Members of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce shared their worries with state Senate President Don Gaetz on Wednesday about plans to replace the Brooks Bridge.
“There were chamber board members there who expressed concern about the current location of the Brooks Bridge and their desire to look at another option,” Gaetz said.
With the Brooks Bridge approaching 50 years old, the DOT has set aside $3.5 million to study replacing the structure.
Local officials are concerned that the height and slope requirements for newer bridges could expand a new bridge’s footprint and devastate downtown Fort Walton Beach.
“The main point of the meeting this morning was to gain a better understanding of the process to evaluate the replacement bridge,” Fort Walton Beach City Manager Michael Beedie said in an email.
Gaetz said he urged those at Wednesday’s meeting to include U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller in discussions.
Federal influence will be required if city or county officials want to lobby for exemptions to height and slope requirements, Gaetz said.
Miller also will have to play a role in snagging help from the Federal Highway Administration to build an alternate bridge.
“It does not do any good to ring our hands about uses of federal money without involving Congressman Miller,” Gaetz said. “There’s no guarantee he can help, but you certainly don’t get help unless you ask for it.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.
