Here is another article published in today's paper. Let's see, how long has Hwy 98 been under construction?
This affects South Walton more than Destin, so please read the article.
U.S. 98 work has long road ahead
Project includes closing, modifying median cuts in South Walton County
By GREG DAVENPORT gregd@hurlburtwarrioer.com
If you thought you knew U.S. Highway 98 in Destin and South Walton County, be prepared for re-education as the Florida Department of Transportation modifies a 7.5-mile stretch from Airport Road east to Scenic Highway 98.
The $12.7 million project began last fall, and Roberts Contracting has another 11 months to complete the job, said DOT district spokesman Tommie Speights.
?Work started in September of 2007, and the contractor has 506 days to finish from the time they started, not including weather days,? Speights said.
The project includes milling and resurfacing, widening turn lanes to develop bicycle paths, laying new sidewalks, marking crosswalks and installing wheelchair ramps at signalized intersections.
However, people seem most concerned about plans to modify or close median cuts on U.S. 98.
The Okaloosa portion of the project will have no modifications, but Walton County will see several.
The median east of Holiday Road and west of Forest Shore Drive and the median 200 yards west of the driveway to Golf Garden will be removed.
In addition, seven other medians will be ?directionalized? to prohibit left turns.
Speights said the changes should improve traffic flow and reduce the number of accidents.
?What we?re doing is closing or modifying medians for safety,? he said. ?When you have too many medians, it causes conflicts with drivers.?
He said grumbling about the project has been minimal because the work is being done between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
?We?ve had minor complaints,? Speights said. ?Some of those have been access to businesses. There may be times when a driveway may be blocked for a short period of time, but since the improvements are done at night the inconvenience has been very minor.?
Speights said he won?t know when the median modifications will be done; the contractor?s only obligation is to complete the job in 506 days.
This affects South Walton more than Destin, so please read the article.
U.S. 98 work has long road ahead
Project includes closing, modifying median cuts in South Walton County
By GREG DAVENPORT gregd@hurlburtwarrioer.com
If you thought you knew U.S. Highway 98 in Destin and South Walton County, be prepared for re-education as the Florida Department of Transportation modifies a 7.5-mile stretch from Airport Road east to Scenic Highway 98.
The $12.7 million project began last fall, and Roberts Contracting has another 11 months to complete the job, said DOT district spokesman Tommie Speights.
?Work started in September of 2007, and the contractor has 506 days to finish from the time they started, not including weather days,? Speights said.
The project includes milling and resurfacing, widening turn lanes to develop bicycle paths, laying new sidewalks, marking crosswalks and installing wheelchair ramps at signalized intersections.
However, people seem most concerned about plans to modify or close median cuts on U.S. 98.
The Okaloosa portion of the project will have no modifications, but Walton County will see several.
The median east of Holiday Road and west of Forest Shore Drive and the median 200 yards west of the driveway to Golf Garden will be removed.
In addition, seven other medians will be ?directionalized? to prohibit left turns.
Speights said the changes should improve traffic flow and reduce the number of accidents.
?What we?re doing is closing or modifying medians for safety,? he said. ?When you have too many medians, it causes conflicts with drivers.?
He said grumbling about the project has been minimal because the work is being done between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
?We?ve had minor complaints,? Speights said. ?Some of those have been access to businesses. There may be times when a driveway may be blocked for a short period of time, but since the improvements are done at night the inconvenience has been very minor.?
Speights said he won?t know when the median modifications will be done; the contractor?s only obligation is to complete the job in 506 days.
