Here Are This Week’s Road Construction Slow Down Spots
June 21, 2021
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- Pensacola Bay Bridge (U.S. 98) Replacement - FDOT has restored four travel lanes to the Pensacola Bay Bridge. 17th Avenue southbound remains closed at Bayfront Parkway.
- U.S. 29 from South of Muscogee Road (County Road (C.R.) 184) to Atmore Hwy (S.R. 97) – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures Monday, June 21 through Friday, June 25 throughout the limits of the project for striping operations and signal work.
- 17th Avenue Interchange construction – 17th Avenue northbound is accessible for traffic exiting the bridge. Access to the Pensacola Visitor’s Center and boat launch is available from 17th Avenue northbound. Left turns remain temporarily prohibited from 14th Avenue to Bayfront Parkway eastbound. Instead, these drivers should travel south on Ninth Avenue, then east on Chase Street, and continue eastbound to Bayfront Parkway and the Pensacola Bay Bridge.
- North Ninth Avenue (State Road (S.R.) 289) Carpenters Creek Bridge Replacement- All travel lanes are temporarily shifted to the northbound side of the bridge as crews work to replace the southbound portion of the structure.
- Drivers will encounter brief, intermittent lane closures as crews mobilize materials and equipment. The brief, intermittent lane closures and traffic configuration will continue through the end of the year.
- Pile driving work is also underway. Crews will be driving piles during the daytime hours. Nearby residents and commercial property owners may experience noise and vibration.
- West Cervantes (U.S. 90) Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project – Drivers will encounter inside day and nighttime lane closures on West Cervantes Street, between Kirk Street and X Street and from S Street to North Pace Boulevard for paving operations. Drivers are reminded the speed limit between Dominguez Street and A Street is 30 mph.
- U.S. 29 Widening from Interstate 10 (I-10) to Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90) – Motorists can expect intermittent lane closures and shifts on U.S. 29 between I-10 and Nine and Half Mile Road and on Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 overpass 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday, June 21 as crews perform paving operations.
- Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90) Widening from Pine Forest (S.R. 297) to U.S. 29 – Motorists can expect intermittent lane closures and shifts on U.S. 29 between I-10 and Surrey Drive the week of Monday, June 21 as crews remove and replace asphalt. In addition, the new traffic signal on Nine Mile Road at I-10 will be become fully operational on Tuesday, June 22 at 10 a.m.
- Sorrento Road (S.R. 292) Intersection Improvements at the Innerarity Point (C.R. 292A)–
There will be intermittent lane closures 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, June 20 through Thursday, June 24 as crews restripe and install temporary asphalt in preparation for construction of low-profile barrier wall. - I-10 Routine Maintenance from Mile Marker 5 (West Nine Mile Road/U.S. 90Alt.) to Mile Marker 19 (East of Scenic Highway/Exit 17) – Motorists should expect intermittent lane closures on I-10 from West Nine Mile Road to just east of Scenic Highway 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, June 21 through Thursday, June 24 for crews repair overhead signs and lighting.
- I-110 Routine Maintenance from Gregory Street/Chase Street Exit to I-10/Davis Highway Exit – There will be intermittent lane closures on I-110 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, June 21 through Thursday, June 24 for crews repair overhead signs and lighting.
Santa Rosa County:
- Pensacola Bay Bridge (U.S. 98) Replacement - FDOT has restored four travel lanes to the Pensacola Bay Bridge. 17th Avenue southbound remains closed at Bayfront Parkway.
- U.S. 98 Routine Utility Maintenance Between Panhandle Trail and Biscayne Boulevard – The eastbound outside lane from Panhandle Trail to Biscayne Boulevard will be closed 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 23 as crews replace power poles.
How Much Did It Rain Near You During Claudette?
June 21, 2021
Portions of the North Escambia area received the most rain in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Radar estimates showed 5-8 inches of rain in North Escambia, with the highest totals just west of Molino.
Here are 24 hour rain totals ending at 9 p.m. Saturday from weather stations around Escambia County:
- Bratt — 9.3 inches**
- Century — 5.77 inches
- Walnut Hill — 5.37
- Beulah — 4.16 inches
- Escambia High — 3.81 inches
- Pine Forest High– 3.65 inches
- Washington High School — 3.23 inches
- Tate High School — 3.16 inches
- UWF — 3.05 inches
*While an official weather station reported 9.3 inches in Bratt at Northview High School, it’s inconsistent with other nearby stations and radar estimates of about 6 inches.
Florida Gas Prices Decline A Few Cents
June 21, 2021
Florida gas prices drifted lower during the past week, down three cents. The average price for gasoline in Florida is now $2.94 per gallon, according to AAA.
The average price in Escambia County was $2.96. The lowest price in North Escambia Sunday night was $2.80 at a station on Muscogee Road in Cantonment.
“Florida drivers got a break from rising gas prices last week, and it appears that trend could continue this week,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Although crude oil prices notched another small weekly gain, wholesale gasoline prices declined. Market speculators believe Tropical Depression Claudette will cause reduced gasoline demand in the Southeastern U.S., as residents stay off the road during the storm. It’s possible that gas prices decline another few pennies this week, as a result.”
Blue Wahoos Walk-Off Montgomery For The Third Time This Week
June 21, 2021
The Blue Wahoos have become the drama kings.
All in a great way.
They finished a memorable week in franchise history with a third walk-off win in six days Sunday, this one from Canadian-born catcher J.D. Osborne, who delivered a line-drive rope down the left field line to produce a 10th-inning, 4-3 victory against the Montgomery Biscuits.
In a week that included rain delays, schedule changes, a swipe from Tropical Storm Claudette, the Blue Wahoos won five of six games against the Biscuits and made Father’s Day Weekend special at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
In winning Sunday before a crowd of 4,123, the Blue Wahoos (26-16) won three games in less than 24 hours. Sunday’s game was delayed a half-hour by weather.
“I’ve never seen that honestly,” said Osborne, referring to the weekend weather, including Saturday’s storm and Sunday’s pair of rain showers. “I have lived in Florida for seven years now and I have never seen a torrential downpour like that, and they we go back out there and there’s blue skies.
“It’s hard to stay in it right away when all that’s happening, but then you find that focal point that brings you back to the game.
“We did that all weekend,” Osborne said. “We just grinded. We had really good at-bats there, threw the ball well and good series, there. It just the chemistry and group of guys here.”
So here was Sunday’s scenario.
After winning a pair of seven-inning games, including a walk-off win, in a double-header Saturday that followed arrival of a tropical storm, the Blue Wahoos had just one hit through six innings. They trailed 3-1 in the seventh.
The lone hit was Riley Mahan’s second-inning homer. They again struggled against Montgomery left-hander Faustino Carrera, who kept the Blue Wahoos off-balance with his cutter and control, despite lower-than-normal velocity.
But with Carrera out and the Biscuits bullpen in, things changed in the seventh inning. They were in striking range thanks to another strong performance from their bullpen. Zach Wolf had pitched two scoreless innings following Jeff Lindgren’s five inning start.
“It’s almost like a movie, you can’t really write this stuff,” Mahan said. “But I think it speaks volumes to not only our starting pitching, but also our bullpen, just keeping us in games and not letting them get too far out of hand.
“Even in games when we’re not swinging it too great, we’re kind of battling and it pays off later in the game.”
Peyton Burdick, who blasted a two-run, game-winning walkoff in Saturday’s first game of the doubleheader, led off with a 482-foot poke to left-center trimming the deficit. In the ninth, Burdick led off again and took a pitch on his shouder.
He went to third on Jerar Encarnacion’s double. With one out and the bases loaded, Mahan produced a fly ball to left deep enough to score Burdick with the tying run.
In the top of the 10th, with a runner placed on second to start the inning in pro baseball’s extra-inning format, Blue Wahoos reliever Roberto Guerrero worked his second clean inning. He stranded the Biscuits runner at third with one out with a strikeout against top-of-the-order hitter Garrett Whitley, the got Xavier Edwards to pop out to shortstop Devin Hairston.
Osborne, who was a talented teenage hockey player in Canada, waisted no time when getting his shot.
He jumped on a 1-2 pitch and rifled it down the line for the game winner.
“I was just trying to find any way to contribute to the team,” said Osborne, who joined the Blue Wahoos in a promotion June 6 from the Beloit (Wisc.) Snappers, the Miami Marlins High-A affiliate. “I saw a fastball there. I knew they didn’t have anything crazy to beat me, so just stay within myself and put the bat on the ball and it worked out in my favor. And the rest is history, we walked it off.
The win gave the Blue Wahoos a phenomenal 12-4 record in one-run games and was their seventh come-from-behind-win in late innings.
They now have the best record in the Double-A South with a big road series beginning Tuesday against the Birmingham Barons, who took four of six games in Pensacola in the only series the Blue Wahoos lost this year.
Man Found Critically Injured In Century Bar Parking Lot
June 20, 2021
A man was found critically injured in the parking lot of a Century bar Saturday night.
About 10 p.m., the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a man down call in the parking lot of Odom’s Bar on North Century Boulevard at the state line. They arrived to find the victim in the parking lot.
ECSO Sgt. Melanie Peterson told NorthEscambia.com that deputies where not sure exactly what happened to him.
Witnesses told deputies that the man was seen involved in a “shoving match” in the parking lot, but he did not appeared injured. When the witness went back outside, they found him injured and bleeding, Peterson said.
The man, about 60-years old, was transported by Escambia County EMS as a trauma alert to a Pensacola hospital.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information on the incident to call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and are eligible for a cash reward.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Toll Reinstated On Garcon Point Bridge
June 20, 2021
The $5 toll is back on the Garcon Point Bridge.
The toll had been suspended since the Pensacola Bay Bridge was damaged and closed by runaway barges during Hurricane Sally in September 2020.
Last week, traffic was restored to four lanes on the Pensacola Bay Bridge.
Major Washout Alongside Greenland Road At Pine Barren Creek
June 20, 2021
Floodwaters from Tropical Storm Claudette washed away the shoulders of Greenland Road at Pine Barren Creek Saturday.
The 32-foot steel and concrete culvert, constructed in 1955, is about one-third of a mile east of Highway 97 in Davisville. The roadside on the downstream side of Greenland Road was washed away both east and west of the creek.
After a reader reached out to NorthEscambia.com about the washout, we alerted Escambia County to the situation. There was no word long repairs will take.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Rigby Road Bridge In Bratt Closed After Roadway Collapses
June 20, 2021
A bridge in Bratt is closed after a raging creek caused the roadway approach to the bridge to collapse Saturday afternoon.
The bridge on Rigby Road is closed at Beaver Dam Creek until further notice. It is located about a half mile south of West Highway 4 in Bratt (map at bottom of story).
Pictured: Escambia County Public Works closes a bridge on Rigby Road Saturday afternoon after the roadway collapsed. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pickup Truck Found Partially Submerged In Flood Waters Of Pine Barren Creek
June 20, 2021
A pickup truck was found by a passerby partially submerged in a creek near Walnut Hill Saturday afternoon.
The truck was discovered by the bridge in the floodwaters of Pine Barren Creek on a dirt portion of Lambert Bridge Road between North Pine Barren Road and Highway 164. No one was around the truck was it was discovered by the passerby.
It was not clear Saturday night if anyone was injured, how the truck ended up in the creek or if law enforcement had responded.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flood Warnings For Escambia And Perdido Rivers; Barrineau Park Bridge Submerged
June 20, 2021
Water was over the Barrineau Park Bridge at the state line over the Perdido River Saturday afternoon. Full size trucks were unable to make it across, according to local residents.
Flood warnings continued Sunday morning for the Perdido River near Barrineau Park and the Escambia River at Century. Both were expected to crest just over flood stage. The Perdido River is expected to fall below flood stage Sunday; the Escambia River is not forecast to crest until Monday.
Photo submitted by Tom Dickson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.