Okaloosa County BOCC — February 18, 2014 — Widening of US 98 Project Information Sheet — reading text

Project to Widen US 98 Tang-O-Mar Drive to Airport Road Project Description The Florida Department of Transportation is currently in the design phase of a plan to widen two sections of US 98 to six lanes. One section reaches from Tang-O-Mar Drive in the Sandestin area to the Walton-Okaloosa County Line and the other is from the Walton-Okaloosa County Line to Airport Road in Destin. This project will improve and beautify the roadway providing: • 26 to 30-foot wide curb & gutter center medians landscaped with trees and other plantings • Five to eight-foot wide sidewalks on both sides of the roadway separated from the curb by landscaped areas when possible • Four-foot wide bike lanes on both sides of the roadway Project Status Okaloosa County Section • Design Phase 90% Complete; Expected Completion May 2014 • Current FDOT Cost Estimates: Roadway Construction - $30 million; ROW - $1.2 million Walton County Section • Design Phase 60% Complete; Expected Completion December 2014 • Current FDOT Cost Estimate: Roadway Construction - $31 million; ROW - $6.5 million • #1 Project on Okaloosa-Walton TPO Table 4: FY 15-19 SIS Project Priorities List Benefits of the Project With traffic congestion rapidly worsening in these areas, the need for this project is great. This project benefits both our permanent residents and our visitors as it will: • Improve commerce between Walton and Okaloosa Counties • Enhance the connectivity of people to jobs and services, businesses to suppliers and customers, visitors to destinations and students to schools • Create a safer environment for vehicular traffic, cyclists and pedestrians • Improve evacuation times during disaster events • Create jobs • Improve the multimodal aspect of the roadway • Decrease fuel consumption • Lessen pollution from vehicle exhaust produced while idling • Make this an attractive corridor 1  Project to Widen US 98 Tang-O-Mar Drive to Airport Road Timeframe Design is scheduled to be complete by December of 2014, but construction of the project is currently unfunded. We have a short-term opportunity to lobby for funding as Senator Don Gaetz is serving his last year as Senate President next year. As the Senate goes into the 2014 Legislative Session in early March, we have the leadership in place for a short time that can help get this done for our communities. Our goal is to obtain funding for a fall 2015 construction start date for both sections of the project. Action Plan • Gather resolutions from municipal bodies and organizations (Will provide a template) – Immediate and ongoing • Gather letters of support from Walton and Destin Chamber members and other local businesses (Will provide a template) – Meeting with Chamber presidents, Boards and Governmental Affairs Committee ongoing • Meet with FDOT District 3 Secretary Tommy Barfield to discuss prioritization of the project and verify cost figures – Met January 6, 2014; FDOT is supportive of advancing the funding timeframe for this project. • Educate legislators around the state and the Governor’s office about the project – Mid- December - February • Provide public forums to educate community members and address concerns – February 13 and February 20 • Request a resolution supporting the project from the Okaloosa-Walton TPO Board – February 20, 2014, 3:00 p.m. at Destin City Hall Annex • Send all resolutions and letters of support to Senator Gaetz – Late February 2