Okaloosa County project staff on Wednesday presented two design alternatives for the proposed West 98 Collector Road and a related utility corridor and asked residents to submit written comments by Aug. 14, 2025, to become part of the project record.

The project presenter, identified in the meeting as a Staff member, Okaloosa County project presenter, said the project development and environment (PD&E) study evaluates an approximately 3.25-mile Collector Road from Solar Street to Green Drive and an approximately 2-mile utility corridor from Green Drive to the Santa Rosa County line on property owned by Eglin Air Force Base. The study’s stated purposes are to provide an alternate east–west route for local and military traffic, establish a utility corridor to accommodate a future widening of U.S. 98 to six lanes, and evaluate a connection to a potential West Gate at Hurlburt Field.

The meeting put the most immediate facts up front: comments submitted in writing by Aug. 14, 2025, will be added to the public meeting record and written questions received during the comment period will be answered in writing after the meeting. Meeting materials and a project comment form are posted on the county project website listed in meeting materials; the presenter said the PD&E process will include further agency coordination and a later public hearing before a preferred alternative is selected.

Why this matters: the presenter said the section of U.S. 98 between the Santa Rosa County line and Hurlburt Field experiences heavy congestion and currently functions like a collector road because no parallel facility exists. The proposed collector road is intended to reduce conflict points on U.S. 98, improve emergency-response routing, provide alternate local connections (including relocating direct access to Florosa Elementary), and support network capacity if U.S. 98 is widened in the future.

Two typical-section alternatives were described. The urban typical section (Alternative 1) would include two 12-foot lanes with curb and gutter and a 12-foot shared-use path on the south side; stormwater would be collected in a closed drainage system. The rural typical section (Alternative 2) would include two 12-foot lanes with 10-foot shoulders (5 feet paved) and a 12-foot shared-use path on the south side; stormwater would be collected in open roadside ditches. The presenter said both alternatives will use off-site ditches on the north and south sides of the roadway to minimize drainage impacts.

The presenter also said the West 98 Collector Road corridor is entirely on Eglin Air Force Base property, while neighborhood connectors would be on Okaloosa County land; acquisition of privately owned property is not anticipated. Future phases—design, right of way, and construction—are not yet funded, and the PD&E study will inform environmental and engineering evaluations.

Legal and procedural context provided to attendees included the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) requirements and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the presenter said the meeting was advertised in the Florida Administrative Register and on the county website and that public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability or family status. The meeting materials note coordination with Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field.

No formal actions, votes or commitments to fund the project were made at the public information meeting. The presenter said public input will be used to refine alternatives and recommendations, and the county will hold a public hearing after the engineering and environmental evaluation is completed.

Less-critical details: the presenter gave a planning estimate of about 4,100 Hurlburt Field personnel who live west of Hurlburt and said the corridor could improve connectivity for personnel traveling between Hurlburt Field, Eglin Air Force Base and points east. The presenter listed previously considered measures—adjusting school speed limits and times, adding multi-use paths, adding traffic signals, and extending an interchange ramp—and said none alone achieved the necessary safety and travel-speed improvements.

Attendees were told multiple comment methods would be treated equally; printed comment forms could be returned to project staff or placed in a comment box. The presenter closed by reiterating the Aug. 14, 2025, comment deadline and thanking attendees for input.