Florida is rebuilding Brooks Bridge, the connecting piece to Fort Walton Beach to Okaloosa Island on Highway 98.
On August 23, a groundbreaking was held under the bridge, marking the beginning of construction on the $171 million project.
The goal of the project is to upgrade the four lanes to six, extend past the Santa Rosa Blvd. intersection, and be set 65 feet in the air to prevent any boat collisions underneath.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) said that portions of the structure will stay open as thew new bridge is built.
“We will do everything in our power to maintain the existing traffic levels that we have today as we shift traffic, build the new parts, and then we’ll shift traffic to that and then reconstruct the old parts,” said Tim Smith, director of transportation development.
In January 2023, they began to set-up for construction.
FDOT says they have been keeping locals updated on the construction.
“So for the locals, we have workshops to let them know what’s going on. We have our website that talks about the project, and the phasing of traffic that we have. We have announcements on the Interstate so they know what’s going on whenever they get down here,” said Smith. “As far as the out-of-town traffic, you know the visitors to our area, we focus on putting up message boards, giving them plenty of advance warning that as we shift traffic they need to be made aware of those things happening.”
Construction is slated to be completed in the Fall of 2027.
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Source: MSN.com
