New state road could address access to Blue Angels practices

New state road could address access to Blue Angels practices

The Florida Department of Transportation, in a letter to NAS Pensacola Base Commander Capt. Tim Kinsella, stated it is receptive to building a new state road between the East (Navy Blvd.) and West (Blue Angel Pkwy.) entrances to the base that would allow public to access to Barrancas Cemetery, the Naval Aviation Museum, the Pensacola Lighthouse and the immensely popular Blue Angels flight demonstration team practice schedules.
The route would be an alternative to Gulf Beach Hwy/Sorrento Rd. corridor, and fortified fencing would be used to secure base access from the state road. FDOT already maintains public roads through Air Force bases at in Niceville and Panama City. The best and most cost effective way to move base traffic across the state road has not been determined.
Since the terrorist attack on NAS Pensacola on Dec. 6, 2019, the base has been closed to vehicles without a passenger or driver who holds a Department of Defense ID card. Blue Angels practices are open to the public in a viewing section behind the Aviation Museum beginning in March.