Okaloosa County gives residents a chance to shape plans for 3.25-mile road designed to unclog U.S. 98
Okaloosa County, Florida – Okaloosa County is inviting local residents, property owners, and stakeholders to attend an upcoming public information meeting on the West 98 Collector Road Project, an infrastructure effort aimed at easing traffic congestion along the busy U.S. Highway 98 corridor. The meeting will take place in person on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in the Board Chambers of the Okaloosa County Administration Building, located at 1250 N. Eglin Parkway in Shalimar.
The conference aims to talk about the Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study for the proposed West 98 Collector Road. The study looks into where and how to build a new 3.25-mile collector road that will run next to S.R. 30 (U.S. 98) and west of Hurlburt Field. The proposed route goes north of Florosa Elementary School and the Florosa Fire Station, connecting Green Drive to the east of Solar Street. It also contains a utility corridor about 2 miles long that connects Green Drive to the Santa Rosa County Line. There are also proposals for a road tie-in that would help the Hurlburt Field West Gate Project.
Trey Goodwin, the commissioner for District 4, plans to be at the meeting. He was excited to hear from people in the area and stressed how this project could help traffic move better on U.S. 98.
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There will be project exhibits and informational documents at the conference that people can look at at their own pace. Members of the project team will be present to answer questions one-on-one, and people who come are welcome to leave comments or questions in a comment box. There won’t be a formal presentation, but all of the materials provided during the event, including the taped presentation, will be available online here.
Another important part of the research will look at how to better manage rainwater to lower the risk of flooding between the current U.S. 98 route and the proposed collector road.
Notices are being distributed to property owners, businesses, and organizations that are interested in the region to make sure that everyone can see what is going on and have a say in it. Okaloosa County wants everyone to know that they can provide their opinion, no matter who they are, as long as they follow Title VI nondiscrimination rules.
If you have any questions concerning the study, you can call Okaloosa County Project Manager Scott Bitterman at (850) 689-5772 or write to him at 1759 South Ferdon Boulevard, Crestview, FL 33536.
