2 days ago
FDOT officials hold ground breaking for DuPont Bridge replacement project, talk about the proposed state budget
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Florida Department of Transportation officials made a visit to Bay County on Friday to discuss the future of transportation in the Panhandle.
Transportation officials joined local leaders at the DuPont Bridge to celebrate the groundbreaking of the DuPont Bridge replacement project.
It is a $350 million project that will include 4 lanes of traffic while adding new sidewalks, bicycle lanes, multi-use paths, and more.
It is set to be completed by mid-2030.
The current bridge may not have any major issues, but it's reaching the age when things could go wrong.
'We always do maintenance and preservation before we do any new capacity. We spare no expense with our bridges. They're very important to us, and we have a very robust bridge replacement program. It's that strategic moment in time for the DuPont Bridge where it's time to replace it. And I think it's an added benefit with the Tyndall Air Force Base rebuild that we use the opportunity to add that additional capacity to U.S. 98,' FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue said.
Bay Building Industries Association begins 46th annual Parade of Homes
Tyndall officials say that capacity is needed.
Currently, about 3500 service members travel on and off the base daily.
'The bridge really fits into that nicely as we open up new facilities, open up new missions, welcome more people to the base. That bridge is really just going to help facilitate our growth.' Tyndall Commander Col. Chris Bergtholdt said.
State officials also attended the Bay County Chamber of Commerce First Friday meeting, where they discussed the future of FDOT and how they have invested more than $382 million in bridge maintenance projects, like the DuPont project, in the past year.
They say a lot of their success is due to the fact that they receive more than 70% of their funding from the state.
'There's a whole lot less restrictions with state money. Federal money comes with a lot of caveats. Anything that runs through the U.S. Treasury usually takes a long time to get moving. So we're very lucky when funds are allocated through the state. The DOT has a plan of work. They can go to work immediately. They have lots of projects on the shelves that are shovel-ready. So when we allocate that money, they can go to work right away,' State Representative Griff Griffitts said.
State lawmakers are expected to vote on next year's budget by June 16th.
The proposed plan will include nearly $15 billion for FDOT.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
