NICEVILLE — Billboards on Interstate 10 touting the convenience of the Mid-Bay Bridge as the fastest way to reach the beaches of Destin are due for an upgrade.
With theopening of the Mid-Bay Bridge Connector, Okaloosa County officials can offer motorists 16 miles of signal-free travel from I-10 to the bridge and the coast.
“We need to broadcast its availability to people everywhere,” said Ed Schroeder, director of the county’s Tourist Development Department. “If we’re successful, the road will be successful.”
While no studies have been done to measure the economic impact of the connector, Schroeder clearly sees benefits. He said he will seek to set aside funds in his next budget to assist the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority in getting the word out about the new road.
“It’s a tremendous marketing tool for us to blast people coming in on I-10 from as far away as Alabama,” he said. “We can divert people traveling into Florida; make it easy for them to get to the coast.”
The Bridge Authority will use tolls collected on the connector (starting at $1.50) and the Mid-Bay Bridge to pay down $260 million in debt.
Some questions arose as the connector was being built about possible negative impacts to Niceville and Valparaiso.
Travelers using the connector to get to Destin will exit State Road 85 and bypass the Twin Cities, removing through traffic and its potential boost to the local economy.
Nathan Sparks, executive director of the Okaloosa County Economic Development Council, said city officials “don’t anticipate much of a negative impact.”
Trish Brunson, president and CEO of the Niceville Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, said it’s possible the cities could even profit from no summertime gridlock.
“We’ve said from the beginning the traffic we have here will be more meaningful,” Brunson said. “Our residents won’t be hesitating to get out and do their shopping on Saturday, when in the past they had.”
Ruckel Properties, which owns the only 1,100 acres bordering the connector not in military hands, is planning a commercial and residential development. One of five connector interchanges will exit onto the Ruckel property.
“We think it will be advantageous to have the connector on one side of our property,” Ruckel’s Kelly Murphy-Redd said.
Brunson and chamber officials also have received a tentative OK from Eglin Air Force Base to place signs advertising generic items such as “food” or “lodging” and the distances to them from any of the five connector interchanges.
She said plans call for placing another sign at the north entrance of the connector to let travelers in need of creature comforts know how far it is to Niceville or Valparaiso.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.
