399 finally open
NAVARRE BEACH - Knowing that a portion of State Road 399 on Santa Rosa Island was supposed to open this week, John Cobb drove to the fence blockade every day to check its status.
He was a happy man Friday morning as he was waved through the gate for the first time in nearly three years. Construction on the coastal road to Pensacola Beach is still under way, but a roughly threemile stretch from Navarre Beach to Opal Beach Park has been reopened.
"Anytime I think of leaving this area, I can just drive down this road and remember why I belong here," Cobb said after he rode his motorcycle to the park. "This is Florida to me. This is what it's all about."
SR 399, also called J. Earl Bowden Way, was damaged by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. Repairs were nearly complete and the road was temporarily reopened for the July 4 weekend in 2005, but Hurricane Dennis damaged it again on July 10.
Friday's opening marked the end of the first phase of reconstruction. As a small celebration was being held Friday morning, work crews were busy starting repairs along the remaining four miles between Opal Beach Park and Pensacola Beach.
That work is expected to be completed in late summer. The Federal Highway Administration is funding the $3.4 million project.
"This is just the first leg of it going back," said Jerry Eubanks, superintendent of Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Having the entire road open will be a huge boon for businesses on Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach. Tracey Terry, executive director of the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, said just having a portion of it open now will be a boost.
"Psychologically, it's a big thing. It's one of those final steps from all of the hurricanes," Terry said. "This is a huge impact. This is not a small thing. This is a big day for us."