The St. Augustine Record
Sunday, July 11, 1999

Lions report expected in two weeks
From Staff

It will be about two weeks before the Florida Department of Transportation releases all the comments on the Bridge of Lions, along with transcripts from a recent public hearing.

The comment period for the Bridge of Lions, on whether to replace it or restore it, ended July 7.

Joe Stephenson, Department of Transportation regional planning administrator, said officials are organizing all the public responses now. The responses and a transcript of the June 7 public hearing will be made available to the public in about two weeks, he said.

Residents may get the information package at the St. Johns County Library, Stephenson’s office at 110 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd. and the Lake City DOT office, he said.

Next, DOT and other agencies must make a final recommendation on the fate of the bridge. A final draft environmental impact statement will be released, but no date has been set for that to happen.

The current bridge opened in 1927, connecting downtown with Anastasia Island. It replaced a wooden bridge built in 1895.

In February, DOT released the draft environmental impact statement, the result of eight years of study on the bridge by various governmental agencies. That statement didn't make recommendations. Instead, it listed several replacement and restoration options.

The St. Augustine community remains divided on the issue and two groups, Citizens for a Safe New Bridge Inc. and Save Our Bridge, have since formed.

Constrution of a new or restored bridge is planned for 2002-03.