HURLBURT FIELD — Construction on the long-awaited U.S. Highway 98 overpass at the main entrance to the base is set to begin next week.
The $13.9 million project will include two two-lane bridges over Cody Avenue to try to relieve congestion at the intersection, which has been a growing problem for years.
About 57,000 vehicles travel through the intersection each day. About 11,000 of them enter Hurlburt Field’s gate, according to state and military officials.
See photos from the construction site. >>
The overpass not only is key for Okaloosa County, but shows the state’s commitment to its military installations, said Ian Satter, district spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the construction.
“We recognize the benefits that they bring not only to the community they are in, but to the state as a whole,” he said. “We want to help facilitate the base’s mission while also providing a safer and more efficient transportation system for all of the users of U.S. 98.”
The project is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2014.
While officials say traffic should flow more smoothly when the project is complete, there likely will be more delays during construction.
Some measures have been taken to try to lessen the inconvenience, including having any lane closures overnight instead of during the day, Satter said.
Lane closures only will be between 7 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., he said.
“We don’t want to do anything during the day that’s going to impact people trying to get to work or to home or to school or anywhere else,” he said.
Hurlburt Field and state officials also have prepared to open a second gate at Kerwood Road just east of the main gate. It will allow commuters coming to the base from the east to avoid the construction zone completely.
About 500 cars enter Hurlburt from Fort Walton Beach and Destin in the morning, said Dan Wilcoxen, military construction chief for the 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron at Hurlburt. About 270 leave in the afternoon.
“Hopefully, many of those folks will use the Kerwood Gate in the morning and afternoon,” he said.
Details of when the gate will be open and the traffic signal activated should be released in the next few weeks, Wilcoxen said.
Commercial and visitor traffic still must use the main gate, which will remain open throughout construction, Wilcoxen said. Eventually, a back gate will be opened to reroute commercial traffic off U.S. 98, which could pull 300 to 400 vehicles a day from the intersection.
Even with those measures, people likely will face the usual delays associated with a construction zone.
“Things do tend to slow down a little bit thorough there because people are trying to negotiate the new construction site and be aware of their surroundings, and we understand this,” Satter said. “With this project starting, give yourself a little extra time when you leave to head for your destination.”
Utility relocation and preparation of the Kerwood Road gate was completed earlier this month.
The first phase of the overpass work people will notice will be construction of temporary lanes in the median of U.S. 98 to reroute traffic as needed, Satter said.
Wilcoxen said he is looking forward to the project getting started and the benefits it will bring to the base and U.S. 98 travelers.
“So far, the FDOT staff and contractor team have been great to work with, and I think the overall project will be a success,” he said.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 or lreinlie@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.