County Considers Widening 2.17 Miles Of Dangerously Narrow Highway 164 For $2 Million

July 31, 2023

Escambia County is considering widening about 2.17 total miles of dangerously narrow Highway 164 in two locations for $2 million.

Highway 164 has been the scene of several near head-on crashes and swideswipes attributed to the narrow roadway. Some of the roadway has 8-foot travel lanes — not wide enough for large vehicles like Engine 9 from the nearby McDavid Fire Station (pictured below).

The project would widen Highway 164 to 11-foot wide travel lanes two-thirds of a mile east from Highway 97  and a 1.5 mile stretch that is three-quarters of a mile either side of the Pine Barren Road intersection. (See maps below.) Highway 164 is about 11.5 miles long from Highway 97 to Highway 29.

According to Escambia County Engineering, the two areas have had seven sideswipes and other accidents between May 2018 and May 2023– the highest concentration areas on Highway 164. NorthEscambia.com has covered several other crashes on Highway 164 outside the proposed widening zone — including a fiery two pickup crash last April, and a pickup truck and school bus last year (detailed in photo descriptions below).

The Escambia County Commission will consider the $2 million in funding from Local Option Sales Tax monies at their next meeting on Thursday, August 3.

Pictured above and first below: A near head-on crash in April 2023 on Highway 164 about a mile west of Pine Barren Road — outside the area currently proposed for widening. Pictured second and third photos below: A pickup truck overturned in February 2022 after sideswiping a school bus on Highway 164 1.3 miles east of Pine Barren Road — outside the area currently proposed for widening. Pictured bottom two photos: A school bus and ECUA sanitation truck sideswiped in June 2022 jsut east of Pine Barren Road — our records do not indicate the exact distance from Pine Barren Road, but it was very near the three-quarter mile mark. NorthEscambia.com photos and graphics, click to enlarge.

Comments

20 Responses to “County Considers Widening 2.17 Miles Of Dangerously Narrow Highway 164 For $2 Million”

  1. Bandaids on July 31st, 2023 9:44 pm

    Just paving part of a narrow road leaves open the possibility of future lawsuits. I am sure an attorney would file a suit against the county after the next fatality on 164 if they only do part of it. So it will cost of a life and then a lawsuit will make everyone see the hazard,and then will they act.

  2. BIG JOHN on July 31st, 2023 8:11 pm

    WELL HERE WE GO AGAIN, THE COUNTY COMMISSIONER FOR DISTICT 5 DOSEN,T CARE, IF HE DID HE WOULD MAKE SURE ALL OF HWY 164 WAS WIDEN FROM HWY 29 TO HWY 97, NOT JUST SOME PART OF IT !!!!!!!!

  3. Honest John on July 31st, 2023 1:09 pm

    Maybe Century could give us some grant money LOL

  4. SW on July 31st, 2023 12:38 pm

    How about ‘considering’ paving the whole darn thing?

    Then maybe ‘consider’ paving Pine Barren on from 164 to US29; it’s taking a beating from drivers avoiding 164.

  5. Hmmm on July 31st, 2023 11:29 am

    South Hwy 99 is the same way. Sure wish they would have put the extra shoulders like North Hwy 99 on it when they just repaved it…

  6. Florida logger on July 31st, 2023 11:28 am

    I recently said how many wrecks it takes before they fix that road and also I guess no county commissioners or important people go down hwy 4 it is awful shape and also needs same attention so drop another 2 million on it

  7. Mari on July 31st, 2023 11:05 am

    If a road is not wide enough for a fire truck it needs to be widened.

  8. Fact Checkers on July 31st, 2023 10:34 am

    West Roberts Rd from Hwy 29 to Pine Forest is just as bad. Where is all the infrastructure money?

  9. Oversight on July 31st, 2023 9:39 am

    Cheap county commissioners! It is obvious that they do not travel or have family who drive on this dangerously narrow road. If they did, widening would be a top priority. Commissioners, get out of your downtown offices, and do some management by driving around. Bring yourselves up to the north end, drive this road, and you will discover that the entire stretch (and not just a few thousand yards) of CR 164 is in need of an upgrade.

  10. Willis on July 31st, 2023 9:10 am

    Well this is stupid enough to happen.

  11. RaD on July 31st, 2023 8:42 am

    The road is about 11.5 miles long between Highways 29 and 97. So at $1M/mile, it would cost at least $11M to do widen it all.

  12. Dudley Herrington on July 31st, 2023 8:41 am

    I can not believe that someone has actually looked at this Hwy and seen how
    Dangerios it is . Try to pull a Livestock Trailer or Equipment Trailer and YOU
    will realize how DANGEROUS it is !!!

  13. Tracy Bolton on July 31st, 2023 8:01 am

    I agree, with all of the above, needs to be done, quickly done, especially since HWY 4 is closed for the bridge replacement, tons of people are using 164 as the detour. Those of us that live in the area are seeing a lot more traffic on 164. All these new people on that road do not understand that is is not like driving on HWY 29, 99, 97…

  14. Same ol Song and Dance on July 31st, 2023 7:57 am

    again….. 1954 infrastructure in 2023…… DUUUUUHHHHH

    I’ve said it over and over again…… zz zzz zzz zzz

  15. Concerned on July 31st, 2023 7:55 am

    A few miles not gona help.all of it needs it.we pay enough taxes up here to fund the whole thing.country roads up here are wider than 164.dont be greedy an spend the money.

  16. Hwy 164 is dangerous on July 31st, 2023 7:32 am

    ALL of Hwy 164 has 8’ travel lanes – not just these 2.17 miles. Fix the entire 11.5 miles for safety. Fire trucks, buses, ambulances, delivery trucks, garbage trucks, all of us travel the ENTIRE LENGTH of this notoriously dangerous road, not just these two pieces of the road.

  17. Resident on July 31st, 2023 7:31 am

    This is ridiculous, if you’ve traveled this road any at all you know the whole dang road is not safe, not just sections of if! The entire road needs to be widened. Not safe for larger vehicles. My son lost the driver side mirror to another vehicle. And I know several that have hit garbage cans or came dang close to hitting them including my self just to keep from hitting the other vehicle! Besides I think we all know in this end why this little section was chosen.

  18. CW on July 31st, 2023 6:52 am

    It’s certainly dangerous. I drive a smaller vehicle and still feel like I take up the whole lane.

  19. David Huie Green on July 31st, 2023 6:11 am

    From one end to the other, use the Local Option Sales Tax funds for their intended purpose.

  20. Charles on July 31st, 2023 6:05 am

    They need to go further east with the widening. Repave the whole thing

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News