Military leaders, elected representatives and transportation officials met Monday at a roundtable hosted by Air Force Special Operations Command to review progress and explore new projects aimed at reducing congestion along U.S. Highway 98.

• The meeting, held at the Freedom Tech Center in Fort Walton Beach, brought together participants to assess work completed since the first roundtable in 2023 and to identify future improvements along the highway.

As the primary route serving Hurlburt Field and surrounding communities, Highway 98 plays a critical role in supporting daily military operations and emergency response.

“When we talk about the safety, mission impacts and quality of life for our Airmen, we take this very seriously,” said Col. Mark Hamilton, 1st Special Operations Wing Commander. “When the state and community provides resources, we react, and by continuing to build the bridges between Hurlburt and the surrounding communities, we will make some type of progress on projects that will make this an even greater place to live.”

Participants reviewed several short-term initiatives designed to ease traffic and improve coordination during emergencies. Those efforts include increased Florida Highway Patrol presence during peak traffic periods, the Warrior Road Act and coordination between Hurlburt Field and the Florida Department of Transportation to reduce the effects of roadway construction projects.

“One thing we can get help with besides funding is coordination with Hurlburt and Eglin,” said Adam Scurlock, Florida Department of Transportation District 3. “Working through easements, working through right of entries, getting access for surveys, all that helps us.”

Officials also highlighted traffic signal management efforts in Santa Rosa County and upgrades to the Okaloosa County Traffic Management Center to optimize traffic flow.

Long-term projects discussed at the roundtable included:

• Force protection improvements at Hurlburt Field’s front gate.
• The proposed West Gate military construction project.
• The Okaloosa County West Highway 98 Collector project.
• FDOT’s planned widening of Highway 98 between Hurlburt Field and State Road 87.

Additional initiatives discussed include connecting collector road networks across Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties, development of the proposed Navarre Community Access Road and improvements to the Highway 98 and State Road 87 intersection in Navarre.

“This is a northwest Florida challenge and a northwest Florida opportunity,” Hamilton said. “Not a single organization or individual can do any of this alone, and we’ll continue to make progress together.”

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