A $3.1 million rehabilitation project on the Mid-Bay Bridge over the Choctawhatchee Bay will begin this month, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

• The 31-year-old bridge connecting Destin and Niceville will undergo routine maintenance work over the next year to “extend the service life of the bridge through inspection and preventive maintenance,” FDOT said.

Construction is slated to start in late January and finish by Spring 2025. The Mid-Bay Bridge Authority is funding the project through toll revenue, according to board member Parker Destin.

• “The MidBay Bridge has its 31st birthday this year and is technically middle aged. This rehabilitation project is a smart investment in the ‘health’ of the bridge to ensure that it can continue to be operated at the highest levels of safety while hopefully meeting and exceeding its original lifespan,” Destin said.

The rehabilitation will focus on concrete surface repairs from normal wear and tear over decades of use. According to FDOT, there has been some “spalling” on the bridge, which refers to concrete chips and cracks.

“FDOT is doing some surface concrete repairs. There’s been spalling on the bridge, which is typical. It’s just more routine maintenance,” said Ian Satter, an FDOT spokesperson. “They’re going to be repairing and patching some surface areas of the bridge, fixing some of the areas where the concrete might have chipped.”

Satter emphasized the maintenance is routine and the bridge remains structurally sound.

• “Just like every bridge, they require maintenance just like your home or vehicle. So we’re just doing routine maintenance of that. This helps with the longevity of the structure and by performing this routine maintenance, we can make sure that bridge can exist to its expected lifespan,” he said.

The Mid-Bay Bridge Authority said the concrete repairs are similar to fixing potholes or chipped driveways. The bridge will also be fully sealed “to help it perform and last longer,” the authority said.

In addition to concrete work, crews will also paint beams underneath the bridge. New reflective markers will be installed along the centerline of the bridge to help alert drivers if they drift lanes.

• According to the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority, the new raised pavement markers came out of a safety study that the Authority had done with the DOT to help better audibly notify a motorist that they were entering the center line area. 

The bulk of construction will happen Sunday through Thursday nights from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. when traffic is lightest. Temporary single-lane closures will be in place with flaggers moving traffic through the work zones.

• No lane closures or other impacts are scheduled on holidays or during the peak summer tourist season, FDOT said.

Satter said the overnight work will allow traffic to keep flowing, although slower.

• “There won’t be complete closures. There will just be some restrictions like down to one lane in one direction,” he said.

The Mid-Bay Bridge Authority said only a couple hundred vehicles typically cross the bridge overnight per hour.

Since opening in June 1993, the Mid-Bay Bridge has served as an integral part of our north-south highway system in Northwest Florida. The 3.6 mile, two (2) lane toll bridge spanning the Choctawhatchee Bay in Okaloosa County, provides a primary transportation link between the communities of Niceville and Destin.