Revamping St. Augustine: How the SMART Project Aims to Make Life Easier for Residents

By Laurel Plexico

Traffic, parking and tourism are arguably the most annoying yet most relevant things in the city of Saint Augustine. 

The Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) St. Augustine Project aims to increase mobility in the city, specifically with regard to traffic congestion, pedestrian safety, and parking, by implementing new technologies throughout the city. 

With St. John’s County being one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, traffic
congestion and everything that goes with it is an increasing issue.

St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline is no stranger to the transportation challenges in St. Augustine as she’s worked on them since 2008. 

“There’s hope on the horizon for the congestion problem,” Sikes-Kline said. 

One key part of the project is the real-time parking updates that will feed to the St. Augustine parking websites so locals and tourists alike can see where parking is available. Dynamic signage that changes its messages based on congestion levels aims to allow city management to push traffic where they want it to go, rather than the endless circling of cars that adds to congestion. 

Not only are the traffic problems a concern, but the sustainability and environmental aspect of the city is also being taken into account. 

“Some of the technology that we will be experimenting with is going to help us predict flooding events and levels of flood waters so we can address the ongoing problem of climate change,” Sikes-Kline said. 

St. Augustine’s Assistant City Manager, Reuben Franklin, has been heading the work on the SMART initiative, generating excitement from the public about all the opportunities it aims to bring. 

“The whole point is to make life easier for the people that are living in the city of St. Augustine,” Franklin said. 

With the help of a $15 million grant, the goal is to upgrade the infrastructure, implement these new technologies, and increase its sustainability efforts. 

“This project is going to touch pretty much everything in the city,” Franklin said. 

As a part of this, the city is increasing its electric vehicle (EV) charging stations from eight to more than 30, placing them strategically throughout the city. The addition of charging stations is a part of the broader goal of encouraging more electric vehicle use to reduce the environmental impact of traffic and cars on the city. 

Flagler College professor of natural sciences Ed McGinley, who is both an educator and downtown resident, understands the problem firsthand. 

“The way I look at it, the more cars you have trying to get in and out of downtown and the more heavy metals and exhaust you have from cars in what is supposed to be a walkable city,” McGinley said. 

With 119 short-term rentals in the downtown Lincolnville area, there’s a big need for education surrounding sustainability. 

“If we set a precedent and framework for people to live sustainably, then hopefully even tourists will follow that mindset,” McGinley said. 

As the SMART project progresses toward completion over the next two years, it’s important to know what it is and how it impacts the city. 

“We have students that genuinely care about sustainability and trying to leave the world a better place than they have found it,” McGinley said. “We need to have more education about the importance of nature.”

To learn more about SMART St. Augustine, visit https://www.citystaug.com/1225/SMART-St-Augustine.