Visitors to the white sandy beaches of Florida’s Gulf Coast will soon have a safer alternative route through Walton County when construction concludes on the resurfacing projects of SR 81 and SR 20 in mid-2020. The project includes 22-miles of two-lane arterial roadway on SR 81 headed south from I-10 beginning at the Town of Ponce de Leon, Florida. SR 81 ends with a y-intersection at SR-20 in the Bruce Community. The resurfacing project continues east along SR 20 until it reaches the western bridge approach of the Choctawhatchee River Bridge. SSR provided CEI services for the project out of our Crestview office.

The existing roads needed repair for minor rutting, raveling on edges, and drainage issues in areas. The resurfacing project has addressed many of these concerns. The project also included rebuilding bridge joints, new guardrails, new striping and rumble strips, replaced signage, and sight improvements at two intersections.

Typically, during the tourist-heavy Spring Break season, FDOT requires road construction projects to halt for over two weeks. As a result of COVID-19, in 2020 FDOT allowed construction projects to continue during the cancelled spring break timeframe, allowing the project team to continue uninterrupted and work longer days. As a result, the original project is tracking to be completed slightly ahead of the modified schedule which considers all weather-related extensions.

During the project, FDOT identified and awarded SSR additional CEI work associated with the sight improvements that will begin construction as SR 81 and SR 20 concluded.