city," she said. Assistant City Manager Reuben Franklin, who has been part of the project since it was merely a hope, said the best thing about the King Street corridor is that the street is pretty much the only lackluster aspect. "The buildings and things that make cities great are already there," he said. "We're just complementing what's there today." While there will be some hassles associated with the construction, businesses will have the benefit of a better-looking entrance corridor and more appealing and safer pedestrian walkways. Charles Cox, who owns San Sebastian Winery at the corner of King and Malaga streets, said he hasn't looked at a lot of the specifics of the proposed improvements. But he's confident whatever happens will only make the area more attractive to his customers. "Any time you take what's there and think about it a little more and add landscaping and some concepts that are much more attractive when people are either driving or walking down the street ... when I've seen that done in other areas, it's always been an improvement," Cox said. "I think the little bit of disruption that it does cause will be worth it in the long run." The experience Part of the experience of visiting or living in St. Augustine is being on the roads. As both the number of nearby residents and visitors has increased substantially in the last two decades, driving has become suboptimal. But there are few options to divert traffic away from King Street. What planners can do is make it more efficient and more pleasant. That includes synchronizing the traffic signals to induce a more consistent flow and making the corridor more pleasing to the eye. "It's how do you make sure that you have better traffic flow than you have today but it's still feeling iconically, beautifully St. Augustine," Marquis said. The project will also include Cathedral Place, which runs one way west for two blocks as King Street transitions to one way east at the Cordova Street intersection. Also incorporated into the new look will be the seawall project on Avenida Menendez and the redesign of the westside Bridge of Lions intersection (if ultimately approved). There are a couple of options there, including the possibility of making Cathedral one lane with wider sidewalks -- at the expense of a few on-street parking spaces. That's one of the things that commissioners will ultimately have to prioritize when they make the final decision on the project. The city plans to build a garage on the Broudy property on West King at the intersection with U.S. 1. That currently is the site of an old liquor store and quite a bit of empty space, but the city entered into an agreement to build a parking garage that will have 500 to 750 spaces. Sikes-Kline acknowledged that parking is important, but the project is also about the city's continued effort to place less reliance on personal vehicles in the city center. "We want people to get out of their cars and walk," Sikes-Kline said. "They don't want to do it if it's not an interesting walk, and they don't want to do it if it's a hot walk. So lots of shade trees, enhanced lighting and underground utilities." Where the project stands With so much planned for St. Augustine, including the replacement of the San Sebastian River bridge in 2025, reworking King Street might seem overly ambitious. However, Franklin pointed out that things won't get started until other projects are finished. Since it is a city endeavor, local leaders have control over when the work begins. Franklin anticipates work to start in late 2028 or early '29. The general concept has gone through the preliminary approval process, and city commissioners are tentatively scheduled to review the project at the July 22 meeting. "It's going to make the most impact of any project we have going on right now," Sikes-Kline said. Overview of improvements For pedestrians Improved sidewalks and shade from trees will create a better pedestrian experience for residents and visitors alike. Expanded sidewalks; 8-11 feet on each side Street trees; typically cabbage palms (Florida state tree) Pedestrian scale lighting with vehicular scale lighting at intersections. Mid-block crossings provide safe opportunities to cross. For drivers Vehicular modifications are focused and "surgical" in nature. The intent is to support smoother movement of vehicular traffic. Traffic engineers have modeled both concepts to validate that traffic volume is maintained or even improved from today's conditions. Lanes are consistently 10-11 feet in width. Improved drainage is included throughout. Defined center turn lane in brick. For bicyclists Bicycles will also benefit from the incorporation of sharrows and the better defined travel lanes. _____________________________________________________________ Proposed improvements include converting the existing intersection of State Road A1A (Avenida Menendez) at State Road 5A (King Street/Cathedral Place) into an innovative configuration designed to provide safer and more efficient traffic movement throughout the intersection. The project is in conceptual design. The project is anticipated to let in FY 2027/2028.
Conceptual
Bridges / Tunnels
$8,200,000.00
Public - State/Provincial
Paving, Site Work
Plans and Specifications are not available for this project. If that changes, they will be made available here.
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July 1, 2027
Avenida Menendez & Cathedral Place, Saint Augustine Beach, FL
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