The Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) last evening hosted a public workshop, which was focused on 2026 transportation priorities, including discussions on historic downtown Milton highway improvements. Citizens who missed the workshop can still submit comments on those priorities online (see below).
During the 90-minute workshop, I didn’t notice any Santa Rosa County Commissioners in attendance, including the Milton district commissioner, Kerry Smith, who is up for re-election during this summer’s primary. Smith didn’t reply to a question asking if he showed up.
But I did see most of Smith’s challengers: Jeff Ates, Renee Johnmeyer, R.C. Pittman, and Jeff Snow. Also present were most of the Milton City Council, Milton Police Chief Jen Frank, and dozens of citizens.
The workshop was important because currently the three projects to widen U.S. 90 are priorities #7-9 on the non-Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) project priorities. In a nutshell, a SIS or non-SIS designation denotes top priorities (SIS). For example, U.S. 98 was shifted from a non-SIS to a SIS project years ago, and that’s why its widening to six lanes throughout Santa Rosa County has been underway. You can thank former Florida Senator Doug Broxson for his help with that.
Many of those with whom I spoke last night would like to see the U.S. 90 widening projects get SIS designation. However, one of the reasons Sen. Broxson and other state legislators were able to get U.S. 98 widening shifted to SIS funding was the impact of congestion on military operations.
One of the most engaged and knowledgeable citizens in our area is former Milton City Councilman Vernon Compton, who attended the workshop and suggested what could be a simple solution.
Compton says Hwy. 90 can be widended WITHOUT the controversial relocating or demolishing of certain historic structures which contribute to downtown Milton’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Per Compton, the existing building footprint is wide enough to allow four lanes if a bicycle/pedestrian bridge was built where the former temporary bridge used during construction of the existing two-lane bridge over Blackwater River.
So if you’re sick & tired of the traffic congestion on U.S. 90, you might want to ask the TPO to shift up the U.S. 90 widening projects via this link BEFORE May 1:
The survey has a “blank” section toward the end where citizens can submit specific comments, such as requesting the bicycle/pedestrian bridge to reduce the required width of space for the widening.
What happens next? The TPO, which is comprised of local elected leaders from Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Washington, and Holmes, will update its list of transportation project priorities during May 12 & 13 meetings.
