Engineers hard at work on new Bay Bridge study

The Pensacola Bay Bridge is currently determined “Structurally Deficient” requiring the Florida Department of Transportation, FDOT, to plan for a replacement bridge within the next three to five years.

Engineers and project managers from FDOT and Reynolds, Smith and Hills, RS&H, Inc. are working on a replacement design that will meet community and environmental needs while making travel over the three-mile span of Pensacola Bay much safer for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Project Manager Dan Kristoff of RS&H provided a detailed briefing of the ongoing Project Development and Environment, PD&E, study currently in works at the United Peninsula Association, UPA, meeting June 16. 

According to Kristoff, the bridge has fallen below the state standard for what is determined to be a structurally sound bridge, but also has other significant issues to address: current and future traffic demands, social and environmental impacts, community values, aesthetic considerations and engineering principles.

For more on this story, see the June 23 issue of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.