DESTIN — Residents at an informational meeting Thursday night had differing views about plans to widen and modify U.S. Highway 98.
“We want to make sure the public has input on the corridor,” Ian Satter, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said at the meeting at Village Baptist Church.
About 25 people looked at maps, chatted with DOT officials and left comments about the plans to widen 4.1 miles of U.S. 98 to six lanes from Airport Road east to the Walton County line. The project would skip the existing six-lane stretch from Matthew Boulevard east to Kel Wen Circle.
“We recognized the need,” Satter said of the project. “It’s not a secret that people are moving here. We want to make sure the roadway is set for 30, 40 years in the future.”
Other improvements would include modifying traffic signals and adding sidewalks, curb ramps and handrails to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. Bicycle lanes also would be added at all right-turn lanes.
The $33.8 million project is unfunded at the moment. Work will begin as soon as funding is available, Satter said.
Although a timetable hasn’t been set yet, similar projects take almost three years to complete, he said.
Destin businessman Craig Norwood was unsure how he felt about the project as he looked at one of the maps. His business, The Track Family Recreation Center, sees 250,000 to 300,000 visitors each year, all of whom may have problems leaving the park because of the construction.
“We have safety concerns, primarily,” Norwood said.
The plans had Joanna Gann and Margaret Gesler discussing whether to sell their homes. The 20-year-old magnolia trees that serve as a buffer between their homes in the Tuscany subdivision and U.S. 98 would be removed to widen the highway. Gann said would increase the noise and lower her home’s value.
“This is just going to make it like you come out of your door and onto the highway,” she said.
For Larry Looney, the inconveniences and changes of construction would be worth it in the end. He was particularly happy to see plans for a traffic light at Indian Bayou Trail.
“Traffic is getting heavier all the time,” Looney said. “I think it’ll help traffic flow and safety, too.”
