Okaloosa County BOCC — May 4, 2013 — Brooks Bridge Corridor History — reading text

US 98/Brooks Bridge Corridor History Provided by Florida Department of Transportation • Brooks Bridge constructed in 1965-66 • Ft. Walton Beach Bridge Authority(FWBBA) established by SB 3120 in 1990 • FWBBA had seven members appointed by the Okaloosa BCC and the Governor along with the FDOT District Secretary as an ex-officio non voting member • FWBBA received two loans from the FDOT Toll Facilities Revolving Trust Fund (TFRTF) in 1991 and 1992 for a total of $1,290,000 to complete the appropriate studies • Preliminary engineering and Traffic and Revenue (T&R) studies were completed looking at several different corridors • City of Ft. Walton Beach referendum held with 84%rejection of toll proposals • FWBBA went dormant with a debt owed to FDOT of just over $1 million for its TFRTF loans • Emerald Coast Bridge Authority (ECBA) was established in 2001 through a legislative act under HB 1897 • ECBA members all appointed by Governor with FDOT District 3 Secretary a non-voting ex-officio member. • ECBA received several loans from the TFRTF and in doing so agreed to pay back debt of the FWBBA • Work proceeded on Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) analysis in mid September of 2003 with the Figg Engineering Group acting as the authority’s lead consultant • Two charettes allowing public input where held during the PD&E process (about two years) along with other public meetings • Three corridors made it through the process with possible crossings at Hollywood Blvd., Wright St. and the existing bridge corridor • City of Ft Walton beach sent a letter to the ECBA on March 16, 2006 in opposition of any of the three corridor options to be constructed as Toll facilities. They were willing to work with the bridge authority and the newly established Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority (NFTCA) to develop a project that would minimize the impact to the downtown and neighborhoods and not be tolled • Shortly after this the ECBA stopped meeting and returned any unused funds to the FDOT • The NFTCA is about to adopt a 2012/2013 update to their master plan and it does not have a replacement to the Brooks Bridge included