Public Comments |
Study Area
This corridor analysis study builds upon the Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority's Master Plan that was completed in 2007. The two most dangerous hurricane evacuation problems within the overall eight county study area served by the NFTCA were US 331 in Walton County and in Franklin County, US 98 and its north-south connections. This project is being developed to satisfy the later.
The Gulf Coast of Franklin County is threatened by storm surge and flooding from tropical storms and hurricanes, which endanger the health and safety of the 
residents and visitors of the County. It is known that hurricanes are frequent in Florida and historic records show that the low lying areas of US 98 and other north-south roadways are subject to storm surge damages and coastal flooding even in tropical storms. This corridor analysis study extends from the Town of Eastpoint east to the Wakulla County line and includes the north-south routes which are vital to the safe evacuation of the coastal communities. Damages to the County's hurricane evacuation routes caused by the flooding and erosion in even the low intensity storms prolongs the evacuation process and hinders emergency personnel and other agencies recovery efforts after the storm. The frequent damages to the County's key mobility infrastructure impacts the health and safety of residents and visitors, as well as accounting for a real cost to the economy of its rural coastal communities. For example, during Hurricane Agnes and Hurricane Opal, all roadways leading from Carrabelle were flooded, including Highway 67 as it heads north away from the coast. Within the study area, the City of Carrabelle and the shoreline area just east of town are the most susceptible to wave damage during storm activity. This section of US 98 is currently undergoing a 14.5 mile, multi-million dollar rehabilitation project due to damages caused by prior years' storm events.
