Project description
Click here for a diagram of the completed project.
The S.R. 85/123 interchange improvement project includes widening S.R. 85 to six lanes between General Bond Boulevard and the Northwest Florida Regional Airport. In addition, a flyover ramp is being constructed on S.R. 85 northbound to allow traffic to connect seamlessly with S.R. 123. The new ramp will alleviate delays as northbound drivers attempt to turn left onto S.R. 123.
Access to the Northwest Florida Regional Airport is being improved as part of this project. The S.R. 85 north and southbound travel lanes are being elevated to pass above the northernmost entrance to the airport. Service roads beneath the new overpass will connect the improved airport entrance to/from both S.R. 85 and 123.
Work began in August 2009 and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2012.
To minimize traffic impacts, lane closures are being restricted during peak travel times. No lane closures are permitted on S.R. 85 northbound between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., or on S.R. 85 southbound between 6 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The S.R. 85/123 construction initiative is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Economists estimate that approximately 1,300 jobs are being either created or sustained by the construction activities.