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Traffic shift completed on U.S. 98 near Brooks Bridge on Okaloosa Island

A major traffic reconfiguration has been completed as part of the $171 million project to replace the aging Brooks Bridge with two new parallel structures on Okaloosa Island.
FDOT

he Florida Department of Transportation has completed shifting U.S. 98 travel lanes onto a temporary roadway between Brooks Bridge and Pier Road on Okaloosa Island.

  • The new traffic configuration maintains two lanes in each direction while creating space for construction crews to begin work on the new westbound Brooks Bridge structure.

Motorists should expect intermittent nighttime lane closures from Ferry Road to Pier Road between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., Sunday through Thursday.

The traffic shift marks a significant milestone in the $171 million Brooks Bridge Replacement Project. The project will replace the current four-lane bridge, which has served the area since 1966, with two new parallel bridges expanding capacity to six travel lanes.

Construction is scheduled for completion in summer 2027.

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Community Comments

“The Big U! The NMU supplied the unlicensed crew and when we lost this ship and its jobs and when U.S. Lines went bankrupt, we were on our way to...”
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“Highschool is finna be more crowed now. We need another highschool not a middle or elementary school.”
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“This is bittersweet. I spent a wonderful week in Cay Sal Banks on the Pilot in 2006. I will have to go pay her a visit soon....”
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“I agree with Jerome. What will this accomplish since both ends are only 4 lanes?”
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“The parking lot at McGuires would disappear along with the parcel that Destin purchased at the bridge.. Flooding on Okaloosa Island would close an expensive update to 98 , at...”
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“This will not make a difference for traffic passing through the center of Destin along Rt. 98. The smart option is to complete the Brooks Bridge and intersection in Ft...”
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“Doesn’t it still end up with 4 lanes on either end after bridges? Seems more aesthetic than a traffic plan. Which is nice too but does it increase the function?”
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“It would be a money pit let’s sink it for the tourists who we don’t have enough of so more will come”
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“Traffic moves pretty well on that stretch of 98, I don't see the need to waste the money. Maybe do something to deal with the traffic in Destin, and Mary...”
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