PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Pensacola Bay Bridge is expected to reopen the week of May 31, 2021, but drivers should brace for lingering traffic headaches because a key roundabout at the north end will not be finished until July, Mayor Grover Robinson said.
By the time the bridge reopens, the flyover is expected to be complete, allowing motorists who exit the bridge to take 17th Avenue. The roundabout, however, is not scheduled for completion until July.
“We’re going to be asking that you try to access the bridge if you’re going to the beach, once it opens, that you go 9th Avenue,” Robinson said. “That’s basically the discussion. We don’t want people going 17th and we don’t want them going 14th because of the speed of the cars coming off. It’s going to be almost impossible to cross.”
In an update, the Florida Department of Transportation said contractors have completed demolition and pile driving at pier 70 on the Pensacola Bay Bridge and are preparing the site for placement of the new trophy piece. The targeted reopening remains the week of May 31, 2021.
FDOT is also improving the detour route on State Road 281 in Santa Rosa County by extending the southbound right-turn lane at U.S. 98 and installing a temporary traffic signal on Garcon Point Road by Monday, April 5. The agency said multiple crews are working around the clock, with the full project anticipated for completion in January 2022.
Motorists are urged to keep using available detour routes, which include the Garcon Point Bridge and State Road 87. Tolls on the Garcon Point Bridge are suspended through Friday, April 9, 2021. Commuters can also ride the Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) temporary bus route between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze free of charge.