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Schedule

Gulf Coast Parkway




Project Evolution

The Gulf Coast Parkway is a proposed new roadway that will connect US 98 in Gulf County with US 231 in Bay County. The existing corridor is becoming increasingly congested and the roadway is insufficient for freight movement via trucks. The proposed new roadway would provide additional traffic capacity, improve access to state roads, and provide an improved freight corridor for the region. The new route will provide for more direct access to US 231 and in turn provide improved access to Interstate-10, as well as providing greater accessibility to the coastal communities in Gulf County. Currently, US 98 crosses through Tyndall Air Force Base. The proposed new facility will bypass the air force base which will allow for heightened security on the base and provide an alternate route if passage through the base is temporarily blocked or restricted. Additionally, the new route will provide an alternative hurricane evacuation route for area residents.

A Gulf Coast Parkway Feasibility Study was initiated in 2001 by Opportunity Florida, a non-profit regional economic development partnership. Opportunity Florida was created to strengthen the business environment in eight northwest Florida counties designated by Governor Bush as Rural Areas of Critical Concern in 1999. In spring 2000, the Florida legislature created and funded the Transportation Outreach Program (TOP). This program was created to: fund projects of a high priority based on prevailing principles of preserving the existing transportation infrastructure; enhance Florida’s economic growth and competitiveness; and improve travel choices to ensure mobility.

Upon completion of the feasibility study, Opportunity Florida sought and received a state-funded grant in 2004 to prepare a State Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for this project. Subsequent to the initiation of the SEIR, federal funds were earmarked in order to initiate the design of certain portions of the project if a Build Alternative was recommended at the conclusion of the SEIR. In order to ensure that the project was eligible for federal funds, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was initiated in December 2006.

Opportunity Florida transferred project responsibility and the remaining contractual obligations for the Project Development & Environment (PD&E) study to the Florida Department of Transportation on June 30, 2008. This was to ensure the project was eligible for Federal funding and to maintain compliance with Federal funding requirements. As a Federally-aided State Highway project, there are requirements and procedures to be followed to preserve eligibility for Federal funding for this project. Chief among the prerequisites is that FDOT, the lead agency, be solely responsible for the administration of the project and any environmental review process intended to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 6002 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Federal law requires that FDOT, rather than Opportunity Florida, be responsible for development of any environmental or other project level process meant for Federal Aid approval.

In 2009 the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the Corridor Alternatives Evaluation Summary Report (the report is available for review in the menu to the left). This report outlined the previously proposed 12 alternative corridors. Four of these 12 proposed alternative corridors as well as an additional alternative alignment have been determined to go forward for further analysis. These five alternative alignments were presented to the public on October 15 and 20th 2009.

The five alternatives are being analyzed and compared and the results will be available in Draft Environment Impact Statement (DEIS). The DEIS will be submitted in the fall of 2010. The PD&E study is currently scheduled to be completed in the winter of 2011.