Woodbine Road widening in Pace could start construction as soon as next summer

Officials have announced updated plans regarding the future of widening Woodbine Road in Pace.

At a meeting of the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, Amber Kirk with the engineering firm Mott MacDonald presented the company's plans at two locations along the road: one at the intersection with U.S. Highway 90 and another at the Five Points intersection.

The improvement plan at U.S. 90 includes:

• A dedicated right-turn lane
• A four-lane section with median
• Sidewalks

The Five Points aspect includes:

• Four lanes from Vinewood Lane to the Pace Athletic and Recreation Association Sports Plex
• Sidewalks
• Mast arm traffic signals

These plans are schematic designs, with the expectation that the final designs would be finished in April 2023 for the U.S. 90 intersection and December 2023 for Five Points, with construction to start on the former next summer.

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"(The project by U.S. 90) is going to involve a lot of coordination with permitting agencies, utilities, acquisition of rights of way, things like that before we can get going and hit the bid of construction phases started," Kirk told the commission.

Looking at the Five Points segment, Kirk said it is going to provide the capacity for safety improvements county officials are looking for.

In August, construction began on a section of Woodbine Road to add a turn lane into one of the newest and largest residential projects on the roadway, the Lakes of Woodbine subdivision.

"During (future) construction, there's obviously going to be some disruption, but we're going to maintain access to all of the businesses," Kirk told the commissioners. "And the good news is since we're building out this entire footprint now, it's just a single disruption that we'll work through and maintain."

The Lakes of Woodbine project involves 240 acres off Woodbine Road for commercial and high-end residential development. The land was previously zoned only for residential development, but later, 22 acres of the project were changed for commercial use.

Woodbine Road is a major artery that runs through one of the most development-rich areas in Santa Rosa County. Commissioners have approved several new commercial and residential developments on the road, despite its "D" grade rating by the public works department.

"This is an item that should have been done 20 years ago," County Commissioner James Calkins said, adding this is a "good start" in alleviating some congestion issues.

Also on Woodbine are several other community and commercial spots. Several fields are in use at the Pace Athletic and Recreation Association location on Woodbine Road, near the corner with U.S. 90. The association is planning to relocate the fields farther north, and the new area will allow for four practice fields and two game fields.

Late last month, the County Commission approved a final plat for an 86-lot subdivision in the Pea Ridge area named Boracay Cove. This subdivision will sit off the new Pea Ridge Connector, which runs parallel to Woodbine.

In October 2021, the county awarded the engineering firm a $2 million, five-year contract to explore improving traffic issues on the road. The county has also requested about $500,000 from the state for the U.S. 90 and Woodbine intersection improvement.

Commissioner Sam Parker, who represents the Pace area that Woodbine runs through, said, "probably the most extensive time part (for Mott MacDonald) will be the stormwater capture piece."

Parker has previously teased the idea that the state could possibly taking ownership of nearby Chumuckla Highway.