Headed To Pensacola Beach? Traffic Changes Begin

May 13, 2017

Beginning Saturday, May 13 access into and exiting the Casino Beach parking lot along Via De Luna Drive and Fort Pickens Road will be modified.

The only entrance into the parking lot will now be at the existing access along Via De Luna Drive, located next to Sidelines Sports Bar & Restaurant and across the street from Flounder’s Chowder House. The only exit from the parking lot will be from the existing access along Fort Pickens Road near the public restrooms/Public Safety Building. The parking lot will function in a circular configuration in order to improve traffic movements within the lot.

Although the traffic flow will change starting Saturday, construction of a new traffic signal will not be completed until next week. In the meantime, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies will direct traffic in the area during peak times. The new signal will be installed along Via De Luna Drive in order to effectively control traffic movements into the Casino Beach parking lot. The signal will provide a new westbound left turn into the lot, and it will include a pedestrian push button signal. The new traffic signal and push button signal will be coordinated with the existing traffic signal at the intersection of Via De Luna Drive and Fort Pickens Road.

Comments

19 Responses to “Headed To Pensacola Beach? Traffic Changes Begin”

  1. Martha on May 27th, 2017 8:06 pm

    What a joke. Make it one way before you even put up a light and can’t even get turned out. At least have police directing traffic!

  2. Teresa Boutte on May 16th, 2017 8:56 pm

    You just can’t fix stupid!!

  3. Avis on May 16th, 2017 3:19 pm

    These maps and plans are provided as a public service. It lets us know where to stay away from while these public stress tests are ongoing. Thank you for keeping us informed.

  4. Sharon on May 15th, 2017 10:50 am

    From a video of a friend, Sunday was a cluster and 1/2. This is another dumb idea by the authorities that be. People coming from the Ft. Pickens area of the beach will have 2 traffic lights (once the new light is built) to go through before being able to turn into Casino Beach parking. People coming from the east end will have two traffic lights to go through when they leave Casino Beach if they are heading back to the east. This is ridiculous. Traffic is already at a stand still due to that traffic light at Ft. Pickens road. Common sense is not being shown here at all.

  5. Bob C. on May 14th, 2017 12:17 pm

    Help me here, PLEASE.

    The map looks like Any traffic from Ft. Pickens Rd is blocked from directly entering the parking lot unless they go through the light at Via de Luna and turn right to loop around to “Casino Beach Boardwalk” ????

    Is this some sneaky attempt to introduce the “Roundabout” concept at Pens Beach?

    Feeling that Escambia County Commissioner of District 4, Honorable Grover Robinson should spend the first week there helping direct traffic and taking comments from motorists.

  6. molino jim on May 14th, 2017 10:15 am

    @ Jack: some times the critic (aka-a lay person) can see errors better than the expert. A few cases such as the exit from the I-10 south bound on to 29 where there was just a stop sign. 18 wheeler were expected to stop and then try to get into heavy traffic south bound. After a number of calls the experts added a feeder lane. From I-110 on to I-10 west bound where the lane ends on top of a hill. A little bit better markings after a number of phones calls.The mess at 29 north on to 97 then into Crabtree rd. and into the Thumb rear entrance. I could go on and on about the poor planning for some of the roadways. So some of us “critic” can question the experts.

  7. jack on May 14th, 2017 9:22 am

    A recent statement from a public figure. The easiest job in the world is critic.

  8. Gary on May 14th, 2017 8:03 am

    Wait till the new 3 mile is completed, the traffic in Gulf Breeze will be the biggest ‘choke hold’ in the state of FL. Are the traffic engineers who ‘design’ traffic patterns really engineers!

  9. Gary on May 14th, 2017 7:59 am

    Just more confusion. Makes no sense.

  10. Matchbox on May 13th, 2017 7:01 pm

    Does this mean they building a multi tier parking structure

  11. molino jim on May 13th, 2017 12:49 pm

    The same expert who decided to do this on a weekend must be the same one who had Winn Dixie close half of their parking lot today. One good thing about this is we prove that we hire the bottom of the engineering school class for the state and county and just about any place else. It’s like h’way 29 and the interstate, plus 29 and 97 here in molino. Does anyone else remember the bike lane on 97 at 29 mixed in the middle of the other lanes.This proves there is an opening for a job no matter who you are and what your standing in your class.

  12. Bryan West on May 13th, 2017 11:01 am

    Couldn’t this have been done over the winter instead of during tourist season? This could be quite a mess when it could’ve been done art a time with very little traffic on the beach.

  13. Roger M. Cole on May 13th, 2017 10:48 am

    Friday it took an hour to get from #29 back to Flounders. Why? Paving, when they could have routed traffic in one of the south lanes, and made it a two way. Really dumb thinking; or poor planning.

  14. William Ribbing on May 13th, 2017 10:39 am

    That’s not going to do a darn thing to control the thieves that roam the parking lot breaking into vehicles.

  15. Marsha M on May 13th, 2017 10:35 am

    This makes absolutely NO sense. It diverts some traffic, but creates THREE traffic snags instead of ONE! Especially, if you MUST exit this way. The BIGGEST disaster is that they are making these changes at the beginning of the busiest time of the year. I was over there twice last week, and you cannot really tell where you are supposed to drive, exit, Casino parking lot to go toward Ft. Pickens Traffic was backed up (on a light traffic day) because drivers couldn’t see where they were supposed to go. BAD IDEA and WRONG TIME to do it!

  16. Boyd Landas on May 13th, 2017 9:51 am

    A lot of Debbie Downers in here. Prosperity is good. A traffic signal is a way to control the traffic and amount of speed around the most populated and dense area of Pensacola Beach. Stop being selfish and think about the safety of others.

  17. Cc on May 13th, 2017 8:44 am

    Can’t beleave there going to start Construction this early in the summer knowing it’s going to be packed out there this is crazy

  18. Willis on May 13th, 2017 7:20 am

    It must take a special engine ear to think up something so special.

  19. Johnathan Gumble on May 13th, 2017 5:25 am

    What a stupid idea. Now you are forced to travel the length of Casino parking lot if you want to go to the fishing pier. This means you are forced to wait for all the pedestrians to cross, idiots stopping in traffic to unload their cars/children, cars looking for parking places and whatever nonsense you can think of. A dumb idea for the same age old problem. Why don’t we turn the Island Authority building into a big parking lot and move their building down the road, like off the island?