A St. Augustine intersection with a setup that has not kept up with its surge of users now has a final plan for some congestion relief.

Representatives of the Florida Department of Transportation were in St. Augustine on Tuesday to show local residents the benefits of a new concept, called Alternative 5, for the intersection of May Street and San Marco Avenue. Also affected are West San Carlos Avenue, East San Carlos Avenue and U.S. 1.

The St. Augustine City Commission has already voted in favor of the FDOT proposal, but Tuesday's meeting was a chance for residents to see the final tweaks to the plan and provide additional feedback.

The latest plan for the crowded intersection calls for a loop through the area with a little extra room provided by the land once slated to be the location a much-criticized 7-Eleven store. The plan also has a single lane through the oval to allow those heading north on San Marco to continue straight through the intersection.

Traffic is allowed to flow more freely for those on May Street heading west. There are also two westbound travel lanes on West San Carlos, which connects drivers to U.S. 1.

It's a plan that has been more than a year in the making, but construction is now scheduled to start in the summer of 2017 on the $3.5 million project. It will take close to two years to complete.

"We're glad when we can reach a solution that (improves traffic) and is accepted by the community," said Jim Knight, FDOT administrator. "When you build a strong consensus, it's easier to get a project moving in the right direction."

As the only way to get to or from the Vilano Beach area without going north all the way to Palm Valley, the intersection is one of the busiest in the city.

To alleviate what can often be frustratingly long lines of vehicles - especially on May Street waiting for the traffic signal to change - FDOT engineers have produced several configurations in an attempt to improve the intersection.

FDOT studies show the average wait time for the westbound lane on May Street is 9.1 minutes, and it is expected to increase to 11.5 minutes by 2035 if nothing is done. A reconfigured intersection can decrease wait time by 5-6 minutes or more, according to FDOT engineers.

Information provided Tuesday showed the average line for westbound vehicles on May Street by 2035 will be 4,500 feet, with a maximum length of 6,500 feet, if nothing is done. Implementing Alternative 5 will make the average queue length just 100 feet on average, with a queue at peak times of 800 feet.

Alternative 5 replaces the previous preferred configuration, Alternative 4, which was referred to as the "two-way pairs" plan. That called for the funneling of all drivers from May Street who wanted to access U.S. 1 to turn right (north) onto San Marco and then left (west) onto Dismukes Street, which connects to U.S. 1. The plan also had West San Carlos converted to a one-way street heading east.

Both Alternative 4 and Alternative 5 call for closing the access from East San Carlos to San Marco. That is intended to stop cut-through traffic in the residential areas there.

Most people who spoke at the meeting voiced support for the project but had questions about the construction process. No complete intersection closures are planned during the work. Knight also promised that vehicular traffic will not be detoured through any of the surrounding neighborhoods.

"Any improvement is going to be welcomed by us," said Monica Harty, of Vilano Beach. "I hope it happens as fast as it can."

Added Carl Youman: "This is a 95 percent improvement over what we have now."

The main points of concern were: short turning lanes from May Street onto San Marco heading north and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Knight said the turning lanes could not be expanded without purchasing more right of way, which would add costs and delay the project.

As for safety, the FDOT administrator said there are crosswalks with signals at the appropriate points in the intersection. Knight also said he had talked to several bicyclists and advocacy groups and thinks the configuration will be a safe one for those riding bikes.

There was also some concern among residents on or near Nelmar Avenue about closing roads to reduce cut-through traffic, but FDOT noted that was a local issue.

Also left to the local government is the decision on whether to change the access points for the library at West San Carlos and U.S. 1.