It’s time again for one of the biggest fireworks shows on the East Coast — and one of the biggest traffic challenges in the Nation’s Oldest City. The keys to making this a happy Fourth are planning and patience.
The Fireworks over the Matanzas event begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 4, with a free musical performance by the All-Star Orchestra in St. Augustine’s Plaza de la Constitucíon. It’s a two-hour program, featuring big band, swing and patriotic music.
But the wise visitor plans to arrive far in advance of the concert in order to secure a good parking spot. One of the best options is the city’s parking garage, located at 1 Cordova St. With capacity for 1,200 cars, there’s ample room for all but the tardiest revelers. The parking fee is $20 per vehicle, and since it’s a flat fee, visitors may want to maximize the expense by arriving as early as possible and spending the day shopping, dining and seeing the sights in and around the city’s historic district.
For more information about the parking facility, go to citystaug.com/502/Historic-Downtown-Parking-Facility.
Alternately, parking is available throughout downtown St. Augustine, though road closures will affect traffic flow beginning at 8:30 p.m. Note that some streets have restricted or no parking. In addition, visitors should note that some parking areas are private and there is no access to the lot at the Castillo de San Marcos during the latter hours of Independence Day.
A free park-and-ride shuttle will be available on the island from 6 to 11 p.m. Access the shuttle at Anastasia Baptist Church, St. Augustine Amphitheatre and R.B. Hunt Elementary School. Parking will be available at St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, though access to the shuttle will be at R.B. Hunt.
The 20-minute fireworks show begins at 9:30 p.m. More than 5,000 shells will be shot from a barge in the Intracoastal Waterway. They can be widely viewed throughout the bay area.
Exiting the downtown area requires a heightened degree of patience, and motorists should take care to watch for pedestrians or unexpected conditions. Note that the Bridge of Lions will not be open to automobiles until 11 p.m.
It is advisable to plan one’s exit prior to the event. Traffic rerouting will be underway between 8 and 11 p.m. Vehicular traffic will be prohibited on Avenida Menendez, Cathedral Place and South Castillo Drive.
King Street will have two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane west of MLK Boulevard. East of MLK to Avenida Menendez, it will have one lane in each direction.
There will be no eastbound traffic on West Castillo from U.S. 1 to North Cordova. North Cordova will be closed from Orange Street to the entrance of the parking garage.
To plan your exit strategy, go to citystaug.com and click on the link titled “City of St. Augustine prepares for annual Independence Day celebration.”
