County expected to take ownership of Perdido Key Dr.

County expected to take ownership of Perdido Key Dr.
Florida would take control of Beulah Dr. as part of land swap

Escambia County Commissioners are expected to approve legislation to take control of Perdido Key Dr. and transfer part of Beulah Dr. to the State of Florida at its Sept. 5 meeting. According to a Jim Little story in the Pensacola News Journal, the transfer will allow the state to pay for a new Interstate 10 exit at Beulah Rd. and allow Escambia County to make traffic improvements on Perdido Key Dr.
Under the proposed agreement, 2.5 miles of Beulah Road from Mobile Highway to Isaacs Lane would transfer to state control, opening up state dollars to expand and improve the road, and Perdido Key Drive would transfer to county control.
Commissioner Jeff Bergosh, who represents the Beulah area, said the county doesn’t have the money to add an interstate interchange there. The Beulah Road I-10 exit is also key to the county’s long-range sector plan, which calls for a new connector from Beulah Rd. to U.S. 29 in Cantonment, according to the News-Journal. “I think everyone recognizes it’s the most important project in the county,” Bergosh said.
Commissioner Doug Underhill, who represents Perdido Key, told the News Journal when the county takes over Perdido Key Dr., it will immediately begin installing better pedestrian crossings and implement changes to improve traffic slowdowns at the state line. The Flora-Bama has been paying the full cost of hiring Escambia County deputies to work as crossing guards at the state line for many years.
Underhill also told the News Journal that the county could persue a traffic circle or traffic light at the intersection of Johnson Beach Rd. and Perdido Key Dr and FDOT will keep its funding in place for the planned bike path along Perdido Key Dr.
Skeptics on social media have questioned whether the county would have the funds to rebuild Perdido Key Dr. after the next major storm, according to the News Journal. Underhill told the newspaper Escamabia County could use reserve funds to repair the road and then seek reimbursement from the Federal Highway Administration and FEMA.
Perdidio resident Randy Cudd is one of the social media skeptics. “Escambia County is broke. It can’t keep up with the roads it has now,’’ he said. “They will never spend the kind of money necessary to make Perdido Key Dr. a functional road. Even though the county can make road changes easier than the State of Florida, it can’t afford to.’’
The Perdido Key Assn. supports the land swap as a way to jump start movement on the Perdido Key Master Plan, which includes a major modification to the Perdido Key Drive/Johnson Beach Road intersection.
“We support the proposal to change control of Perdido Key Drive from the State of Florida to Escambia County, an arrangement that should improve both vehicular and pedestrian/bicycle safety and perhaps facilitate fulfillment of the Perdido Key Master Plan,” said president Charles Krupnick.