UPDATED Graphic by Romi White (pls note the original graphic incorrectly depicted the line for Broadmoor — the dashed purple line. We apologize for that error, which has been corrected).
A study is underway to determine the feasibility of a future Navarre community access road, which could potentially alleviate traffic on U.S. 98 by providing alternate East-West corridors between Edgewood Drive and Whispering Pines Boulevard.
The Navarre Community Access Road Feasibility Study is Santa Rosa County project managed by (the county) and Volkert, an engineering firm hired to facilitate the study. Input from citizens on the potential routes for the roadway is being sought through October 31.
So far no funding, other than that for the feasibility study, has been programmed for the potential future roadway, according to Santa Rosa County Planning and Zoning Director Shawn Ward,
“Pending the feasibility (study), we may be able to piecemeal it together,” Ward said, noting the county may also not take any action if the project is deemed unfeasible. “Once the feasibility study is complete we can move forward.”
During the September 12 Navarre Area Board of Realtors’ monthly membership luncheon, Arthur V. Hooks IV, a project engineer with Volkert, provided an update on the effort.
Hooks told the group of about 120 NABOR attendees that some of the initial route options were deemed unfeasible and removed from consideration (the remaining options are depicted in the graphic above).
Per Hooks, the project would not only assist in removing local traffic from U.S. 98 but also increase public safety by reducing the number of pedestrian and vehicle conflicts, providing dedicated and protected pedestrian and bicycle paths. Additionally, he said it would serve as an alternate access to Hwy. 87 S, a South-North evacuation route.
The first public meeting on the project took place in July and another is planned for May 2019. Following the gathering of public input, Volkert will make a final project presentation on the study results to Santa Rosa County Commissioners in June 2019.
Citizens can submit comments about the potential route options by October 31 to mike.warnke@volkert.com.
