Northwest Florida Road News

[FLRoads]

Looks like the road between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach (otherwise known as County Road 399) is going to reopen next Tuesday, as seen below:

Pensacola Beach road to reopen next week

Louis Cooper

The roadway that connects Navarre Beach to Pensacola Beach is scheduled to reopen Tuesday, Santa Rosa County Commissioner Gordon Goodin announced this morning.

"At long last, that's opening," Goodin said at this morning's Santa Rosa County Commission meeting. "I think I've grown a beard waiting for that to happen."

The roadway, which runs through the Santa Rosa area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, was washed away by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, rebuilt, and washed away again by Hurricane Dennis in 2005.
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I was wondering a couple of weeks ago when we biked that section if they were preparing to reopen it, as there were a few dump trucks and some construction vehicles on the other side of the fence that currently blocks through traffic on the west side of Navarre Beach. We actually took the bikes around the fence onto the closed section. It was nice to be able to ride along the roadway and not worry about some snowbird barreling down the road faster than the posted 35 mph speed limit. I guess those days are going to be gone real soon. What is going to make it worse is once it opens next week, the traffic count will slowly begin to rise as people realize that you can access Pensacola Beach from the east without having to pay a toll (the Navarre side is toll free). And I can only imagine what summer is going to be like now. More traffic will mean less bike time on the beach roads...thanks Gordon Goodin!! Eh, maybe if we get hit with a storm this summer this opening will be short lived...

[FLRoads]

Apparently there is a private firm out there (Moving US 331 Forward, LLC) that wants to help widen U.S. 331 from the Choctawhatchee Bay bridge north to Florida 20 in Walton County:

A private firm has offered to widen part of the highway, including the Clyde B. Wells Bridge
February 25, 2009 - 8:08 PM
Tom McLaughlin
Daily News

FREEPORT - M.C. Davis wants to know more about a company called Moving US 331 Forward LLC and its plan to widen the only bridge over Choctawhatchee Bay in Walton County.

He said a lot more people will ask questions too, if they had been told the bigger span would be a toll bridge.

"It's an ambush in my opinion," Davis said.

The Walton County Commission took Davis' advice Tuesday and voted to ask for more time to study the company's proposal.

Moving US 331 Forward has offered to widen U.S Highway 331 to four lanes from the south end of the Clyde B. Wells Bridge to State Road 20.

The offer arrived in a two-page letter sent to Randall McElheney, chairman of the Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority.

The unsolicited proposal was discussed at length at the Corridor Authority meeting last week.

The Walton County Commission was asked Tuesday to give the Corridor Authority permission to begin advertising the project proposal.

Once the ads began running, competing private businesses would have 60 days to offer their plans to widen the stretch of highway. The Corridor Authority could then study the plans and decide its next move.

But after Davis stepped up to ask that the county get more information about the proposal, the board voted to request the Corridor Authority to delay action.

Dede Hinote, executive assistant to the County Commission, said the board passed a resolution calling for County Administrator Ronnie Bell to send a letter to the Corridor Authority asking them "to slow down the process for six months."

Commissioner Cecilia Jones said she found the company's letter "vague."

"They don't want their competitors to have any idea about what they're offering in their bid," she said.

Denver Stutler, the "managing member" of Moving US 331 Forward, said he thought commissioners might have overreacted to the company's letter.

"There's a process for submitting an idea, and this idea is 'Hey, let's widen the 331 bridge,' " he said. "Our proposal doesn't go beyond asking them to consider the idea. I saw their reaction as 'Hey, bring us a plan.' "

Davis said he thinks the company should air its entire proposal because it wants to enter into a business relationship with a public entity.

"Let's get out in the open here and have a public bidding process," he said. "This is one of the biggest decisions, a $400 million decision, we're ever going to make in this area, and they want us to make it with no clarity. We don't need people from South Florida coming in here with a secret proposal."

Davis said he favors widening U.S. 331 and the bridge, and even build a toll bridge if necessary to get construction under way.

"But we need the proposal to be well-defined, out in the open and there for the public to understand and react to," he said.

Stutler said state law requires his company to wait until the 60-day period to submit plans has ended before it can reach out to the public with its proposal.

"Until there is an opportunity for us to lead, there's nothing we can do. It's out of our hands," he said.

He said it would be August or September, "at the earliest" before any decision regarding the bridge would be finalized.

He did say that Moving US 331 Forward was considering charging tolls to help defray its estimated $400 million cost.

But he said his firm also had explored the possibility of using federal stimulus money or bonds.

"As a private company, we have flexibility, creativity and options," he said. "We have some latitude."

However the bridge expansion is funded, it would be turned over to the Florida DOT when it is paid off, Stutler said.

McElheney said he suspected Stutler's company would profit from its work by collecting a portion of toll revenues. He added, however, that nothing will be clear until a full proposal is submitted.

McElheney said the Corridor Authority would likely go along with County Commission's request for a delay.

"It seemed to me the consensus of the group was that the most important aspect of this request was that it had local support," he said.

But Jay Odom, Okaloosa County's representative on the board, said he believes the Corridor Authority is bound by law to begin soliciting proposals. If that is the case, the start of the 60-day submittal process won't be delayed by the commission action.

Odom also reacted somewhat angrily to suggestions that he, as a developer with Republican connections in Tallahassee, might have ties of some sort to Stutler, who served as Gov. Jeb Bush's chief of staff and as Secretary of the Florida DOT, also under Bush.

"That is total, absolute bull," he said.

"I know him," he said. "I think the first time I ever met Denver was the first time he came, when he was secretary of the DOT, to one of our transportation authority meetings. He was the new secretary."

Stutler also said of Odom, "I have probably met the man three times in my life."
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Just another fine example of how the trend is going in the nation to have to toll all of our new and rehabilitated federal and state highways. Hopefully they will look at all options if they indeed are allowed to widen that particular stretch of U.S. 331.

[mightyace]

Just another fine example of how the trend is going in the nation to have to toll all of our new and rehabilitated federal and state highways. Hopefully they will look at all options if they indeed are allowed to widen that particular stretch of U.S. 331.

My fear is that the "new and rehabilitated" highways will be tolled but be in the same shape as the Pennsylvania Turnpike!

[lamsalfl]

YESSSSS!!!  I thought 399 was dead.

[Alex]

The roadway, which runs through the Santa Rosa area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, was washed away by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, rebuilt, and washed away again by Hurricane Dennis in 2005.

The road was also washed out in 1995 by Hurricanes Erin and Opal. On the other end of the island, the road to Ft. Pickens remains closed since 2004's Ivan.

[FLRoads]

YESSSSS!!!  I thought 399 was dead.

And I was so looking forward to clinching it by bike with no cars to worry about...

[FLRoads]

Some more information about the reopening of J. Earle Bowden Way, the closed stretch of unsigned County Road 399 between Pensacola and Navarre Beaches. Apparently FDOT administered $3.4 million for the rebuilding of the washed-out roadway, and used less-expensive materials to do it. Click here for the full story.

So that means that when the first storm rolls through the road will get washed away again. I say just keep it closed and allow those who ride bikes to utilize it.  

[lamsalfl]

YESSSSS!!!  I thought 399 was dead.

And I was so looking forward to clinching it by bike with no cars to worry about...

I strongly doubt there will be a lot of traffic.  You have to go out of your way (thus really want to drive it) to be on it.  It's not dotted by development, and I strongly doubt people are going to even THINK (much less purposely) about taking it just to avoid a measly one dollar toll.  Your bike ride will be keen.

[FLRoads]

Well, from most of the comments I have read about this opening, some have said that they will take it to avoid the $1 toll (and that toll does not use Sunpass), though those individuals probably live closer to the Navarre Beach side. And I would take it too. Those dollars add up quick if you make multiple trips. Plus the fact that I wouldn't have to encounter a single traffic light to go from Navarre to Pensacola Beach, unlike U.S. 98 which seems to be sprouting new ones every month now...

I read an article in the Pensacola News Journal this morning on how SR 399 was opening soon. I emailed the editor to correct him on the fact that it is a county maintained road, not a state one. The only portion that is state maintained is the portion from the U.S. 98 trumpet interchange south stopping before the toll plaza on the northern side of the bridge to Pensacola Beach. The rest is county maintained (and poorly signed at that). It's funny that once I emailed him about that that the story disappeared...

[FLRoads]

I emailed the Santa Rosa County engineer last night about the lack of signage along Santa Rosa County 399 since the road will be reopening this week. I awoke this morning to the following response:

You have brought to light a very interesting point, that may not have been addressed in the past.  As you may be aware, the Navarre Beach Causeway, the bridges, and Gulf Blvd. (now County Road 399) were all State owned and maintained until recently.  Now, these facilities, and the former State Park property, are the County's responsibility to maintain.   The stretch of road that was just reopened between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach still belongs to the Federal Government as it is located in on the National Seashore property. 

Because the County has not been the maintainer of the beach roads until recently, we may not have fully explored the possibility of expanding the signage on U.S. 98, the Causeway, Gulf Blvd., and other roads to better direct drivers and promote tourism.   I'm coping this response to the appropriate people that can explore your suggestions to the fullest extent, and hopefully build on the ideas to help maximize the usage and enjoyment of our wonderful natural resources.

The person that emailed me also forwarded his response to several other county officials, including a few county commissioners. So sometime in the future we may see some additional signage for Santa Rosa County 399.

[Alex]

The latest District 9 newsletter on the I-10/110 project:


New I-110 soutbound service road to open

The new Interstate 110 southbound service road to Brent Lane is scheduled to open this week as part of the I-110/Airport Boulevard-Brent Lane split diamond interchange construction project.

Once the service road opens, Interstate 110 southbound drivers destined for Brent Lane will need to exit the interstate at the new "Airport Boulevard/Brent Lane-Exit 5."

"Traffic will exit much sooner, north of Airport Boulevard," said Mike Lenga, the project administrator from Greenhorne & O'Mara.  "We want to get the word out so that people are not confused when the change occurs."

Meantime, construction continues on Brent Lane and the Airport Boulevard overpass.  Once work is completed at these locations, the new ramps connecting Airport Boulevard to I-110 will be opened for traffic.  The new interchange will establish Airport Boulevard as a direct, four-lane route between the interstate system and the Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport.

Work on the $41 million construction effort is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2009.

I-110 improvements project update

The five-year effort to six-lane Interstate 110 between the Airport Boulevard overpass and Maxwell Street is moving toward completion this spring.  The construction team is currently focused on final paving work, installing lights and directional signs, and repairing drainage pipes along I-110 and at the Davis Highway-Fairfield Drive intersection.

"Traffic is in its permanent alignment," said Frank Tucker, the project administrator with Volkert Construction Services.  "We're going through the project with a fine tooth comb to make sure everything is as it should be before we apply the final layer of asphalt."

Most of the work on the I-110 project has been performed at night when traffic demand is lowest.  But with the project drawing to a close, drivers will encounter some daytime lane closures.

"Construction specifications do not allow for paving unless temperatures are consistently above 45 degrees," said Tucker.  "Rather than extend the project in hopes of getting warmer nighttime temperatures, FDOT is allowing the contractor to pave during the daytime hours."

Travel delays associated with the daytime lane closures have been minimal.  The latest information on Interstate 110 lane closures is available here.

[Alex]

I lifted this text from a Delaware News Journal article touting Pensacola tourism. 




Fort Pickens was built by the U.S. government between 1829 and 1834 on the tip of Santa Rosa Island and part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The fort was occupied by federal forces throughout the Civil War, despite threats from Southern forces. Pickens exchanged cannon fire with Confederate-held Fort Barrancas on the Pensacola mainland.

Modern visitors once could drive the 14-mile round trip out to Pickens, but hurricanes washed the road away in 2004. Since then, it has been accessible only by boat, on foot or on bike with long portions of pushing the bike along the sandy beach. Park officials plan to have the road reopened to cars for the summer tourist season.

[FLRoads]

Our recent rains here in northwest Florida have produced some flooding conditions in the northern portions of Santa Rosa county and the surrounding counties of Walton and Escambia:

Walton County info:
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/county_16281___article.html/roads_highway.html

Escambia County info:
http://www.pnj.com/article/20090328/NEWS01/90328003&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

[FLRoads]

Here is what Northwest Florida is getting with some of the stimulus money:

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/stimulus_16442___article.html/state_gaetz.html

NWF to receive $88 million in stimulus
Dusty Ricketts
April 3, 2009 - 11:45PM

President Barack Obama's economic recovery stimulus is about to bring millions of dollars and thousands of new jobs to Northwest Florida.

State Sen. Don Gaetz announced Friday afternoon that Northwest Florida will receive $88 million for transportation and infrastructure projects as part of the federal stimulus program. Although the funding still must be approved by the state legislative Budget Committee on April 16, Gaetz said that action basically is a formality.

"I would have voted against the stimulus package as presented by the Obama administration if I had been a U.S. Senator and not a state Senator, and I have a number of reasons why," Gaetz said. "But since the dollars are appropriated and going to be coming to Florida, I wanted to make sure Northwest Florida was not forgotten. I was pleased we were able to get our key priorities funded. But obviously, there are other projects further down the priority list we still hope we'll have a chance at."

Okaloosa County is receiving the bulk of the stimulus dollars. The top priority for the region, which will be fully funded through the stimulus program, is the $46 million flyover ramp at the south intersection of State Road 85 and State Road 123 and the reconfiguring of the entrance to Northwest Florida Regional Airport.

One of the stipulations for states to receive stimulus dollars was that projects had to be "shovel ready" and be able to put people to work immediately.

Gaetz said at least half of the funds for the overpass must be allocated in the next 120 days and that the project is expected to employ nearly 1,300 people.

"I want jobs created and people going to work as soon as possible," Gaetz said.

As chairman of the Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization, Fort Walton Beach City Councilman Bill Garvie pushed hard for flyover project to receive funding.

"I was hoping for this, but to hear about it is exciting," Garvie. "It had all kinds of things involved in it. You had national security there. You had development of the economy in this area. Those were two major areas here."

Gaetz also said the flyover will be a huge benefit to Eglin Air Force Base, especially with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and the Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) arriving in the near future.

"My hope is that this decision by the state of Florida will help send a positive message to the military that we support them, that we put the needs of military missions high on our priority list," said Gaetz, R-Niceville. "We want to make sure they hear us loud and clear that we want to keep our military mission and we want to keep our military bases."

Other projects being funded by federal stimulus dollars in Okaloosa are the resurfacing Memorial Parkway, Bay Drive, Country Club Avenue, Yacht Club Drive and Wright Parkway in Fort Walton Beach; reconstruction and landscaping work on Scenic Highway 98 in Destin; and sidewalk work on State Road 285 in Niceville and on Brookmeade Drive in Crestview.

Santa Rosa County is expected to receive $11.4 million, most of which will be used to widen Avalon Boulevard. Walton County will get $1.8 million, which will be used to build a pedestrian bridge, sidewalks and a resurfacing project. Escambia and Bay counties will get a total of about $24 million.

If a state cannot move quickly enough on stimulus projects, it could loose its federal funding and the money could be reallocated.

If that happens in other states, Gaetz said he will try to secure more funding for Northwest Florida.
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The actual paper had a diagram of the proposed flyover from northbound Florida 85 onto northbound Florida 123. Otherwise, the intersection will remain the same. Ugh.

They should really use some of this money to upgrade the U.S. 98 intersection with Cody Avenue at the entrance to Hurlburt AFB, but environmental issues (namely salamander that nest right near the proposed interchange) are causing a delay, so that is why this project is not getting any stimulus money.

I am not impressed with the way authorities are going to use the stimulus money (except for the flyover as I use Florida 85 to go to work everyday), especially with the landscaping project along scenic 98 in Destin. I guess they really are shovel ready with that one...

Here is MY list of what they could do with the monies:

1) Interchange with U.S. 98 at Cody Avenue (move the salamander)
2) The northern bypass of U.S. 98 from Florida 87 eastward to Niceville to connect with the proposed Niceville-Mid-Bay Bridge connector
3) Widening of Florida 87 from Holley north through Eglin AFB to the other completed four-lane section (at Santa Rosa 184)
4) Upgrade a few portions of U.S. 98 to expressway standards with grade separated interchanges at key intersections between Gulf Breeze and Fort Walton Beach
5) Six-lane Interstate 10 between the Pensacola bridge and the Florida 291 (Davis Hwy) interchange (Exit 13) (this should have been done in conjunction with the I-10/I-110 project)
6) Extend the extra lane in each direction from west of the I-110 interchange to U.S. 29 (Exit 10AB). The current lane reduction at the Palafax Street overpass creates a bottleneck at times.
7) Reconfigure the U.S. 29 interchange to remove the left-hand on-ramps on Interstate 10.

Those are just a few that I can readily think of... 

[Alex]

Just checking through my email back-up and found the April edition of "News from FDOT District". Looks like the new six-lane version of Interstate 110 will retain the four-lane speed limit of 55. At the very least it should be upped to 60, as should the six-lane stretch of Interstate 10 through Pensacola.

Paving planned at Davis Highway-Fairfield Drive intersection

Paving crews will begin applying the final layer of asphalt at the intersection of Davis Highway and Fairfield Drive this week.  The work is expected to continue throughout the month, depending on weather conditions.
To accommodate the work, Davis Highway and Fairfield Drive will be restricted to one lane in all directions near the intersection each night between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.   

Davis Hwy-Fairfield Dr intersection
Paving work at the intersection of Davis Highway and Fairfield Drive will require some day and nighttime lane closures.

Although most of the work will be performed during the nighttime hours to minimize traffic impacts, occasional daytime lane closures may be required.

Drivers should use caution, expect changes in traffic patterns and be aware of construction workers and construction equipment during this time.  To get the latest information on traffic advisories and lane closures, visit the project Web site at www.i10-i110.com.

All construction work is dependent on weather conditions and may be re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.
45 mph
Speed limit continues at 45 mph

The Florida Department of Transportation is reminding motorists to use caution and obey the 45 mph speed limit in the I-110 construction zone.

Obeying the speed limit is not only important for the safety of the workers and other drivers; it will also keep you from getting a speeding ticket. The Florida Highway Patrol is enforcing the 45 mph speed limit.

Traffic Switch
Construction on I-110 can be dangerous for drivers and workers.  Please obey the 45 mph speed limit.

"Speeding vehicles can be very dangerous for construction workers and drivers," said Dominic Richard, the FDOT construction project manager. "Once the project is completed later this summer the speed limit on Interstate 110 will return to 55 mph."

[FLRoads]

Thought since we are back "live" I would post this little article about the proposed U.S. 98 bypass in our neck of the woods:

From Northwest Florida News

Another step toward U.S. 98 bypass
Tom McLaughlin
Engineers planning the U.S. 98 bypass through Eglin must try to figure out the effect of controlled burns on toll revenue

The Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority has taken another baby step toward making a U.S. Highway 98 bypass a reality.

Authority board member Jay Odom on Thursday reported progress in negotiations with the Air Force and environmental groups toward eliminating obstacles posed by the endangered reticulated flatwoods salamander on Eglin Air Force Base property.

"The overall willingness of everyone to be involved, in my opinion, is very positive," Odom said.

Odom has worked for several months as the board's liaison with the military.

Environmental watchdogs also have placed a new challenge in front of Ray Reissener and his team of engineers developing bypass plans. In a nutshell, it lies in figuring out the financial impact of controlled burns.

Reissener, a vice president for HDR Engineering, said he has been charged with calculating how much toll revenue would be lost if the proposed bypass must be closed while controlled burns are conducted in salamander habitat.

"I have to prove it's financially feasible to close the road," Reissener said.

The reticulated flatwoods salamander is on the endangered species list largely because its habitat has been destroyed by development.

Before man encroached, the long-leaf pine-wiregrass areas where the salamander thrived benefitted from wildfires.

"The flatwoods salamander requires ponds with some open water for its habitat," said Randall Rowland, chief of the environmental division for the Eglin's 96th Civil Engineering Group.

"If there is no burning, the ponds get clogged with vegetative growth" and the habitat is compromised, Rowland said.

The salamander habitat that would be affected by an Eglin bypass lies primarily on the south end of the reservation west of Hurlburt Field.

Eglin fire managers typically burn off the underbrush in habitat areas in a single day, Rowland said. But if a bypass is built, "We'll probably have to cut the area into smaller blocks," he added.

The swampy area tends to smolder for several days after controlled burns, so the bypass could be closed for as long as a week, Rowland said.

"During a given year I think there could be up to four weeks of downtime," he said.

However, prescribed burns are required only every three to five years in areas where the salamanders live, Rowland said. And it's conceivable the burns would be alternated to limit the number of days in any given year the road would have to be closed.

Reissener said he is optimistic the burn issue can be resolved.

"I'm pretty sure we can work it out," he said. "I'm gonna predict we can withstand a couple of down weeks."
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So it all comes down to the issue of controlled burns in the salamander habitat? I say move these "endangered" creatures to a suitable location and be done with it. Then you can have all the controlled burns you want and not have to worry about losing revenue from closing the road. And why would this be a special case to have the proposed toll bypass closed for control burns when other areas have them and do not close nearby roads, but rather put up warning signs to alert motorists?

I have to trek 30 miles one-way to work five days a week and pretty much my only option is to navigate through the sludge of traffic along U.S. 98. If this bypass was already constructed my ride to work would be a breeze as the western terminus would be right by the house and an interchange is planned at Florida 85 just above where I work. The ride for me would be like a borg vessel using a transwarp conduit. But nope, I (and others) have to suffer due to this main issue.

[Alex]

All road work on Interstate 110 south of Brent Lane (SR 296) is finally completed. The road carries a full six lanes and no construction barriers remain after six years of work. Work is still underway at the Airport Boulevard split-diamond interchange. However traffic lights are already in place at the ramp ends with Airport with the signals flashing in caution mode, so it should not be long now.

[FLRoads]

I found this article this morning on the Northwest Florida Daily News website on the future flyover at Florida 85 and Florida 123:

Contractor chosen for interchange flyover
June 20, 2009 - 5:28 PM
Dusty Ricketts
Daily News

After years of planning and delays because of lack of funding, construction on the State Road 85-State Road 123 interchange flyover is gearing up to start.

Lake City, Fla.-based construction firm Anderson Columbia was awarded the contract to build the flyover. The project is being fully funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"It's going to relieve the congestion in that area," said Tommie Speights, spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation. "As the area grows, and with the expansion of the military, this project will relieve traffic and improve the safety."

The flyover project was the top priority project in the Northwest Florida region to be funded with federal stimulus dollars. Construction on the new flyover is expected to start in about three to four months and be completed around spring 2011.

In 2001, construction was expected to start in 2007, but plans were delayed several times because of a lack of funding. It wasn't until the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - commonly referred to as the stimulus funding - was approved that funding was secured.

While the project had been estimated to cost $46 million, Anderson Columbia's bid for the project came in at $25.1 million.

The project would build an overpass connecting the northbound lanes of SR 85 with SR 123, reducing congestion and eliminating the need for a traffic signal there. The project will also widen SR 85 South from four to six lanes and will reconstruct the entrance and exit to the Northwest Florida Regional Airport.

Hundreds of trees around the area where the flyover will be constructed were recently cut down by a private logging company. That was not a part of the official construction project.

I'll finally get to see some real road construction on my way to and from work soon. I will probably be taking a lot of photos of the progress of this future partial interchange.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/project-18341-flyover-construction.html

[Alex]

Construction Update
FDOT District Three    July 2009


Airport Boulevard on-and-off ramps open to public

All of the ramps and service roads are now open for the new Interstate 110 interchange at Airport Boulevard and Brent Lane.  The new interchange uses a unique "split diamond" design to comply with Federal Highway Administration regulations that govern the distances between interstate highway interchanges.

"Most interchanges feature both on- and off-ramps," said Tommie Speights, FDOT District Three public information director.  "In this case, Airport Boulevard and Brent Lane are only about a mile apart and that's too close for federal regulations to allow separate on- and off-ramps.  Sharing the ramps using a "split diamond" design makes the new interchange possible."

Now that the ramps are open, I-110 southbound traffic destined for either Brent Lane or Airport Boulevard exits Interstate 110 at Airport Boulevard (Exit 5).  Drivers can either access Airport Boulevard or continue to Brent Lane via a new southbound service road.  Northbound traffic on I-110 destined for either Brent Lane or Airport Blvd exits at Brent Lane (Exit 5) and can connect to Airport Boulevard using a new northbound service road.

The new Airport Boulevard on-and-off ramps to I-110 were opend to ttraffic last week.

Drivers have access to Interstate 110 northbound via a new on-ramp at Airport Boulevard.  Access to I-110 southbound is available via the Brent Lane on-ramp.

"The change in traffic patterns will take some getting used to." said Speights, "But the new interchange will help relieve congestion and provide a direct, four-lane connection between the interstate system and Pensacola-Gulf Coast Regional Airport."

Work on the project began in early 2007 and is slated for completion this summer.  As is the case with all construction work, inclement weather could extend completion of the project.

The $58 million I-110 improvements project is nearly complete.  The project has widened I-110 to six lanes between the Airport Boulevard overpass and Maxwell Street, and improved the interchanges at Davis Highway and Fairfield Drive.

Construction crews are now focused on the final details, such as installing roadway signage, placing sod and completing other aesthetic improvements.  The initiative began in 2004 and is slated for completion later this summer.

[Alex]

http://www.pnj.com/article/20090804/NEWS01/90804019

Pensacola to add four-way stops

August 4, 2009

Two intersections in the City of Pensacola are scheduled to be converted to four-way stops next week.

The Pensacola Police Department said in a news release that stop signs will be added at 12th Avenue and Barcia Drive and 12th Avenue and Maxwell Street.

The installations are scheduled for 9 a.m. and noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 11 and 12.
Motorists should expect intermittent lane closures.

[florida]

http://www.pnj.com/article/20090804/NEWS01/90804019

Pensacola to add four-way stops

August 4, 2009

Two intersections in the City of Pensacola are scheduled to be converted to four-way stops next week.

The Pensacola Police Department said in a news release that stop signs will be added at 12th Avenue and Barcia Drive and 12th Avenue and Maxwell Street.

The installations are scheduled for 9 a.m. and noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 11 and 12.
Motorists should expect intermittent lane closures.

Any old lights being taken down or just mast arms?

[Alex]

Any old lights being taken down or just mast arms?

12th Avenue was a good alternative to 9th Avenue to the west, but with two additional stop signs, its probably not so much now.

There's at least one span-wire signal assembly along the route. I think there's a set of flashers too, but have to check again to see if that is the case.

[florida]

Any old lights being taken down or just mast arms?

12th Avenue was a good alternative to 9th Avenue to the west, but with two additional stop signs, its probably not so much now.

There's at least one span-wire signal assembly along the route. I think there's a set of flashers too, but have to check again to see if that is the case.

Take the camera! 

[Alex]

We noted on Saturday some widening on FL 742 at Keating Drive and its for the addition of a new traffic light. 

Also saw one of the new four-way stop signs on 12th Avenue today.

[florida]

We noted on Saturday some widening on FL 742 at Keating Drive and its for the addition of a new traffic light. 

Also saw one of the new four-way stop signs on 12th Avenue today.

They're just evening out the ratio; two were taken down, so they had to add another somewhere. But, they're widening SR 742 from SR 289 to US 90? Or just the area around Keating Drive?