The City of Fort Walton Beach will hold a public meeting in August to gather input on proposed safety improvements to Hollywood Boulevard between east of Eglin Parkway and Bay Drive.

• The open-house workshop will run from 5 to 6 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Fort Walton Beach Recreation Center at 132 Jet Drive. City staff and consultants will present three alternative concepts for the 0.9-mile corridor, with all options reducing vehicle lanes from four to two and adding bicycle and pedestrian features.

The project stems from the city’s Ferry Park Neighborhood Traffic Study completed in November 2023, which identified speeding and crashes along Hollywood Boulevard. Vehicle speeds ranged from 42 mph to 50 mph on the corridor, which has a posted speed limit of 30 mph.

Additional traffic analysis prepared in March 2025 evaluated reducing Hollywood Boulevard east of Ferry Road from four lanes to two lanes and converting the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Ferry Road to a roundabout. The analysis showed both changes would improve safety while maintaining acceptable traffic flow for a projected 5,800 vehicles per day by 2047.

• All three alternatives include the roundabout at Ferry Road and Hollywood Boulevard. The intersection is considered high-crash and Hollywood Boulevard is on the High-Injury Network established by regional transportation planning organizations in December 2024.

Alternative 1 would introduce gentle meanders in both travel lanes and convert the second lane to two central 8-foot sidewalks with 6-foot sidewalks on each side. Some palm tree removal may be needed at the chicanes.

Alternative 2 would also use gentle meanders but convert the center median and landscaping to a central 12-foot shared-use path, requiring removal of existing palm trees in the median. This option includes 6-foot sidewalks on both sides.

Alternative 3 would introduce speed tables instead of chicanes and convert the second travel lane to a 6-foot sidewalk on one side and 12-foot shared-use path on the other side while retaining the existing center median.

• All alternatives maintain two 10-foot vehicle travel lanes and the 30 mph speed limit. The roundabout would accommodate trucks, recreational vehicles and boat trailers while serving pedestrians and bicyclists.

The project is funded by the city’s Half Cent Sales Tax Fund but construction funding has not been secured. No business or residential relocations would be required under any alternative.

Following the meeting, city staff will review public comments and make a recommendation to the City Manager and City Council for a preferred alternative to advance to the design phase. Comments postmarked by Aug. 29 will become part of the official record.

Persons requiring special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or translation services should contact the city at least seven days before the meeting.