Plan aims to ease GB congestion
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

What to do with the traffic problems on Hwy. 98 through Gulf Breeze is still a questionable issue in the new Master Plan for Hwy. 98 presented to the county Monday, June 25.

County Commissioners received a Master plan for Hwy. 98 improvements crossing eight counties. The plan is a result of three years of work by the US 98 Corridor Authority, which was made up of representatives from all eight counties, including Santa Rosa. Commissioners were told Monday this is not a preliminary plan, but the final master plan.

Of course, as with all master plans, it can be revised and will be reviewed annually for any changes needed.

But commissioners were told Monday by some members of the Master plan committee that the biggest problem they were and still are facing in all eight counties is the corridor of Navarre to Pensacola -- especially Gulf Breeze. One solution, they hope, will be a proposed new bridge to Pensacola. Another will be a by pass off Hwy. 87, and another possible six-laning of Hwy. 98 through Navarre.

County Commissioner John Broxson of Gulf Breeze proposed looking at the possibility of elevated roads through Gulf Breeze to help with congestion problems. He said Representative Ray Sansom was the first to bring this idea to the county, after making a trip to Tampa and seeing their elevated highways. "It also relieves the problem of buying right of ways, " Broxson said.

Commissioner Bob Cole agreed, "I think by putting another lane on the ground, especially in the Gulf Breeze area, it only is a temporary fix for future problems. Elevated highways are going to be the future for many areas, and may be the answer here."

Representatives of the Master plan committee said elevated roads are always on the table, but they wanted to see what would happen with the proposed bridge before making any definite decisions.

Commissioner Gordon Goodin of Navarre said, "Gulf Breeze is going to become a bedroom community, with some retail. I think we need to move the through traffic to the east of Gulf Breeze, to ease the congestion there. I am afraid putting elevated highways there would conflict with the purpose we are trying to achieve of moving the through traffic."

The US 98 Corridor Authority was formed in 2004, and given the deadline of July 2007 to come up with a Master Plan for Hwy. 98. It also outlines goals and objectives, and gives four alternatives to how the committee sees Hwy. 98 could be improved, which includes by passes around some areas and a new Pensacola Bridge being built between Pensacola and Santa Rosa County, as well as four-laning and six- laning some segments of the highway -- like six lanes through Navarre.

Commissioners were told Monday "nothing has been finally decided".

Commissioner Tom Stewart said, "About three or four years ago I would have said the problems with traffic along Hwy. 98 could not be fixed for any amount of money, with all the counties and municipalities involved. But you have all done a wonderful job. You have come up with some good possible solutions and goals."