Comments on: Tax Watch: North Escambia’s New $1.1 Million Bridge To (Almost) Nowhere

By: Ray McCullough

Ray McCullough — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 21:18:07 +0000

I,m glad our county commissioners voted to replace lower brushey creek bridge. I hope the Phillips Road Brushey Creek bridge will also be replaced at some time in the future. The approaches to lower Brushey Creek bridge are inundated during sustained heavy rain; as are the approaches to the Phillips Road Bridge. Installation of bypass culverts on either side of the bridges would serve to pass the water under the roads. thus preventing the low approaches from bing washed into the swamp. the approaches being built up without culverts will produce the fill behind the bridge head wall washing away along with a portion of the approaches. three culverts three feet in diameter and twenty four feet long. Spend money now and save money later by not having to repair the approaches after each flash flood. thousans of tons of wood have croosed these bridges until they were unsafe for heavy loads. Houses and paper products we all have used came from the forest these bridges give access. The bridge c99a north of Ernest Ward Middle School over Little Pine Barren Creek needs to be replaced and widened. Schoolbus traffic over this bridge is frequent and this bridge is 50 years old ; at least. Paveing the 1.5 mile strech of Pineville Road from Aruther Brown Road to Dry Springs Community Church would benefit our community at large; In that users during wet weather would no longer be sliding all over the road in certain places and hitting the ditch in other places. Tax payer money is not wasted where we live. We thank God for any repair or improvement on roads and bridges. Thanks to the county and state for getting the money and the workers for getting the job done.

By: Nowhere Resident

Nowhere Resident — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:32:43 +0000

I have read the comments on the Brushy Creek Bridge and have to agree with the argument that a temporary bridge was unnecessary. I live in “Nowhere” on Pineville Road. All the residents out here are tax payers in Escambia County and also in the State of Florida. We pay property taxes just like the folks “down South”. If we buy gasoline in Escambia County we pay the taxes to support the ECAT system (or that’s what we were told it was for). We have to get out of Nowhere to the nearest ECAT stop we must drive about 25 miles!!!! Also, after Hurricane Ivan, the road to Nowhere was covered with downed pine trees. (We are in the middle of the old La Foresta Perdida Preserve). Between the church on Pineville Road and Arthur Brown Road (the nearest paved road) there were over 300 trees across the road. Well, Escambia County never showed up to assist in tree removal – the Nowhere residents removed the trees so we could get out of Nowhere. We don’t have any evacuation routes out of Nowhere, we don’t have regular patrols by the Sheriff’s Department (Escambia County – remember? ) We are basically forgotten. The Honorable County Commissioners think that Escambia County stops at 9 Mile Road. We have been promised that our road would be paved but that will probably happen after the Lord comes back. So…. don’t kick to hard about a million dollar bridge on a dirt road. The residents of Nowhere, Escambia County Fl. are finally getting a little bit of a return on our tax dollars that we have been investing in for the past gazillion years.

By: William

William — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 18:39:41 +0000

>>What did the inspection of bridge find ? Was it deemed unsafe ?

It’s sufficiency rating was 77.4 There are about 100 bridges in Escambia County a lower (worse) rating.

By: Mark T

Mark T — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 18:21:36 +0000

What did the inspection of bridge find ? Was it deemed unsafe ?

By: William

William — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 18:06:10 +0000

>>>97 to sunshine hill road back in December . How many cars go down that each day

That project was due to the number of injury crashes on the road. The traffic count, at the Alligator Creek Bridge on Crabtree Church Road, was 318 vehicles per day in 2012.

By: Football Mom

Football Mom — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:29:50 +0000

And such is life and everyone has an opinion on how the STATE should spend STATE $$. If it benefits you, you agree. If it doesnt, you dont. Either way, the state is going to decide to do what they want to do.

By: lynda

lynda — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 11:38:32 +0000

It seemed no one seemed to mind when the state awarded the county with 1.4 million to put shoulders on the small piece of road from hwy. 97 to sunshine hill road back in December . How many cars go down that each day , or was it just so people could find better parking for a once a year parade . Same people making the decsions , just have a different title to their name . Same stuff different day.

By: Mr. Reality

Mr. Reality — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 03:00:01 +0000

From 40 to 44 cars a day by 2018?? WOW….That road is an important artery to move all those folks to their jobs in the city…YEA RIGHT!!!

By: BT

BT — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 02:55:59 +0000

There’s only one way into my neighborhood, too. It’s callled Highway 29, and there’s always a train across it.

How come they can’t build a bridge over that mess?

By: Pineville PI

Pineville PI — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 01:17:40 +0000

I have lived on this road for 44 years and the FDOT is very inaccurate with there numbers. the 1.9 mile detour is about 8 or 9 miles if your going to Pcola. Some of us Country Bumpkins are employed in Pcola and travel there daily.