Friday, August 14 - Santa Rosa County broke ground today on the Pea Ridge Connector, the first new four-lane, divided highway in three decades. Connecting Highway 90 with Hamilton Bridge Road, the roadway will act as a parallel to Woodbine Road, Chumuckla Highway, West Spencer Field Road and State Road 87. The project includes both bike lanes and sidewalks and will provide connections between several identified activity centers.
The Pea Ridge Connector formally known as the Bell Lane extension is a project within the Florida-Alabama 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The Pea Ridge Connector project was first identified as a need 20 years ago and has been included in the LRTP updates every five years since as required by federal transportation planning process. The analysis was developed based upon an evaluation of future land use and traffic demand along the project’s corridor with a projected volume of 8,000 vehicles per day.
“I am excited to see construction begin on this project that will bring positive change to our area for generations to come,” said Commissioner Sam Parker, District 1. “This is the largest road infrastructure project undertaken by Santa Rosa County in over 30 years. It will alleviate traffic congestion from nearby roadways, allow quicker response times by our first responders and provide the school district access to property they own for a future school site. This would not have been possible without the help and support of the landowners who donated the property and the support of my fellow county commissioners."
The Pea Ridge Connector is expected to be completed in the fall of 2022. Funding for the $8.8 million project will come from the Local Option Sales Tax. For more information, contact Assistant County Engineer Rebecca Jones P.E., 850-981-7100 or rebeccaj@santarosa.fl.gov.
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