Work Underway On Nine Mile, Highway 29 Widening Projects

November 17, 2016

Work is in the beginning stages on Nine Mile Road and Highway 29 widening projects that will continue for the next several years.

The Florida Department of Transportation says most the work drivers can see taking place along Nine Mile Road between Pine Forest Road and Highway 29 is being performed by various utility companies as they relocate and make improvements to their facilities before road construction can begin. Trees and other vegetative debris that is being removed is being burned on-site.

What drivers on Highway 29 do not see are the drainage operations taking place in the four storm water retention ponds located off the main corridor. Truckloads of 66-inch drainage pipe that will be used at a drainage pond was recently delivered.

FDOT has awarded two construction contracts totaling $46 million to improve Nine Mile Road from Beulah Road to Highway 29. The project includes widening Nine Mile Road from two to four lanes.

FDOT has also awarded a $48.9 million construction contract to reconstruct Highway 29 from I-10 to just north of Nine Mile Road. Work includes widening the roadway from four to six lanes and replacing the Highway 29 bridge over Nine Mile Road.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

9 Responses to “Work Underway On Nine Mile, Highway 29 Widening Projects”

  1. Mary on November 19th, 2016 9:07 pm

    It’s a good thing that they’re widening 9-mile and 29 with all the traffic, but I sure hated to see all those beautiful old oak trees alongside the road being cut down.:(

  2. BG on November 17th, 2016 9:52 pm

    Hay FDOT give us a little HELP here in Cantonment with the Rail Road crossing
    on HWY 29 in Cantonment …It would be nice( not going to happen)

  3. fred on November 17th, 2016 12:53 pm

    @PCEnvy – yep, just put all the barrels out, narrow the travel lanes, jam up traffic, and leave it go until time for a contract progress payment; then go back and do just enough to get the next payment, and leave it go until the next payment cycle. Then, figure out some cost overruns to add some more profit, and repeat the cycle.

  4. Suzie B on November 17th, 2016 11:54 am

    There are actually different contracts doing 9 mile. One is right at the intersection of Hwy 29, the 2nd picks up from there and goes to Pine Forest and the 3rd is from Pine Forest to Beulah Road. This should help it progress quicker. The extra lane in the middle of 9 mile will be gone and replaced with grass medians and a few designated turn lanes. Many roads & businesses will only be accessible by going past your turn and making a UTurn. This is some of the info that was provided at the public meeting and many people are not happy with the UTurn options since the road will then be 4 lanes.

  5. PCEnvy on November 17th, 2016 11:00 am

    Spend a day a week per project and nothing gets done. This is what happens when you give all of these contracts to the same company. It should never take this long to finish a road-widening. Take a look at Olive. How long has that been going on? I drive by there everyday and I hardly see anyone there working. Someone needs to go to jail for approving these contracts.

  6. fred on November 17th, 2016 8:55 am

    “…the next several years…” Ugh. I hope the contractors aren’t the same ones who did such a stellar job on Avalon Blvd.

  7. Mark Smith on November 17th, 2016 8:45 am

    Lets be thankful that when the Alternate 90 or 9 Mile Road corridor was planned they made it wide enough for expansion in the many years to come without having to remove houses or business’. That was good planning and forethought in my opinion.

  8. randy on November 17th, 2016 7:29 am

    Fdot is 20 years behind

  9. Henry Coe on November 17th, 2016 7:12 am

    …and within 10 to 15 years Beulah Rd to Escambia Rivier will need to be 6 laned and Hwy 29 from Brent Ln to 10 Mile Rd will need to be 8.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News