On the Road to Recovery
By Dusty Ricketts, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach
Oct. 3–NAVARRE BEACH — Construction on the long-damaged State Road 399 between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach is finally expected to begin in about two weeks.
About 30 percent of the 7-mile road sustained damage during Hurricane Dennis in 2005, said Jerry Eubanks, superintendent of Gulf Islands National Seashore. Construction has been designed to be as inexpensive as possible.
Panhandle Paving & Grading will repair the road. The company will use a sand and cement mixture for its base to keep the cost down. Asphalt will go over the base.
"Certainly people are waiting to get on that road," Eubanks said. "I’m glad to see it finally starting to move. It’s been a long time."
The wait to get funding from the Federal Highway Administration delayed construction, Eubanks said.
The FHA initially wanted to build a hardened road that could better withstand storm surges. However, the cost was too much and Eubanks said the agency decided to go with the less costly method.
The road sustained considerable damage from Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. Repairs were nearly completed and the road was temporarily reopened for the July 4 weekend, but Hurricane Dennis damaged it again less than a week later on July 10.
The work will be done in three phases. The stretch from Navarre Beach west to Opal Beach park will be completed first, followed by repairs to the park and then from the park to Pensacola Beach.
Eubanks said portions of Opal Beach park are expected to be opened as construction progresses there. While adjustments may be made to the locations of some of the buildings and pavilions, Eubanks said it would essentially be rebuilt as it was before the hurricanes.
—–
To see more of the Northwest Florida Daily News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nwfdailynews.com.
Copyright (c) 2007, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.