One of the questions visitors ask most frequently is  “  When will the beach road open?”

The answer, as of Tuesday, is what they’ve waited to hear: It is open.

 

Repairs to J. Earle Bowden Way, the 12-mile road through Gulf Islands National Seashore connecting Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach, are complete. The route is clear and open for the first time since July 2005, when Hurricane Dennis destroyed recently completed repairs from 2004’s Hurricane Ivan.

According to Jerry Eubanks, Superintendent of Gulf Islands National Seashore, an official ribbon-cutting will be held Friday, March 6, with the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

The road briefly reopened between Navarre Beach and Opal Beach last year but closed again in September after Hurricane Ike covered the road with sand.

Repairs were delayed several times by environmentalists, who objected to the initial repair plans and halted construction last year because of nesting birds.

“Opal Beach construction is running a little behind schedule,”  Eubanks said.  “There was a delay in delivery of the water and sewer pipeline. We are still doing some construction on Opal Beach. The restrooms will be operational later in the year.”

Eubanks said there are enough parking spaces on Opal Beach to accommodate 450 cars. “We will add lifeguards to Opal Beach over the summer.  Our plan is to install a gate to Opal Beach and close it at night.”

Eubanks said the repair contract calls for a gate to be installed at each end of J. Earle Bowden Way.

“These gates will remain open unless a storm closes the road again,”  he explained.

The road to Fort Pickens is scheduled to open in May.