Brooks Bridge construction is moving forward in Fort Walton Beach as crews place precast concrete panels along the mechanically stabilized earth wall.

• The MSE walls support, stabilize and retain the soil used to elevate the U.S. 98 travel lanes at the westbound bridge approach for the new Brooks Bridge.

The precast concrete panels feature a decorative geometric pattern and are secured by high-strength reinforcement straps embedded within the reinforced soil mass behind the wall. The MSE wall matches the MSE wall constructed on Okaloosa Island.

The sidewalk along the north side of Brooks Bridge and U.S. 98, adjacent to the westbound travel lanes, remains closed. Pedestrians traveling within the project limits, between Pier Road on Okaloosa Island and Perry Avenue in Fort Walton Beach, must use the sidewalk on the south side of the road adjacent to the U.S. 98 eastbound travel lanes.

• The designated pedestrian route in Fort Walton Beach provides access between the Brooks Bridge and Brooks Street.

The $171-million Brooks Bridge replacement project includes constructing two new, parallel bridge structures that will increase capacity to six travel lanes. The current bridge, which opened in 1966, has four lanes.

The Florida Department of Transportation is overseeing the project.