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Northwest Florida Road News

Started by FLRoads, February 26, 2009, 12:57:14 PM

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FLRoads

Just from Keating Drive west to the existing multi-lane section.


Alex

Signs went up today for construction at the CR-191 diamond interchange (Exit 26) along Interstate 10. Utility relocation work is underway right now on what is a project to install high-mast overhead lighting at the exit.

FLRoads

Northwest Florida Daily News reported today on a proposed interchange with an overpass over State Road 85 to connect the Army's 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) headquarters (currently under construction) and Duke Field. The proposed restricted route (dubbed Special Forces Way) would alleviate the use of military traffic from blocking State Road 85 when traveling between the headquarters and Duke Field. The interchange will have on and off ramps from State Road 85, so I suspect it will be a standard diamond configuration, though as the road will be restricted, the interchange will only be for authorized military use. Currently a traffic light as been installed for the intersection linking the two.

florida

Please do NOT let it be a state route. It'd be the hardest one to clinch.
So many roads...so little time.

agentsteel53

Quote from: florida on October 06, 2009, 02:38:08 AM
Please do NOT let it be a state route. It'd be the hardest one to clinch.
they really like screwing with the roadgeeks!  just like how that one separate county of a leper colony on Molokai, Hawaii needs you to ride a burro and have your papers ready ...
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

froggie

QuotePlease do NOT let it be a state route. It'd be the hardest one to clinch.

Not for some of us... :thumbsup:

FLRoads

The state has finally established a website for the proposed Florida 85 flyover at Florida 123 northeast of Fort Walton Beach. It's not much of a site right now, just listing general information on the project, but I would expect it to accumulate more information as construction moves forward. This project is listed on the website as funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, though I have yet to see any signage along the construction site on my daily drive through that area.

rickmastfan67

Quote from: flaroadgeek on October 14, 2009, 02:10:41 PM
The state has finally established a website for the proposed Florida 85 flyover at Florida 123 northeast of Fort Walton Beach. It's not much of a site right now, just listing general information on the project, but I would expect it to accumulate more information as construction moves forward. This project is listed on the website as funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, though I have yet to see any signage along the construction site on my daily drive through that area.

Well, Congress passed a motion saying that they don't have to post those Recovery signs anymore if they don't want to.

FLRoads

Maybe they will not be erecting those signs, though I would not mind seeing them for that project. It would be better seeing them there instead of for simple resurfacing projects, as has been common place here in the southeast.

Alex

From Jeff Masters' blog over at Weather Underground relating to Tropical Storm Ida and Fort Pickens Road/J. Earle Bowden Way:

QuoteIn the Florida Panhandle near Pensacola, Ida washed huge amounts of sand over Fort Pickens Road in Gulf Islands National Seashore, and over heavily traveled J. Earle Bowden Way, which connects Pensacola and Navarre beaches. Both roads are closed indefinitely. Fort Pickens Road was washed out by Hurricane Opal in 1995, and moved to a new location. Hurricane Ivan washed the road out in 2004. It was rebuilt, but was destroyed and rebuilt three more times in 2005, thanks to Tropical Storm Arlene and Hurricanes Cindy and Dennis. The most recent rebuilding of the road put it at a lower elevation, to allow sand to wash over it. It is hoped the cost of this latest repair will be under $1 million.

Editorial comment: perhaps having a low-lying road along a barrier island that regularly washes out, requiring millions in taxpayer repair money to fix, is a bad idea?? Seems to me like this is taxpayer money ill-spent. The 1988 Stafford Act, authorizing the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure after presidentially declared emergencies, has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money being spent to rebuild infrastructure damaged by tropical storms and hurricanes on barrier islands. In an era of rising sea levels, and with the U.S. in the midst of an active hurricane period expected to last at least another decade, the Stafford Act just doesn't make sense. Those living in areas subject to a very high level of repeated coastal hazards should pay the bills for their willingness to live in harm's way, rather than depending on Uncle Sam.

In a interview in the New York Times after the last time Fort Pickens Road was washed out, Dr. Orrin Pilkey, professor emeritus in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and author of the excellent 2009 book The Rising Sea, said, "People say, 'What are you going to do, let the road fall in? The correct answer, of course, is yes."

Alex

DOT puts time line on three-mile bridge

QuoteThe Pensacola Bay Bridge must be replaced within the next six years because it's "structurally deficient," according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

"It doesn't mean the bridge is unsafe," FDOT spokesman Tommie Speights said. "It is safe for traveling, but our bridge inspectors found some corrosion on the metal parts, some concrete chipped on the pilings and other things that could not be gone into because of Homeland Security reasons.

"Enough to rate it as structurally deficient."

QuoteAs proposed, construction would begin in the 2015-16 fiscal year somewhere in the vicinity of the old bridge. The old one likely will be torn down, Speights said.

It will take until 2015 to complete the phases approaching construction, such as an environmental study, right of way, design and engineering.

QuoteWhen it was built in 1960, the life expectancy of the bridge was 50 years, which the bridge turns this year. In 1989, safety lanes also were added.

lamsalfl

pretty pleaseeee connect it with i-110.

FLRoads

It will never happen with all the established businesses already rooted there. Would be nice though to extend the interstate down to Gulf Breeze

Alex

Low on fuel: U.S. 98 Corridor Authority is stuck in neutral as it seeks funds

QuoteThe group has spent $2.3 million to develop a master plan (a plan state Department of Transportation officials estimated would cost $7 million).

It also has spent $1.6 million on issues related to an endangered salamander found in the path of the so-called Eglin by-pass, its No. 1 project. Other expenses include $2.6 million on planning for a project to the east, $105,000 for "public out-reach"  and $55,000 on legal fees, Reissener said.

To move forward on the proposed Eglin bypass – which would run parallel to U.S. 98 through Eglin Air Force Base land – the authority must find $7 million to $8 million to pay for an Environmental Impact Study.

realjd

Quote from: lamsalfl on January 20, 2010, 06:35:03 PM
pretty pleaseeee connect it with i-110.

All it would take to make me happy would be for them to accept Sunpass

I'm also looking at you, Miami's Venetian Causeway...

FLRoads

Maybe instead of building the Eglin bypass the group should really concentrate on upgrading U.S. 98 to expressway standards from the Pensacola area east to Fort Walton Beach (and maybe beyond). I know that in their long range plans (year 2030) they indicate that portions of U.S. 98 would be expressway grade with some grade separated interchanges, but in my opinion it needs to be done now. There are getting to be more and more accidents along the stretch of U.S. 98 between Navarre and Fort Walton Beach, and with each accident it seems the backups get worse and worse. And the first place I would upgrade (before even thinking about the Eglin bypass) would be to build the interchange at U.S. 98 and Cody Avenue in front of Hurlburt Field! Once you replace that intersection with an interchange (they have a SPUI in mind for that interchange), traffic would move more efficiently through the area, though you would still have holdups at certain signalized intersections (you know who you are Wal-Mart...).

But wait, we cannot even get that interchange built because of the damn salamander!! That is also the hold up for not getting this important intersection upgraded. In my opinion, for such an endangered species, that salamander sure knows how to impede on our transportation progress!! 

SSF

 I drove on 98 from PCB to Pensacola on Wednesday night. wow, what a mess on the west side of FWB at rush hour.  I spent probably a hour and half to go 6-8 miles and all because of an accident just past Hurlburt.  Is it normally that bad at rush hour or was this just an exceptional case?

FLRoads

Quote from: SSF on February 12, 2010, 04:59:36 PM
I drove on 98 from PCB to Pensacola on Wednesday night. wow, what a mess on the west side of FWB at rush hour.  I spent probably a hour and half to go 6-8 miles and all because of an accident just past Hurlburt.  Is it normally that bad at rush hour or was this just an exceptional case?

Well, that was an exceptional case Wednesday night (as I too had to sit in that traffic), but on an average night it takes about 1/2 hour to 40 minutes to get from downtown Fort Walton Beach to Navarre, a distance of about 16 miles. The majority of the traffic holdups occur at Cody Avenue (in front of Hurlburt Field) and a couple of side road signalized intersections, namely Whispering Pines Boulevard and Panhandle Trail. Oh, and least I forget the infamous Wal-Mart entrance traffic signal. That signal stops me on most nights as so many people love to shop there...

Alex

Garcon Point Bridge toll to jump in July

QuoteTravelers will pay an extra half-dollar to use the Garcon Point Bridge, beginning July 1.

Following a trend of the toll price being raised every few years to meet bond payments, the toll will rise to $4, exactly double what the original toll was in 2001.

And traffic volumes will decrease even further...

Alex

A much more in depth story on the Garcon Point Bridge toll increase:

$4 trip may take a toll

QuoteTaking the Garcon Point Bridge to work would save Kathie Marcilliat about five miles and 10 minutes, but she only uses it when absolutely necessary because of the $3.50 one-way toll.

When that toll increases to $4 on July 1, Marcilliat says she'll skip the bridge altogether.

"I use it maybe two to three times a month if I am running late or if there is a traffic issue the way I normally go," said the north Pensacola resident, who works in Navarre. "Now, I guess I'll just be late."

Completed in 1999, the bridge was funded through a $95 million bond sale. The bond documents require repayment on a certain schedule and, accordingly, dictate the toll, said Roy Andrews, attorney for the Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority, the appointed board that oversees the bridge.
Related

"The toll increase is built into the financing. It's automatic," Andrews said Monday. "The bond documents are a contract with the bond holders. ... One of the requirements is a toll covenant that says (the bridge authority) will meet certain coverage requirements, which they're not meeting."

The 3.5 mile bridge connects Garcon Point on the north to the Tiger Point area on the south. It provides a shortcut for traffic between the Milton/Pace area and Gulf Breeze. It's also provides a direct route from Interstate 10 to U.S. 98.

Matt Wood lives near the southern landing of the bridge in Tiger Point and works in Navarre, but he uses the bridge as many as 10 times a month to visit family, play golf and go to occasional work meetings in Milton. An $8 round trip, however, would make him think twice.

"I'm probably not going to use it now unless gas prices go up," Wood said. "It just depends on which way equates to be more expensive."

Some people who use the bridge to get to work every day say they have little choice but to pay the increase.

Victor Lowrimore, the principal at Woodlawn Beach Middle School, lives in Bagdad.

"To get down here from Bagdad is roughly 20 to 25 minutes using the bridge," Lowrimore said. "It would take me at least 45 minutes to go through Gulf Breeze, and I haven't even thought about going through Navarre because that would be 45-plus."

Lowrimore uses a SunPass transponder, an electronic toll device that gives a 50 percent discount to bridge users who make at least 30 one-way trips per calendar month. Under the current $3.50 toll, he still spends about $120 a month.

Tim Mallon and his wife live in Tiger Point and use the bridge to get to work. Tim Mallon works in Milton; his wife works in north Pensacola.

They both have SunPass transponders and likely will continue to use the bridge.

"As of right now, you're talking about $3 a gallon for gas," Tim Mallon said. "My alternative would be to drive all the way through Gulf Breeze, up Scenic Highway and back to I-10. ... The alternative, with gas, would probably be prohibitive."
Related

Mallon and Lowrimore, however, both expressed frustration with the increase.

"They're saying there not getting enough usage, but by increasing the price, it seems like they're going to decrease the usage," Mallon said. "I certainly question their logic."

Lowrimore is concerned about how the increase may affect his staff.

"I know that these costs are really hurting them," Lowrimore said. "There are schools on the north end, too, and I am worried about the day when someone comes in and says, 'Listen, I just can't afford to drive down here to work anymore.' "

FLRoads

Quote from: AARoads on April 28, 2010, 12:28:31 AM
Garcon Point Bridge toll to jump in July

QuoteTravelers will pay an extra half-dollar to use the Garcon Point Bridge, beginning July 1.

Following a trend of the toll price being raised every few years to meet bond payments, the toll will rise to $4, exactly double what the original toll was in 2001.

And traffic volumes will decrease even further...

Yeah, but I am almost 100% certain that most peoples GPS will direct them to use the bridge as the shortest alternative to get to the beach areas of the coast, and that will be the majority of the traffic left using the bridge.

Alex

#46
Quote from: flaroadgeek on April 29, 2010, 09:17:23 PM
Quote from: AARoads on April 28, 2010, 12:28:31 AM
Garcon Point Bridge toll to jump in July

QuoteTravelers will pay an extra half-dollar to use the Garcon Point Bridge, beginning July 1.

Following a trend of the toll price being raised every few years to meet bond payments, the toll will rise to $4, exactly double what the original toll was in 2001.

And traffic volumes will decrease even further...

Yup, like Angie with her parents...

And of course, when SR 87 is closed, you have to take the Garcon Point Bridge and no, the tolls will be collected!  :banghead:
Yeah, but I am almost 100% certain that most peoples GPS will direct them to use the bridge as the shortest alternative to get to the beach areas of the coast, and that will be the majority of the traffic left using the bridge.

FLRoads

This has been up for a few weeks, but the Florida 85 and Florida 123 website has a schematic of what the interchange will look like once it is completed in 2012: http://www.sr85-123.com/images/SR85-123_Blank_Lochner_map.jpg

This interchange will entail a partial two-way frontage type road north of the Florida 85 mainline to allow southbound traffic from Florida 123 to access the Northwest Florida Regional Airport without having to intersect with Florida 85. Instead, there will be an interchange at the reconfigured entrance/exit of the airport.

Here are a couple of photos of the current progress of the construction taken on my way to Georgia Memorial Day weekend:


Florida 85 on its approach to the current intersection with Florida 123. Piles are currently being driven in to form the footers for the bridge support(s) that will carry northbound Florida 123 over Florida 85. Photo taken 05/27/2010.


Florida 85 as it passes to the north of Northwest Florida Regional Airport immediately east of the intersection with Florida 123. Construction on the eventual frontage road is currently going on north of the mainline. Photo taken 05/27/2010.

codyg1985

Quote from: flaroadgeek on June 05, 2010, 11:37:45 AM
This has been up for a few weeks, but the Florida 85 and Florida 123 website has a schematic of what the interchange will look like once it is completed in 2012: http://www.sr85-123.com/images/SR85-123_Blank_Lochner_map.jpg

This interchange will entail a partial two-way frontage type road north of the Florida 85 mainline to allow southbound traffic from Florida 123 to access the Northwest Florida Regional Airport without having to intersect with Florida 85. Instead, there will be an interchange at the reconfigured entrance/exit of the airport.

Does most of the traffic from SB FL 123 trying to get to the airport? From the schematic, it seems very cumbersome to get from FL 123 SB to FL 85 NB.
Cody Goodman
Huntsville, AL, United States

FLRoads

Most who travel southbound along Florida 123 continue south along Florida 85 and have no need to travel back north, except for going to the airport. As of now the turn is easy, but yeah, looking at the schematic again it is very cumbersome.



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