On the already congested four lanes that are the only east-west route through southwest Okaloosa county, any traffic tie-ups on U.S. Highway 98 — no matter how minor — can cause massive congestion.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, frustrated drivers found themselves backed up for miles between Navarre and Fort Walton Beach.
The worst of it came Wednesday.
Work on an overpass at Hurlburt Field’s main gate largely has been taking place overnight between the evening and morning commutes. But shortly after midnight Wednesday, construction crews hit a snag.
After driving temporary sheet pile walls in the ground, crews noticed a stretch of U.S. 98 just east of Cody Avenue had sunk about four inches, said Ian Satter, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. Crews determined they would have to keep one westbound lane closed until they could figure out what had caused the dip and fix it.
The loss of one lane caused major traffic clogs. Motorists during Wednesday’s rush hours reported westbound traffic backups of more than seven miles from into Fort Walton Beach.
The lane was reopened by 5 p.m., Satter said. The ground below the road had simply settled. Crews injected fill under the pavement and leveled it out.
“We had to make sure that road was safe and secure,” Satter said. “We do understand the inconvenience. It was something that was not planned; it just happened.”
He said if lane closures are required, the DOT will give advance notice so drivers can plan.
On Tuesday, a wreck on westbound U.S. 98 at Parrish Boulevard in Florosa about 3:30 p.m. caused a similar snarl. Although it was a minor accident, traffic backed up significantly, according to motorists.
About 42,500 cars use U.S. 98 near Hurlburt Field every day, Satter said. That number drops by 10,000 to 15,000 at the Santa Rosa County line to the west and toward Mary Esther to the east.
The new overpass at Hurlburt should help ease some problems by eliminating the traffic light at Cody Avenue and keep vehicles moving, Satter said.
However, with no alternate route and no immediate plans to widen the highway, people can expect U.S. 98 to be prone to congestion for the near future.
“We do understand the area is growing a lot and this is the major corridor along the coast,” Satter said. “We are always looking at options of what we can do to assist, but there are no plans to widen right now. Funding for that would be a pretty large dollar amount.”
TO LEARN MORE: The DOT has a Facebook page to give motorists information about day-to-day construction plans at Hurlburt Field. It is: https://www.facebook.com/US98CodyAvenue
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 or lreinlie@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.
