State Road 388 / County Road 388

Florida State Road 388Bay County Road 388

SR 388 travels east from SR 79 at West Bay to SR 77 at Vicksburg to the north of West Bay. The state road joins Panama City Beach and Panama City with Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP), a $318 million facility opened on May 22, 2010.1 Bay County Road 388 comprises a 15.197 mile arc east from SR 77 near Vicksburg to Bennett and U.S. 231 at Youngstown.

The rural highway traverses timberland throughout its 12.339 mile course, much of which is owned by the St. Joe Company. Long range plans by the developer outline Watersound, a large-scale retirement community akin to the Villages in Lake, Marion and Sumter Counties. Approved by state and local agencies on June 30, 2015, the 110,000 acre Bay-Walton Sector Plan spans portions of both Walton and Bay Counties. It envisions 170,000 new residential units and 22 million square feet plus of retail, office, and industrial uses. Initial development targets areas west of SR 79 and north of the Intracoastal Waterway near the west end of SR 388.2

An agreement between the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Bay County Commission established State Road 388. Approved on June 4, 2013, the transfer shifted the 12.25 mile long highway between SR 79 and SR 77 to the state agency. The move precedes work to widen the state road to four lanes.3

The initial SR 388 expansion project (424464-7) will realign and four-lane a six mile section of SR 388, from east of Burnt Mill Creek to SR 77 at CR 388. Estimated to cost around $81.5 million, the future road work includes adding bike lanes and a multi-use path.4 An additional project will convert the intersection at West Bay Parkway, entrance road for Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP), into a multi-lane roundabout.5

The "Fighting for Florida's Future" FY 2017-18 Budget announced by Governor Rick Scott on January 31, 2017 allocated $10.8 million for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The budget included a $32.6 million investment to add lanes and rebuild SR 388 from SR 79 to east of ECP Airport, make signal improvements at SR 79 and construct the roundabout with West Bay Parkway.6 Bids for this project (424464-5) are scheduled for fall 2020.

References:

  1. "Hundreds celebrate airport's opening." Panama City News Herald (FL), May 23, 2010.
  2. "State, counties approve St. Joe’s massive Bay-Walton plan." Panama City News Herald (FL), June 30, 2015.
  3. "Commission OKs County 388 transfer to state." Panama City News Herald (FL), June 5, 2013.
  4. "FDOT to widen 6 miles of Highway 388." Panama City News Herald (FL), July 26, 2018.
  5. "Roundabout planned at Beaches International entrance." Panama City News Herald (FL), November 10, 2017.
  6. "Gov. Scott's "Fighting for Florida's Future" Budget Invests More than $10 Billion in Florida's Transportation and Infrastructure." Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), news release. January 31, 2017.
  7. "Soaring to success: 5 years after opening, beach airport continues to break records." Panama City News Herald (FL), October 10, 2015.

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Page Updated Thursday August 23, 2018.