FDOT: All Travel Lanes Open on the Pensacola Bay Bridge

Chipley, Fla. – All six lanes on the Pensacola Bay Bridge are now open to traffic after the opening of the third travel lane on the eastbound structure earlier today. With the opening of the lane, each bridge structure consists of three, 12-foot travel lanes flanked by 10-foot shoulders.

While all six travel lanes on the bridge are now open, additional work remains to complete the project. Tasks will include painting, work on the bridge’s aesthetic lighting system, completion of the wayside park area in Gulf Breeze, and completion of the shared-use path on the westbound bridge. These activities will, at times, require intermittent nighttime lane closures. Completion of the project is currently estimated for later this spring.

With a construction cost of approximately $440-million, the Pensacola Bay Bridge replacement project is the largest transportation initiative in Northwest Florida history. More than 55,000 drivers travel the bridge daily between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze. The modern, six-lane structure replaces a four-lane bridge that opened in 1960. The original bridge across the bay was a two-lane drawbridge that opened in 1931.

All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.

For more information visit the Florida Department of Transportation District Three on the web at www.nwflroads.com, on Twitter @myfdotnwfl, or on Facebook at facebook.com/MyFDOTNWFL.