Residents urge crosswalks, lighting on Gulf Beach Highway as repaving approaches

Keith Bowe, a Warrington Community Redevelopment Area representative, told the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners at the public forum that a planned repaving of State Road 292 (Gulf Beach Highway) presents an opportunity to add pedestrian safety features.

Bowe said the stretch of SR 292 from Navy Boulevard to “Cerro ***** Road” is on the county’s high-injury network and is “just really packed.” He told commissioners the corridor needs two additional marked crosswalks and “lighting for a third, a flashing light” because “there is just no way anybody handicapped or anybody non handicapped can cross that stretch of road.”

The request included material Bowe said he had exchanged with Jill Nobles during planning meetings and noted that the repaving is in the planning process and expected within the next year. He also referenced recent commercial development near Mills Avenue that increases pedestrian demand.

A commissioner asked staff to review the location and its inclusion in the county’s GPO (growth/transportation program), and staff said they would look at the area. The exchange did not include a formal motion or vote.

Why it matters: SR 292 is a high-traffic state route where residents and business activity intersect; changes made with repaving (striping, crosswalks, signals, lighting) can alter pedestrian access and safety along the corridor. Bowe asked the county to consider combining striping changes from the repaving project with new crosswalks or a signal at Mills Avenue to provide north–south access.

What happened next: County staff agreed to examine the location and the materials Bowe provided. No formal referral, funding decision or construction schedule was recorded during the public forum.